Sustainable Truckee New Year’s Tips!

The days are getting longer and a New Year is upon us! As we look optimistically ahead to 2023, we invite everyone to join our Town’s commitment to a healthy environment, community, and thriving local economy. 

We’ve put together a list of ten Sustainable Truckee New Year’s actions you can put into practice during your next visit. Our community thanks you!

Reduce Waste

1. Bring reusable bottles, bags, and utensils for your trip to Truckee. Using reusable products keeps waste out of landfills. Keep reusable bags in your car for groceries, bring a reusable coffee mug to coffee shops, refill your reusable water bottle with Truckee tap, and pack reusable utensils for lunch on the slopes. Remember to pack out any trash you see during your outdoor adventures and get a good karma boost for 2023!
2. Order takeout in a reusable Green Box. Truckee’s reusable Green Box is accepted at nine restaurants in Truckee. Ask for your takeout (or leftovers) in a “reusable Green Box” and enjoy! When done, rinse the Green Box and bring it back to trade for a clean one.
3. Compost locally in Truckee. We have four convenient compost drop-off locations that are accessible year-round. Composting food scraps helps prevent potent greenhouse gasses from being released when food breaks down in the landfill. About 25% of landfills are food scraps according to the EPA.

Lower Emissions

1. Get around Truckee on the FREE winter shuttle. TART Connect is an on-demand winter shuttle that provides FREE door-to-door rides. Use the app to order a ride and get picked up in minutes. Operates Dec 15-April 2, 2023 from 8am-10pm daily. Pet-friendly and all vans have ski racks. (*Most ski areas are outside of Truckee TART Connect service area).
2. Bike or walk on Truckee’s 26 miles of scenic paved paths. For a scenic run, walk or ride in the fresh mountain air, check out Truckee’s scenic paved paths. Over 20 miles of trail are plowed in winter and stay snow-free. Biking and walking are our favorite healthy and sustainable modes of transportation!
3. Eat local & farm fresh in Truckee. Tahoe Food Hub supplies our community with local food grown by regenerative farming practices, a type of farming that helps mitigate climate change. Also check out Truckee’s natural food market, New Moon, for local, organic produce and more, and see the full list of Where to Get Groceries and Grab ‘n Go in Truckee.
4. Find Truckee’s EV charging stations. Have an EV? Use our Winter Recreation Map to find charging stations conveniently located throughout Truckee.

Shop Local

1. Book Truckee lodging direct. Stay in Truckee and support locally-owned property management companies, hotels, inns, and lodges that employ hundreds of locals. By booking direct on their websites vs. corporate sites such as Expedia and Booking.com, more dollars stay within our local Truckee community.
2. Shop local & give back to Truckee stewardship projects with Sustainable Truckee Gift Cards. Sustainable Truckee Gift Cards are digital, community-based gift cards that are redeemable at 50+ Truckee businesses – retailers, restaurants, lodging, and more. Visit Truckee-Tahoe matches 25% of every card for stewardship projects, so every card gives back.
3. Support Truckee’s certified California Green Businesses. Truckee has five certified California Green Businesses and more on the way. View the list here, which includes RMU, Mountain Lotus Yoga, and The Lift Coworking.

For more sustainability tips, check out this list of easy actions to reduce your carbon footprintfrom our friends at Keep Truckee Green.

By Siobhan Kenney for Visit Truckee Tahoe