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May 2022

Ruth Sandven

Sustainability And Environmental Action (SEAC)

by Ruth Sandven, Chair

Last Sunday the League of Women Voters and SEAC joined with thousands of others from across the region to educate and learn more about the environment and our human impact on it at EarthFair in Balboa Park. Hundreds of people stopped by the LWV booth to learn about The People’s Ordinance, California’s Organic Recycling Law, composting, worm bins, and how to recycle – and to spin the wheel and answer questions about the environment. We gave away hundreds of succulents and Voter’s Edge bookmarks.

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What was really inspiring was to see how many children knew about recycling and how many people were already registered to vote and said they would “vote for the earth”!

It was a beautiful day for an in-person event and we had fun working together. Walking around the Fair was very educational and we found enough potential SEAC speakers to last a lifetime. 

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who helped to create, organize and staff our booth!

Our April SEAC meeting was spent with Scott Sandel and Jordan Moore of the San Diego Planning Department who spoke about the City’s proposed De Anza Cove and Mission Bay wetlands restoration plan. The draft Environmental Impact Report has been initiated and is scheduled to be released this winter (2022). Public input will be invited once the report is issued and the LWVSD will have the opportunity to comment at that time. In the meantime, for the May SEAC meeting, the committee decided to meet at Kendall Frost Marsh in the northeast corner of Mission Bay and walk around the area so that we can see for ourselves the area that is under proposed development.

Big news from the Metropolitan Transit System! Beginning May 1, 2022, anyone under 18 years of age can ride the bus, trolley, coaster or sprinter for FREE! To participate sign up for a Youth PRONTO account at Youth Opportunity Pass. This is a pilot program that extends until June 2023.

Upcoming Important SEAC dates:

Monday, May 2 @ 9:30am- Joint SEAC/Public Policy Committee meeting. Our speaker will be from the County of San Diego and talk about the Regional Decarbonization Plan. You may access the meeting through the calendar at LWV San Diego.

Tuesday, May 17 @ 1pm- SEAC walk in northeast Mission Bay Park at the Kendall Frost Marshlands, De Anza Cove and Campland. Stay tuned for more information or email me at: seac@lwvsandiego.org.

Everyone is welcome at both events.

Zero Waste Tips: Get Ready for the New Rules for Handling Organic Waste!

DO:

  • Keep a food waste caddy in your kitchen to separate out food waste for recycling and composting

  • Place recyclable organics directly into your green collection container

  • Place organic material loosely inside the green container for collection

  • Paper bags are acceptable

DON’T:

  • Do not put ANY kind of plastic bag in your green bin

  • No animal waste goes into the green bin

  • No trash, hazardous waste, dirt, rocks, sand, etc.

  • No treated wood or lumber

For backyard composting: vegetables, houseplants, yard trimmings, coffee, tea, fruits, nut shells, eggshells, paper napkins, paper scraps and cardboard. 

Do not compost: Dairy products, fats and oils, eggs, meat or fish bones and scraps, pet waste, diseased plants, produce stickers, medication, cigarettes, broken glass

Keep your compost pile moist and aerated.