Make a Splash for Puget Sound Starts Here Month

At this weeks Tacoma City Council meeting Mayor Strickland proclaimed May to be Puget Sound Starts Here Month in the City of Tacoma. Well, if you were inspired to go out and do something about it, this could be an opportunity. You can apply for a Make a Splash environmental grant now through the City of Tacoma Environmental Services.

Make a splash in Tacoma with the City’s environmental grant program!

City of Tacoma Environmental Services awards up to $50,000 a year in environmental grants to help educate residents and protect and restore our surface water resources. Grants may be up to $4,000 and are open to anyone considering a project within Tacoma city limits.

Projects may be educational and should focus on preventing stormwater pollution and protecting or restoring clean surface water. This grant is not meant for projects focusing on water conservation or clean drinking water.

The 2012 Make a Splash grant application period begins April 1, 2012. The application deadline is May 21, 2012. Only applications submitted beginning April 1 and postmarked by May 21 will be considered.

NOTE: Tie-ins with the Puget Sound regional stormwater pollution prevention campaign, Puget Sound Starts Here (www.PugetSoundStartsHere.org), are encouraged. Key messages in that campaign include proper pet waste disposal, natural yard care, preferred car washing methods and fixing leaky vehicles.

Tacoma grants going back to 2003 include projects by a diverse range of nonprofits, neighborhood groups, churches, and quite a few schools. Last year’s winners included a beach clean-up, a number of educational programs for students studying and cleaning up local waterways, clean boating “fuel bibs,” a mobile sculpture and rain garden, and perhaps our favorite winner, the educational DVD “Rodney Raccoon Goes Green!” complete with fun songs. For more information on the grants, and to apply, visit the Make a Splash environmental grants page. To learn more about this Puget Sound Starts Here, visit www.PugetSoundStartsHere.org

So, if you’re feeling inspired, what might you apply for? If you’re feeling too lazy to do the work yourself, what would you like to see someone else apply for?

p.s. Only Rain Goes Down the Drain