As travelers drive into San Luis Obispo via Highway 1, they may notice a brand-new sign welcoming them to the “Clean California Community,” which recognizes the city’s efforts to create cleaner environments through sustainability and litter reduction initiatives.
The sign is located on the intersection of Santa Rosa Street and Highland Drive and was placed there months after the city was designated a “Clean California Community” through a Caltrans-led statewide program that encourages cities to work towards cleaning up litter and creating better public spaces.
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The “Clean California Community” program is a statewide effort to eliminate litter and promote environmentally conscious behaviors among Californians, according to Heidi Crawford, a spokesperson for Caltrans District 5. Crawford notes that San Luis Obispo is among the first municipalities in the state to earn such an honor.
Bob Hill, the city’s sustainability and natural resources official, said the designation reflects a coordinated effort across multiple departments and community partners.
“I think what was really, really cool about working on Clean California is that it’s like a whole-of-the-city approach,” Hill said. “It’s not just me in my office, it’s everybody across all the different departments in the city.”
Ellie Howel, volunteer programs and community engagement coordinator for ECOSLO, said the organization helped meet several parts of the designation checklist.
“ECOSLO applied for the designation, and we primarily covered the cleanup, progress measurement, community education, long-term planning and greening/beautification checklist points,” Howell said.
The city earned the designation last year, but the sign was installed this month after delays in receiving the sign and coordinating installation.
Hill said the city chose the Highway 1 location because it was visible and already had other signs marking city values, including San Luis Obispo’s bike-friendly community designation.
“When people drive into the city of San Luis Obispo, it’s like, ‘Hey, this is the city of San Luis Obispo. Welcome to San Luis Obispo,” Hill said. “Right off the bat, we have an articulation of our values.”
Hill said it is still too early to measure the direct impact of the Clean California designation, but the city tracks litter and waste through stormwater and recycling programs.
“I think it’s a little bit too new to tell yet,” Hill said. “I do think that there’s definitely, just when I’m out there, sort of qualitatively, anecdotally, when I’m downtown or when I’m out at the outer open space, I see people using, packing their trash and getting their trash in the right place.”
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Hill said one of the city’s ongoing challenges is reducing plastic waste.
“The vast majority of the litter that we have in our environment is plastic,” Hill said.
Howell said ECOSLO has seen more community interest in cleanup and tree planting events.
“There has been an overall increase in community participation for both our cleanup and tree planting events,” Howell said. “It has really warmed my heart that people want to get out there and help their community.”
Howell also stated that recycling remains one of the biggest challenges.
“SLO County has specific requirements for what is considered recyclable,” Howell said. “It does differ from county to county, so I think it is difficult for folks to keep up with the requirements.”
For Hill, the designation is meant to be more than a sign.
“It’s not a one-time thing,” Hill said. “It’s not just a ribbon-cutting. It’s like we have to really live our values.”