Kern County Public Works to hold virtual cleanup in November

The Kern County Public Works Department will be hosting a virtual cleanup on Saturday, Nov. 7.

According to the department’s website, the cleanup can be done in a neighborhood, local park or right outside a participant’s front door. It will be held during daylight hours.

Participants can register at www.KernPublicWorks.com. According to Kern public works, participants can get involved by grabbing an old grocery bag or disposable garbage bag and some gloves before picking trash for 15-30 minutes. Afterwards, throw away the trash, wash your hands and share photos of the work you’ve done on Facebook by tagging @ KernCountyPublicWorks and hashtagging #KeepKernBeautiful. Photos can also be emailed to garciaz@kerncounty.com.

The department reminds participants to watch for traffic, sharp objects during pickup and to never wander into unsafe conditions.

Questions can be emailed to garciaz@kerncounty.com.

The City of Arvin has won an award from the Institute for Local Government for reducing its energy. On Wednesday, it will be honored during the League of California Cities Annual Conference, which has gone virtual this year.

The Institute for Local Government, an organization tasked with “Promoting Good Government at the Local Level,” will honor 36 California cities with its Beacon Sustainability and Climate Action Award, according to a release from the group.

Arvin earned a platinum award for reducing its energy 20 percent since 2015. Visalia also earned a nod for reducing its energy 70 percent since 2010. These energy savings come as a result of energy efficiency retrofits undertaken by city agencies.