Sound Status Update – May Edition

May 1, 2022

Hi Friends!

You may or may not agree but May is one of my favorite times of the year. From Mother’s Day to longer days that give us more time to explore the great outdoors, this month is shaping up to be the perfect start to summer!

The team and I are putting the final touches on our annual fundraising event Cheers to a Healthy Bay benefit auction 2022 and getting excited. It’s been more than two years since we’ve gathered together like this, which is way too long, and we’re doing this up big. Even Mayor Victoria Woodards will be there. I also can’t wait to see how everyone interprets our “Under the Sea” theme–I’m just about done with my sea slug costume.

Read on about updates to how the Tacoma Green New Deal is progressing, our lineup of community events and more!

Sincerely,

Melissa

Melissa Malott, CHB’s Executive Director was featured on Tacoma TV’s Cityline. She talked keeping Commencement Bay clean, engaging the community and Cheers to a Happy Bay 2022 “Under the Stars” themed benefit auction. Click below to watch.

Join us and Oscaar’s Enemies Saturday, May 28 from 9-11 p.m. in Hilltop for a storm drain marking and litter pickup party!

Stormwater runoff into Commencement Bay is a serious issue that erodes water quality when people in our community use storm drains to dump oil, paint, chemicals and trash. We can work together to ensure all storm drains are properly marked with signage to remind everyone that things poured into storm drains filter directly into the waters we cherish. Every little bit of pollution reduction counts!

Marking storm drains is fun and easy. Only two hours of work will have an impact for years to come!

Click HERE to RSVP. See you there!

Last month we announced that we were supporting the Tacoma Green New Deal, and now we want to focus on policy platform and how it will transform Tacoma from the grassroots up. The Tacoma Green New Deal centers on three main policy pillars: Environmental Justice for All, A Just Transition off Fossil Fuels, and Good Green Jobs.

Environmental Justice for all challenges the idea that we can continue to rely on fossil fuel infrastructure if we are to truly protect the health and wellness of ALL Tacomans, not just the wealthy few. A Just Transition off Fossil Fuel can only be truly equitable if we end Tacoma’s dependence on fossil fuel AND protect workers who make this possible by creating programs like the Just Transition Fund, to offset hardships that may arise as we move to a low carbon future. By creating Good Green Jobs, Tacoma will do its part to stop the climate crisis and create thousands of good-paying jobs by retrofitting residential homes for climate resiliency, building energy- efficient affordable green housing, and planting trees to keep our communities cooler during the summer months.

What’s next for the TGND? Sign Up for our arising issues list HERE to get alerts for our advocacy training that will soon be announced.

CHB is partnering with the Grand Cinema to host a FREE screening of Radium Girls Monday May 23 at 7 p.m.! Erin Dilworth our Policy & Technical Programs Manager will give a brief talk about the challenges and successes seen in Radium Girls and its similarities with Tacoma’s own toxic legacy. The movie illustrates young women standing up for what they believe in – we live that everyday here at CHB, and we want to support our youth in Tacoma to do the same!

Based on true events of the 1920’s, the story of Radium Girls begins when mysterious ailments strike a watch painter at American Radium, and a dark truth emerges: She is not the first in the watch factory to fall ill. Her sister’s legal fight against the corporation in 1928 launched workplace safety reforms and closer study of the dangers of radioactivity. Watch the movie trailer HERE.

Radium Girls is rated TV-14.

On Thursday, May 26 Tacoma Public Utilities will hold a hybrid, in-person and virtual, listening session regarding the upcoming budget & rates adjustments. We encourage TPU customers to join, ask questions, and share their thoughts about the budget and rates process and your desired outcome. Let your voice be heard. Click HERE to join via Zoom.

To add a little flare to this year’s auction, we encourage guests to come dressed in “Under the Sea” themed attire. This is not a black-tie event, but we hope you can draw some inspiration from the sea (think colors and patterns found in the ocean) and come dressed to impress. “Under the Sea” inspired costumes are not mandatory but encouraged!! Check out the below style guides for ideas.

This year’s silent auction will remain online and open to the public.
Cheers to a Healthy Bay’s virtual silent auction will open Monday, May 16, at 5 p.m. and close at 6:30 p.m. on the evening of our live event, Friday, May 20.