HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/07/12 - City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
June 7, 2012
City of Eugene
777 Pearl Street, Room 105
Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793
(541) 682-5010
(541) 682-5414 (FAX)
www.eugene-or.gov
IN THIS EDITION
SUMMER READING FOR ALL AGES: DREAM BIG AT EUGENE PUBLIC LIBRARY
INTERNAL ZERO WASTE EFFORT UNDERWAY
WASTEWATER RECEIVES RECOGNITION FOR SHARP CERTIFICATION
AROUND THE CITY
Summer Reading for All Ages: Dream Big at Eugene Public Library
Summer Reading helps kids keep their reading skills up while school’s out. This year’s Summer Reading theme at the
Eugene Public Library is “Dream Big” – and all ages are welcome to join in the fun.
Children, teens, and adults can visit any Eugene Public Library location – Downtown,
Sheldon, or Bethel - to sign up and pick up a calendar of free events.
At sign-up, kids and teens each get a free book, courtesy of the Friends of the Library.
Each time they visit the Library, children can also enter a raffle for family passes to City
of Eugene pools or local museums.
Adults get a coupon for a free coffee from Novella Cafe or $1.00 off a purchase at
Second Hand Prose Book Store, both located at the Downtown Library, plus a tote bag
and themed booklists. Adults and teens are invited to enter free raffles for gift certificates
by writing book reviews on the Library website.
A full summer of exciting events for all ages will include hands-on arts and writing workshops, live music, author talks,
storytelling, comedy, and the annual Teddy Bear Picnic. For more information, visit www.eugene-or.gov/library or call
the Eugene Public Library at 541-682-5450.
Internal Zero Waste Effort Underway
As a longtime leader in recycling and sustainability, the City of Eugene is joining a growing number of municipalities
and businesses that are implementing zero waste programs. The goal of Eugene’s zero waste efforts is to keep 90
percent of the waste created by City operations out of the landfill by 2020.
Eugene’s internal Zero Waste program kicked off this
spring and the organization is already seeing benefits. City
staff and Sanipac have conducted waste audits across
numerous City facilities including downtown offices, the
Roosevelt Yard, and a variety of fire stations. The audits
help identify ways to improve existing recycling or add new
services that will reduce the amount of material going to
the landfill.
Each location has an internal recycling coordinator, who is
working with fellow employees to find waste reduction and
recycling solutions that reflect the business needs of the
site. Additionally, Sanipac is tracking and reporting the
amount of waste being hauled from each site to help
measure success.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
June 7, 2012
Across the organization, staff continues to identify ways to reduce the amount of waste produced. For example, when
the metal brooms used in street sweepers wear out, stormwater operations staff rebuilds them instead of buying new
brooms. This saves money and prevents the creation of 2,000 lbs. of waste material each year. In addition, the City’s
Love Food Not Waste composting program, which helps local businesses turn food scraps into compost, is providing
food-waste bins in strategic locations to collect food waste.
The Zero Waste project is an opportunity for the City of Eugene to demonstrate leadership, resourcefulness, and
ingenuity. For more information, contact Anne Donahue at 541-682-5542 or Matt McRae at 541-682-5649.
Wastewater Receives Recognition for SHARP Certification
In a May 23 ceremony, the Public Works Wastewater Division received recognition from the Oregon Occupational
Safety & Health Division (OR-OSHA) for successfully completing the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition
Program (SHARP) certification for five
years. The program manager and two
consultants from the Eugene field office
presented Wastewater with a plaque
and flag commemorating their
"graduation" from the program.
Wastewater employees worked hard to
continuously improve their safety
program, including achieving three
consecutive years without a lost-time
injury, and succeeded in receiving
renewed certification each year.
As a result of graduation from SHARP,
Wastewater receives a three-year
exemption from scheduled OR-OSHA
inspections. This significant
achievement demonstrates that
Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Division’sSafety and HealthAchievement
Wastewater has become self-sufficient
Recognition Programstaff and Public Works Wastewater Safety Committee
with its safety program and is now
recognized by OR-OSHA as a leader
and resource among a small group of elite Oregon employers who have achieved this status. Wastewater employees
were invited to attend the ceremony. Also in attendance were City Manager Jon Ruiz and Public Works Director Kurt
Corey.
For more information, please contact Safety/Loss Control Program Manager Craig Sorseth at 541-682-5762.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2
June 7, 2012