In honor of the most greeniest of days, the Long Beach Office of Sustainability teamed with the Redevelopment Agency to host the first “Operation Mulch-A-Lot,” an effort to spread a layer of mulch (from City tree trimming operations) over a vacant city lot until it can be developed. Mayor Bob Foster and Councilmember Rae Gabelich were on the scene at Long Beach Boulevard and 49th Street today, helping to spread 500 tons of the mulch around the 1.1-acre site.
“This was a site where there were two very blighted motels that were creating a lot of criminal activity in our city,” said Gabelich, who praised the event for beautifying the area as well as its ability to soak rainwater and prevent it from polluting storm drains. “Not only is it a beautifying effort, it gives us another opportunity to come together and celebrate our community.”
This is the first of several sites that the Office of Sustainability has planned for Operation Mulch-A-Lot events, including near-future ones in the 6th and 9th Districts.
Councilmember Rae Gabelich and Mayor Bob Foster help shovel some of the mulch into wheelbarrows.
Jesus Castro of the Jordan High School ACE Program joined his classmates to spread the mulch.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor
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