Initiatives
ReGreen Tulsa
Join residents across Tulsa as we "ReGreen Tulsa". 20,000 Trees
by 2010!
December 2007's devastating ice storm destroyed or heavily
damaged Tulsa's beautiful tree canopy. The ReGreen Tulsa program is
a joint effort of Mayor Kathy Taylor, Tulsa's Tree Advisory
Committee and the local non-profit organization Up With Trees, to
reestablish our tree canopy.
Program Goal:
Plant 20,000 trees by December 2010 on both private property and
public sites. Program efforts will focus on the two areas most
devastated by the storm, neighborhoods and parks, and will include
educational efforts encompassing how to plant trees so that they
thrive in Tulsa soils and how to care for them so that they survive
Tulsa's challenging climate.
Read More: ReGreen Tulsa
Water Quality
Water is Life. Water covers two-thirds of the Planet Earth, and
makes up nearly two-thirds of our bodies. And there is no new
water! All the water on the planet is constantly being recycled. We
must take care of this resource.
The City of Tulsa supplies drinking water to more than 133,500
metered accounts in the City and more than 500,000 people in the
metropolitan area.
Pipes bring raw water from our source lakes Eucha, Spavinaw,
Oologah and Hudson. Professionals test this water before it enters
our two drinking water plants. Those tests provide information that
tells us the quantities of chemicals needed for treatment.
Tulsa's two water treatment plants treat between 90 and 190
million gallons of drinking water a day. City employees' work
begins before the raw water enters the plants and continues long
after the finished water is pumped to faucets in homes, businesses
and schools.
City employees work long hours to keep Tulsa's drinking water
and storm water safe and clean. Employees staff our treatment
plants 365 days per year, 24 hours per day. These trained
professionals not only monitor the results of computerized tests
but also conduct tests themselves every two hours.
Treatment plants, distribution lines, and other infrastructure
have been built and upgraded over the years to keep pace with
Tulsa's growing need for high quality drinking water.
Read More: Water Quality
Stormwater Education
The City of Tulsa has an extensive education program with a goal
of reducing pollution in storm water runoff. This program
targets the public, as well as commercial and industrial owners and
operators within Tulsa.
Education of the public is accomplished by the Public Works
department through public presentations at conferences and
seminars, and presentations at local schools and neighborhood
gatherings.
Staff members distribute educational materials at events and
public locations, and press releases and articles inform the public
about environmental concerns, including ways to reduce pollution in
storm water runoff. Information is also provided to the public
through articles included in the monthly utility bill stuffer.
Another part of the Storm Water Education program educates
commercial and industrial owners and or operators about their
responsibility to reduce the pollution in storm runoff.
Read more about the storm
water aspect of Tulsa's water quality program. The site
includes links to tips that tell how to reduce pollution from storm
water runoff.
If you see something other than storm water that has been
disposed of or dumped into a storm sewer or local water way, please
contact the Mayors action line at 596-2100. Someone will
investigate. Remember, storm drains are for rain.
PACE - Partners for a Clean Environment
Partners for A Clean Environment is a voluntary, non-regulatory
program coordinated by the City of Tulsa Public Works Department.
The program, which recognizes those who go above and beyond
environmental regulations, is administered by the Quality Assurance
section of the Environmental Operations Division.
PACE provides free pollution prevention training, public
outreach, and technical assistance to those who have made a
commitment to the environment. The program's goal is to reduce the
use of hazardous materials and the amount of waste from business,
government, and household activities that pollute Tulsa's water,
land, and air.
PACE serves as an umbrella for a variety of projects and
services. It includes the City of Tulsa's Pollution Prevention (P2)
Program for businesses, education efforts related to the National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit aimed at businesses,
households, schools and non-profit agencies, tips for water and air
quality improvement available on Tulsa's Environmental Network, and
the Blue Thumb Business Partners for A Clean Environment program
offered jointly with the Tulsa County Conservation District.
Frequent PACE businesses. Look for this decal:
PACE provides free prevention training, public outreach, and
technical assistance to those who have made the PACE pledge. PACE
is a voluntary program which recognizes those who go above and
beyond environmental regulations. Please visit our PACE
webpage.
For more information contactQuality Assurance (918) 591-4378 or
the Pollution Prevention supervisor at (918) 591-4395.
Trap the Grease - Grease Education
Don't pour grease (including salad oil and greasy leftovers)
down the sink drain! If you do, you could be on your way to a major
plumbing expense!
