PORT OF LOS ANGELES TO HOLD ENVIRONMENTAL OPEN HOUSE OCTOBER 20TH ON SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES
SAN PEDRO, Calif. – October 7, 2016 – As part of a continuing effort to engage the public in sustainable freight programs and environmental developments at America's largest trade gateway, the Port of Los Angeles will hold the first of quarterly open houses on Thursday, October 20th. The forums have been organized to provide a greater level of communication on Port emission-reducing projects and encourage more direct stakeholder engagement in Port sustainability initiatives.
"Over the past decade, the Port of Los Angeles has made significant progress in reducing emissions related to goods movement," said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. "These open houses allow us to better connect with all our stakeholders and nearby communities, seek their valuable input and share our continued air quality improvement progress."
The first quarterly open house begins at 5 p.m. at CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles, 112 E. 22nd St, San Pedro. RSVPs may be emailed to environmental@portla.org but are not mandatory.
Organized by the Port's Environmental Management Division, the forum will include updates on emission-reducing projects and opportunities provided by a member of the Port's newly formed Sustainable Freight Advisory Committee. The 10-member panel was recently appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to help advance sustainable policy and expand the use of zero-emission technology at the port.
The open houses and advisory committee are among several initiatives being undertaken by the Port to keep the public informed of its sustainable goods movement progress.
The Port's new "Sustainable Progress" website provides at-a-glance details, statistics and current status updates on major Port environmental programs. Site visitors can also learn about and track air quality mitigation measures, and submit questions or concerns directly to Port environmental staff. In addition, the Port has begun regular monthly "open door" meetings, in which community members can get updates as needed from Port staff about environmental programs. The next monthly "open door" meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday November 18th at the Port's Environmental Management Division 9th floor offices at Pacific Place, 222 West Sixth Street in San Pedro.
Since 2005, the Port has reduced diesel particulate matter by 85 percent, oxides of sulfur by 97 percent, oxides of nitrogen by 52 percent and greenhouse gases by 18 percent. During the same period, container volumes increased 7 percent, as detailed in the Port's latest Air Emission Report Card.
The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovatively strategic and sustainable operations that benefit Southern California’s economy and quality of life. North America’s leading seaport by container volume and cargo value, the Port of Los Angeles facilitated $270 billion in trade during 2015. Port operations and commerce facilitate more than 133,000 jobs (about one in 14) in the City of Los Angeles and 479,000 jobs (or one in 18) in the five-county Southern California region. The San Pedro Bay Ports support nearly 1 million California jobs and 2.8 million nationwide.