By Mark Edward Nero
The Port of Los Angeles will hold the first of a series of quarterly open houses on Oct. 20 as part of a continuing effort to engage the public in the port’s sustainable freight programs and environmental developments.
The forums have been organized, the port says, to provide a greater level of communication on port emission-reducing projects and encourage more direct stakeholder engagement in sustainability initiatives.
“Over the past decade, the Port of Los Angeles has made significant progress in reducing emissions related to goods movement,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a prepared statement. “These open houses allow us to better connect with all our stakeholders and nearby communities, seek their valuable input and share our continued air quality improvement progress.”
The first quarterly open house begins at 5 p.m. at CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles, 112 E. 22nd St, San Pedro. RSVPs may be emailed to environmental@portla.org but are not mandatory. Additional open house details can be found at https://www.portoflosangeles.org/environment/progress/calendar/community-meeting/.
The forum is expected to include updates on emission-reducing projects and opportunities provided by a member of the port’s 10-member Sustainable Freight Advisory Committee, which was recently appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to help advance sustainable policy and expand the port’s use of zero-emission technology.
The open houses and advisory committee are among several initiatives being undertaken by the port to keep the public informed of its sustainable goods movement progress. Others include the port’s new “Sustainable Progress” website (https://www.portoflosangeles.org/environment/progress/), which provides at-a-glance details, statistics and current status updates on major port environmental programs.
The port has begun regular monthly “open door” meetings, in which community members can get updates as needed from port staff about environmental programs. The next monthly “open door” meeting is set for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at the port’s Environmental Management Division 9th floor offices at Pacific Place, 222 West Sixth St., San Pedro.
