Anyone arriving in San Luis Obispo via Highway 1 will now see a new sign recognizing SLO as a “Clean California Community.”

The sign was recently installed on the corner of Santa Rosa Street (Highway 1) and Highland Drive, next to the large City monument sign. City officials, staff and partners with ECOSLO, Cal Trans, SLO Integrated Waste Management Authority and Cal Poly also gathered this afternoon to celebrate the Clean California Community designation with a brief ribbon cutting ceremony.

The City earned this designation last year in partnership with ECOSLO. The two organizations work together with community members to reduce litter, improve public spaces, and foster community pride. Through its Sustainable SLO initiative, the City works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and litter that ends up in our shared spaces, creeks and watersheds each year.

The Clean California Community designation is a statewide selection to reward communities in their hard work in creating a “clean and beautiful” environment. San Luis Obispo has been recognized as a Clean California Community based on our exemplary work in litter removal, beautification, tree planting, and volunteer opportunities. With the designation, the City received the “Clean California Community” sign and will also receive educational resources and automatic membership with Keep California Beautiful.

To earn the Clean California designation, the City partnered with ECOSLO to demonstrate that together we are meeting at least 10 of 15 criteria to clean up and beautify San Luis Obispo. This includes:

• signing the pledge
• creating an advisory body
• receiving community input
• hosting cleanups in the community
• conducting litter assessments
• using anti-litter infrastructure
• measuring progress
• educating the community
• hosting collection drives for bulky items and e-waste
• enforcing anti-litter policy and management
• long-term planning to reduce litter
• placing cigarette waste receptacles in the city, and
• creating and maintaining programs that beautify and keep the community green.

ABOUT SUSTAINABLE SLO
Sustainable SLO is the City of San Luis Obispo’s commitment to take action every day to improve our community for tomorrow. It reflects our collective effort to reduce pollution, clean up our air, protect natural resources and open space, and make San Luis Obispo more resilient to extreme heat, wildfires and flooding. From green City operations and efforts to reduce stormwater pollution to sustainable tourism programs and important waste and recycling programs, the City is working to cut pollution and litter locally every single day. Visit www.slocity.org/SustainableSLO for details.

ABOUT ECOSLO 
ECOSLO, the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has been leading environmental programs in San Luis Obispo County, California for over 50 years. We organize our community to educate and act to protect and preserve the natural environment of San Luis Obispo County. For upcoming cleanup events and activities from ECOSLO, please visit www.ECOSLO.org.

ABOUT SLO COUNTY IWMA
The San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) serves as a regional resource for waste reduction, recycling, and organics programs, delivering education and outreach that empower the community to reduce litter and manage materials responsibly. Visit www.iwma.com to learn more.