Santa Clarita officials are encouraging residents to think green this spring as the city becomes more eco-friendly, officials said.

Protecting the environment has been a City priority since its incorporation, according to City officials.

Since 2005, over 91 percent of construction and demolition debris in Santa Clarita has been recycled, totaling over 106,000 tons of reusable materials, according to officials.

The City maintains more than 134,000 trees, leading the National Arbor Day Foundation to name Santa Clarita “Tree City USA” for 28 years in a row.

“Trees do more than make our city beautiful — they improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gases and provide shade and habitat,” said officials in a statement.

Santa Clarita has been on the forefront of using smart city technology to save water and continues to have the largest single deployment of weather-based smart irrigation controllers in the world, according to officials.

These controllers work by utilizing real-time weather data and site specific landscape conditions to limit water usage to only what is needed.

This method has allowed savings of more than 2 billion gallons of water since 2010, according to officials.

The City has also found ways to be more green when it comes to recycling. In 2010, Santa Clarita began installing solar-powered Bigbelly smart waste and recycling stations.

Santa Clarita now has a total of 118 stations at parks, libraries, bus stops, Metrolink stations and other busy spots.

These Bigbelly stations use solar panels to power the interior compactor, allowing the 35 gallon station to securely hold 150 gallons of material, which reduces the number of collections and therefore fuel consumption by 75 percent.

The City of Santa Clarita was recognized for achieving 66 percent diversion in the Bigbelly waste stream, the highest diversion rate of any city currently utilizing the technology.

City officials are looking to add additional environmentally-friendly equipment to park maintenance operations, and have worked closely with the South Coast Air Quality Management District to test new electric battery-operated park maintenance equipment.

Maintaining 34 parks is no easy task, and the parks’ staff uses powerful equipment in addition to environmentally-friendly products and resources in their day-to-day operations, according to officials.

“Our parks staff is responsible for maintaining 200 acres of grass at our dozens of parks,” said Parks Manager Susan Nelson. “Central Park alone is an impressive 120 acres overall with 34 acres of mowed grass. This massive operation requires large-scale equipment. The City works tirelessly to meet the needs of parks maintenance operations while protecting the environment. We do this by researching battery-operated equipment, converting to LED lighting, using green-sealed certified janitorial products and even biodegradable dog waste bags.”

Santa Clarita residents can now enjoy additional electric vehicle charging stations located at various locations throughout the city, making it easier for those who drive electric vehicles.

“In fact, we are in the process of installing electric vehicle charging stations at select city locations in the next few months,” said officials.

One of the best ways for residents to get involved in the City’s green efforts and learn more about how to protect the environment is at the annual Earth Arbor Day celebration coming this spring to Central Park on Saturday, April 27.

The community can look forward to a fair-like atmosphere, with an art contest and the 10th Annual KHTS Home and Garden Show.

For a complete list of green events and programs in Santa Clarita, and to sign up for the monthly newsletter Green Santa Clarita eNotify, click here.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.