Although grease from your skillet or fryer may be runny when
hot, not long after it touches the sides of your cool pipes it
thickens and eventually begin to collect along the length of
your sewer pipe and onto every clump of anything (food debris,
hair, etc.) that may be in your pipe. Eventually, your drain is
clogged.
By following a few simple steps, you can help prevent costly
sewage overflows in the future.
Step 1
All fats, oils and grease should be poured into a coffee can, or
other durable container, and disposed of in the trash can, not down
the drain.
Step 2
Dishes and pots that are coated with greasy leftovers, should be
wiped clean with a paper towel before washing or placing in
dishwasher. Toss the paper towel in the trash can.
Step 3
Scrape all scraps into the trash. Don't put any scraps in the
garbage disposal. Dispose of them in the trash can or compost.
Important Facts
-
Cooking grease coats pipelines in a way similar to the way that
fatty foods clog human arteries. The grease clings to the inside of
the pipe, eventually causing complete blockage.
-
Grease should NEVER be poured down the drain. Running hot water
and pouring detergent down the drain only break up grease
temporarily. As the grease moves through the pipe, it separates
from the water and begins to coat the pipe.
-
Flushing grease down the toilet also causes sewer
blockages.
Recycle large amounts of waste cooking oil
at M.e.t. locations:
6606 E. 81st
open 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily
3495 S. Sheridan
open 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily
3720 E. Admiral
Pl.
open 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. daily
or drop off at the next Household
Pollution Collection Event held each year in the spring and fall.
For more information, contact the M.e.t. at (918) 584-0584
Report Sewage Overflows
If you see, hear or smell something you think might be a sewer
overflow, report it immediately by calling (918) 669-6100. A
Customer Service employee and City crew is available 24 hours. Be
prepared to describe the location.
For more information on the Grease
Program for Businesses, contact (918) 591-4395 or email .
More information about Water Quality programs in the Tulsa area
can be found on the INCOG website.
Air Quality
Tulsa is a partner in the INCOG Ozone Alert program.Ozone Alert
online
The Ozone Alert! Program brings citizens, business, industry and
government in the Tulsa Metropolitan area together to voluntarily
reduce ozone-forming emissions on days vulnerable to high ozone
levels.
- The City of Tulsa is also a member of the Blue Skyways
Collaborative
BlueSkyways Collaborative online
The Blue Skyways Collaborative was created to encourage
voluntary air emissions reduction in North America's heartland. The
idea started in 2004 and with the help of CenSARA
and the US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) the collaborative celebrated a kick-off meeting in
February of 2006.
Through partnership with non-profit and environmental groups,
private industries and international, federal, state and local
governments Blue Skyways strives to improve air quality.
Participants of the collaborative pledge to make that goal possible
through active and meaningful participation in planning or
implementation of projects that use innovations in diesel engines,
alternative fuels and renewable energy technologies. Working
together allows members to leverage funding, share technology and
professional expertise.
Today Blue Skyways incorporates ten states, Minnesota, Iowa,
Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas
and New Mexico, and the area along the borders with Canada and
Mexico. The collaborative envisions a future where organizations
will work together to reduce air emissions and make the heartland
of America the Central Corridor of Innovation.
Energy Conservation
One Tech
On March 16, 2007, Mayor Kathy Taylor entered into an agreement
to purchase the One Technology Center. The visionary plan to move
City Hall was approved in
September 2007. This move allowed many city offices to be
consolidated and serves as a major development opportunity for the
BOK Center and the Convention Center.
Highly energy efficient, the building will require 30% less in
energy costs than the existing costs in city office buildings,
figured on a square foot basis. The One Tech Center eliminates the
environmental air quality concerns of the existing office
buildings. It also has a state of the art mechanical system which
reduces energy demands at peak consumption hours. Finally, it
offers long-term savings for the taxpayers.
As of September 29, 2008, all City of Tulsa employees scheduled
to move to the One Technology Center had been relocated. The Tulsa
City Council offices have also been relocated to OTC.
Read More: One
Tech
CNG and Hybrid Vehicles - Green Fleet
Our inventory of vehicles which are either hybrid or use
alternative fuel continues to grow. As of July 2009, the City of
Tulsa has 115 alternative fuel vehicles either ordered or already
in our fleet. Currently we have 8 Honda Civic-GX CNG vehicles, plus
three trash trucks.
Our hybrid vehicle fleet now includes One (1) Honda Civic, 77
Ford Escapes, 23 Chevy Silverado Hybrid Pickups and Three (3)
Toyota Prius Hybrids.
