Communities for a Healthy Bay
Sound Action. Sound Water.
Communities for a Healthy Bay
Sound Action. Sound Water.
Hi Friends!
As we prepare to fall back in preparation for Autumn, I find myself reflecting on my summer sabbatical and the transformative power of healing and inner growth. As I come back to work, my eyes are on the future of CHB and what can be done to meet the pressing needs of our community.
It should come as no surprise then, that my team has worked to deepen our work to interconnect and strengthen our community. We partnered with Jack Johnson’s All at Once campaign to spread the word about Commencement Bay, spent time with local families on the water to educate them about our Environmental Justice Camps and recruited teams to help mark storm drains to prevent pollution into our waters. We are also the new home of Tacoma Green Drinks and yet, this is only the beginning! It’s an exciting time for Tacoma.
The Stand for Our Sound awards fundraiser is coming together nicely. Thanks to all of you who nominated someone for the award. We received so many great nominees who are doing amazing work to help protect Puget Sound. Be sure to get your tickets as soon as possible, as they will not last long.
Melissa Malott
Executive Director
We are pleased to announce the return of Communities for a Healthy Bay’s fall fundraiser, Stand for Our Sound. This year we are excited to welcome Washington Conservation Voters Political Director, Joy Sanford as our Honorary Chair. A number of awards will be presented by CHB to Tacoma residents for their outstanding environmental and clean water advocacy, including the Environmental Justice Service Award, the Clean Water Hero in Elected Office Award, the Healthy Bay Champion Award, the Rising Tide Award, and the Kay Treakle Lifetime Achievement Award.
Please join us in celebrating exceptional people that drive positive change through service to others and the preservation and protection of Commencement Bay and its surrounding waterways.
Environmental Justice Camps for Fall 2022 are in full swing. Over 30 students and their families toured Commencement Bay and Foss Waterway aboard our Bay Patrol vessel. In addition to seeing seals and sea lions, families picked up trash from the water, and learned more about CHB and how to become involved in Environmental Justice Camps.
With your help, CHB raised $4,137.57, surpassing our Jack Johnson All At Once match goal! Along with matching donations, Jack Johnson invited us to his concert at the Gorge to help spread the word about our efforts to protect Commencement Bay and the surrounding waterways. It was such a great experience for the team and visitors loved seeing our replica Bay Patrol boat!
Our sincere thanks go out to you for your continued support, we cannot thank you enough!
The Environmental Justice Camps partnered with Big Bus Paddle Sports early in October to paddle board on Foss Waterway. It was a beautiful morning and along the way, we made stops to imagine what this location would have looked like during different periods of history. The majority of the students were first-time paddle boarders, and Doug Barclift with Big Bus Paddle Sports made sure they felt safe and comfortable. Our thanks go out to Big Bus Paddle Sports and we look forward to paddleboarding again soon!
As part of Green Tacoma Day 2022, CHB and a team of awesome volunteers marked 84 storm drains across the South End and Eastside of Tacoma to inform our neighbors that nothing but rain should go down the drain. Water that enters storm drains empties directly into Commencement Bay, carrying with it chemicals that are toxic to orcas, salmon and other marine life. In fact, the single largest source of pollution that contaminates the Salish Sea is polluted stormwater runoff. Thanks to everyone who came out in support.
Green Tacoma Day is an annual day of service that offers great opportunities for the Tacoma community to get to know each other and our local green spaces. Participants are encouraged to take individual actions and participate in volunteer activities to help protect and restore natural spaces in their neighborhoods.
Our team is always looking for volunteers who are willing to help with projects across the city. Click HERE to subscribe to our mailing list and stay up-to-date on future opportunities.
November Green Drinks will feature Tacoma Tree Foundation’s volunteer opportunities, as well as Branch Out, the city’s largest tree giveaway. The Tacoma Tree Foundation is working to grow the urban forest in an equitable manner. By providing education and planting trees, TTF is raising awareness of how the lack of tree coverage impacts some communities more than others.
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