The Home Depot Foundation awarded its second annual Awards of Excellence for Sustainable Community Development to Tacoma, WA; Burlington, VT, and Boston, MA. The awards recognize and celebrate cities that are incorporating real-world sustainability initiatives into their day-to-day operations, with a focus on wise use of budget dollars and increasing the livability of each community for all residents.
City of Tacoma won the "large city" award for 2010 -- with the announcement stating that they have "incorporated sustainability throughout its comprehensive plan ensuring that sustainable policies and business practices are considered when making all departmental decisions"
Here are some examples of sustainability practices that they have already implemented:
- 25 new bike racks in the public right of way
- Public Works is using recycled road material, including chip seal oil containing 5 percent recycled rubber tires
- Fifteen hybrid vehicles were purchased as pool vehicles this last year, encouraging the use of fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles within the City of Tacoma. A fleet anti-idling policy has been established for General Government.
- Tacoma Rail has installed idle reduction technologies on 10 of its 17 locomotives that have resulted in a 40 percent fuel savings.
To read more about their submission, click here.