The city has applied for grants from the EPA and the DOE for
monies to help reduce our carbon footprint. In July 2009, we will
learn whether the DOE has approved a grant requesting funds to
upgrade our existing CNG fueling station and make it possible to
dispense CNG to the public.
Meanwhile, we have requested around $235,000 in the 2009-10
budget to upgrade components of this CNG infrastructure.
Finally, the City is pursuing a Third Party contract for CNG.
With the addition of our CNG trash trucks, the volume of fuel we
are purchasing has reached the threshold which allows us to
purchase CNG from a third party instead of directly and to qualify
for tax credits. Essentially, this contract will allow us to
purchase CNG at a discounted rate which will be equivalent to only
about 5 cents per unit for an exceptional cost savings in CNG
fuel.
The City will continue to pursue these and other opportunities
to conduct business in a more sustainable manner, while also saving
taxpayer money.
Mass Transit
Tulsa Transit is a public trust of the City of Tulsa,
established in 1968. Tulsa Transit's General Manager, Bill
Cartwright, reports to a 7-member board of trustees appointed by
the mayor. Tulsa Transit has approximately 170 employees including
bus drivers, mechanics and administrative staff.
The mission of Tulsa Transit is to be the Premiere
Transportation Provider, Committed to Safe, Professional,
Efficient, Reliable, Accessible, Quality Service.
Tulsa Transit's bus service is available throughout the City of
Tulsa, and extends into Jenks, Sand Springs and Broken Arrow.Visit
the maps
section to see our complete system map.There's also a section
on using
maps to determine your travel plans.If you already know the
number of the route you wish to see, click on
Routes by Number to view any individual route schedule and
map.For trip planning assistance, call 582-2100.
The current schedule book, which includes all our route maps and
schedules, is available in print form at one of the bus stations
for 50 cents.
Tulsa
Transit
GreenTraveler
INCOG's Green Traveler program includes a match program, where
City of Tulsa employees can find others traveling the same route to
work. Commuting alone can cost time and money. When you become a
Green Traveler, you reduce congestion, reduce emissions, reduce
stress, and reduce your commuting costs. Green Traveler is a way to
find alternatives to driving alone to work, school, and other
destinations.
Whether you carpool, ride your bike, or take the bus, all three
are easy alternatives you can implement a little at a
time.Alternative transportation can provide a lot of savings - just
carpooling twice a week would save the average commuter over $1,500
a year!
City employees should access the Green Traveler website through
the City of Tulsa intranet pages, which enables the City to
calculate fuel savings and emissions reductions by participating
employees.
Green Traveler
Recycling
Recycling conserves natural resources, protects the environment
and reduces litter. It's easy for all Tulsans to recycle. All City
of Tulsa customers with residential trash service can sign up for
convenient curbside recycling of newspaper, junk mail, magazines,
office paper, plastic, glass and aluminum. Tulsans also can take
those and other recyclables to one of the 12 free drop-off sites in
the area operated by the Metropolitan Environmental Trust. And, you
can recycle many household pollutants at one of the twice annual
Household Pollutant Collection events.
The City is dedicated to initiating recycling at all City
facilities where City employees work, including fire and police
stations. One Technology Center is currently collecting the
following items for recycling on every floor of the building:
office paper, plastic bottles and aluminum cans.
Tulsa Master Recyclers Volunteer Training
The City of Tulsa Recycling Coordinator's office provides free
training to volunteers who want to learn about recycling and help
spread the word citywide. This opportunity is open to everyone.
People who successfully complete the program will be certified as
Tulsa Master Recyclers.
For more information, contact:
Laureen Gibson Gilroy
Recycling Coordinator
Field Customer Services
City of Tulsa Public Works
470 West 23rd Street
Tulsa, OK 74107
Tel: (918) 596-2859
Fax: (918) 596-1869
Email: LGilroy@cityoftulsa.org
Greening the (918) Series
The Greening the (918) Seminar Series, produced by Sustainable
Tulsa and Mayor Taylor's Green Team, continued through
July 2009.
These interactive 'Greening the (918)' sessions were designed to
inspire organizations and individuals to take action and to lead
the city to be one of the greenest cities in the nation. Sean
Griffin moderated and graphically facilitated the session
artistically on panels during the meeting. Tulsa's green building
challenges were discussed, as well as what action steps Tulsa
must take to overcome these challenges.
More "Greening" sessions may be announced in the future.
Read more: Greening the (918)
