The City of Irvine was selected for a 2022 Beacon Leadership & Innovation Award by the Institute for Local Government. The City received the award for its equity and engagement in sustainability and climate action through an in-home recycling service pilot project offered by Recycle From Home.
The Institute for Local Government’s Beacon Program provides recognition and support for California local agencies working to build more vibrant and sustainable communities. Beacon honors voluntary efforts by cities, counties, and special districts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy, and adopt policies that promote sustainability.
The program is a partnership between Recycle From Home, CalRecycle, and the City of Irvine. The Recycle From Home program ensures recyclable items are properly recycled, while eliminating barriers to recycling by offering at-home recycling pickup services and collection bags. With the challenges in recycling availability, the program offers an easy solution for residents to participate in recycling and receive their California Redemption Value (CRV) funds from the comfort of their homes through online payment platforms or as a check by mail.
“Climate action and sustainability continue to be a top priority for the City of Irvine,” said Mayor Farrah N. Khan. “Multiple environmentally-friendly initiatives have launched this year as part of the City’s goal to work towards a zero carbon local economy by 2030, and more are to come. I’m thrilled with the community’s response to these initiatives and believe together we can reach this ambitious goal.”
In 2021, The City of Irvine embarked on developing its first Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP). The CAAP will set ambitious but achievable greenhouse emissions reduction targets for the City, and will lay out a pathway to achieving climate goals across both municipal operations and the community. Through thoughtfully planned greenhouse gas emissions reduction and climate adaptation measures, the CAAP will build upon Irvine’s previous steps toward climate leadership in Orange County to create a truly climate-safe City for the future.
To this end, the City launched Cool Irvine – featuring the Cool Block Program – to empower residents to take climate action through neighborhood education on environmental issues. Cool Block teams meet, discuss, and implement sustainability concepts on topics related to energy efficiency, water conservation, emergency preparedness, social justice, and more. To date, 198 households are participating in the program and these Cool Block teams have taken 1,457 meaningful actions to reduce household emissions. These actions are equivalent to reducing nearly 650,000 pounds of CO2, or taking 63 cars off the road for a year. Learn more about this program at cityofirvine.org/coolcity, and sign-up to volunteer by emailing EnvironmentalPrograms@cityofirvine.org.
For more information about the City of Irvine’s Environmental Programs, please visit cityofirvine.org/ep.