Education & Outreach

About

Education and outreach are essential in building understanding and support for the actions identified in this plan. To create understanding and generate communitywide action, we must engage all Pierce County residents and work together with employers, businesses, and industry. We must center frontline

About

community members in education and outreach efforts. This means acknowledging marginalization as the status quo practice of current systems historically designed to exclude frontline community members from County planning processes. If we do not make intentional efforts to address marginalization, then by default, marginalization continues. These concerted efforts include partnering with and valuing organizations who serve frontline community members. The result is greater collective participation to reduce GHG emissions and building a culture of collaboration.

Community Voice: What are we hearing from the community?

Broadly, Pierce County community members want more opportunities to make social connections and to learn about gardening and waste reduction and reuse. Youth across Pierce County have expressed their desire to talk to their friends and family about climate change as well as raise awareness to their local elected officials. See actions EO-2 and EO-5.

In 2030, our sustainable community…

[“Will have] classes teaching how to garden and more sustainable ways to live.” -South Hill Library Climate Change in Pierce County display participant

[“Will have] more environmental education for students and better sharing of opportunities for youth to get involved with the 2030 plan.” -Lakewood Farmers Market attendee

TABLE

Co-benefits

Enhance Public Health

Improve Water Quality

Improve Air Quality

Promote Equity

Economic Benefits

Community Priority

Action Identifier Actions

EO-1 Sustainability Collaborative

Expand and administer the Pierce County sustainability collaborative to share best practices with cities, tribes, and major employers.

EO-2 Climate Education Provide local climate change educational workshops, activities and engagement opportunities that are meaningful and culturally relevant.

EO-3 Community Engagement

Implement a community engagement strategy moving towards community-led strategies that center frontline community members.

EO-4 Newsletter Create a sustainability-focused newsletter and distribute to Pierce County residents as a virtual Earth Matters.

EO-5 Youth in Climate Action

Support and amplify youth voices in sustainability planning and decision-making processes.

EO-6 Support Teachers Support k-12 teachers in implementing appropriate climate and sustainability curriculum to improve climate science literacy that is meaningful and culturally relevant.

EO-7 Green Workforce Development

Partner with local education providers to support workforce training programs to prepare for a low-carbon, renewable-energy economy.

Co-Benefits

Lead Department

Planning & Public Works - Sustainable Resources

Planning & Public Works - Sustainable Resources, Parks

Planning & Public Works - Sustainable Resources, Communications

Planning & Public Works - Sustainable Resources, Human Resources, Communications

Planning & Public Works - Sustainable Resources

Planning & Public Works - Sustainable Resources

Planning & Public Works

“It’s 3 different trees [birch, oak, and sequoia] resembling a recycling symbol”

Makenna

Growing Community Capacity About

Community Voice: What are we hearing from the community?

To work with our community on greenhouse gas reduction, we must understand what our communities need and align our actions with community priorities. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s Communities of Focus (East Tacoma, Key Peninsula, Parkland, South Tacoma, Springbrook, and White River have all identified food justice and healthy food access as a top community priority.)

About

Reducing communitywide greenhouse gas emissions to create a healthy environment for all requires us to work in partnership with our community. We cannot and should not do this work alone. The following actions address the foundational capacity our community needs to start and lead their own greenhouse gas reduction projects that address specific community priorities. Internally, we must invest in our team’s organizational capacity to center equity and dismantle systemic barriers to community participation.

TABLE LEGEND

Co-benefits

Enhance Public Health

Improve Water Quality

Improve Air Quality

Promote Equity

Economic Benefits

Community Priority

In 2030, our sustainable community…

“[Will have] healthy food and more affordable fish and vegetables.” -Latinx Sumner Brain Health Event participant

“[Will have] equitable pathways for youth to find purpose/place via community projects!” -South Hill Library Climate Change Display participant

Action Identifier Actions Co-Benefits Lead Department

GCC-1 Leadership Development

GCC-2 Connections to Nature

GCC-3 Climate Impacts Planning

GCC- 4 Supporting Tribal Relationships

Support the Climate Leaders Cohort with partners to open sustainability leadership trainings to Pierce County residents.

Provide and support programming that reconnects community members of all ages to nature to improve mental health and help restore relationships to the land.

Concurrent to updating the Hazard Mitigation Plan, integrate climate adaptation into the applicable natural hazard mitigation strategies of Pierce County Communities.

Maintain government-to-government relations with Tribal nations to work in partnership as co-managers of the land, plants and animals.

Planning & Public Works - Sustainable Resources

Planning & Public Works - Sustainable Resources, Parks

Department of Emergency Management

Planning & Public Works - Sustainable Resources, Parks