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City of Seattle Blog

Help Advance Environmental Justice in Seattle!

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The Office of Sustainability & Environment is hiring two positions that will be instrumental in advancing environmental justice in Seattle. Both positions close on March 26.

Equity & Environment Program Manager
The Equity & Environment Program Manager  will bring strong management, policy, and stakeholder engagement skills to implement the City of Seattle’s Equity & Environment Initiative.

Equity & Environment Program Coordinator
The Equity & Environment Program Coordinator will serve as the OSE lead on outreach and engagement to stakeholders and residents, build community partnerships, support ongoing involvement of people of color, people with low incomes, immigrants and refugees, limited English proficiency individuals and Native peoples, manage grant distribution, and staff the Environmental Justice Committee.

Seattle’s Climate Pollution Holding Steady Despite Significant Population Growth

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Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment released the 2014 – 2016 analysis of Seattle’s greenhouse gas emissions, showing that the Seattle is largely holding steady on climate pollution despite rapid population growth city-wide.

Seattle’s core climate emissions increased less than .6 percent between 2014 and 2016, while the city grew by 46,300 new residents over that same time period. Per person emissions were down citywide, but the largest source of carbon pollution remains emissions from the transportation sector.

To help Seattle meet its climate goals and address vehicle emissions, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced in her State of the City address  new legislation that will require all new buildings in Seattle to be ready for electric vehicle (EV) charging. Increased adoption of clean, electric vehicles has the potential to decrease Seattle’s vehicle emissions by up to 20 percent.

The City of Seattle tracks its progress towards its climate goals back to a baseline year of 2008. Since then, Seattle has reduced overall climate emissions 5 percent while population has grown 18 percent. The City’s emissions reductions amidst a population boom is a significant accomplishment. Seattle’s annual per person emission rate of 4.3 metric tons of CO2e points to Seattle being one of the most climate-friendly cities in the nation.

“It is good news we’ve held our emissions steady while our population grows. But this report also underscores the need to dramatically accelerate pollution reduction to meet our ambitious goals,” said Jessica Finn Coven, director of the Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment. “The City is moving full steam ahead on Mayor Durkan’s climate commitments and we are prepared to meet the challenge of climate change in Seattle.”

The second largest source of carbon emissions identified in the report is building emissions. Seattle has been a leader in reducing building emissions through one of the nation’s strongest energy codes, a benchmarking program requiring owners of larger buildings to provide energy use data to the city, and an aggressive building tune-up program. In 2019, Seattle will continue to incentivize a move away from fossil fuels and toward efficiency upgrades to ensure building emissions continue to decrease.

You can learn more about how the city will address our carbon emissions and reach our 2050 carbon neutral goal in the 2018 Climate Action Strategy.

2017 Building Performance Profiles Published

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The City of Seattle has published customized building performance profiles based on reported 2017 annual benchmarking data. Reports are available via our online mapping tool, and include details on energy use per square foot, ENERGY STAR scores, total consumption, greenhouse emissions, and more.

With three years of comprehensive energy consumption data, buildings can use their customized profiles to track their energy use over time and see how they stack up to their peers. The updated performance profiles now highlight each building’s climate impact and how it compares to buildings of the same primary use.

Building Profile for Seattle’s Justice Center

Check out your performance profile here!

 

Seattle’s Fresh Bucks Program Extends Its Reach

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Increasing access to healthy foods for Seattle families

Photo by Naomi Ishisaka

Fresh Bucks, a healthy food program focused on getting more fruits and vegetables into the homes of families with low incomes, closed out a year of record growth in 2018. The program helps Seattle residents afford fruits and vegetables by providing a dollar-for-dollar match of SNAP benefits (food stamps). Additionally, the City distributes Fresh Bucks vouchers that can be used without SNAP benefits to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at participating retailers.

Boosted by Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax, Fresh Bucks expanded the number of locations where Fresh Bucks is honored—including all Seattle Safeway stores. Fresh Bucks not only helps local families eat healthier but also supports our local economy. In 2018, customers leveraged their Fresh Bucks benefits to purchase over $1 million worth of fruits and vegetables from Seattle businesses and farmers markets, more than four times as much as the previous year.

The Fresh Bucks program will continue to grow in 2019. Program enhancements—like an online application and an expanded partner network that will help with outreach and recruitment—are expected to drive participation in the program. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks!

For more information on Fresh Bucks, including a complete list of all locations where Fresh Bucks can be used, visit www.freshbuckseattle.org.

Fresh Bucks Fact Sheet – feel free to share!

 

Recruiting New Members for Seattle’s Urban Forestry Commission

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The City of Seattle is looking for two new members to serve on the Urban Forestry Commission. The Urban Forestry Commission (UFC) advises the Mayor and City Council on policies and regulations governing Seattle’s urban forest. The UFC meets on the first and second Wednesdays of each month and is staffed by the Office of Sustainability & Environment.

The positions available are:

  • Position #7 – Natural resource agency or university representative – someone from a non-profit or non-governmental organization whose mission is to advocate for the preservation or enhancement of urban forests, wildlife habitat or similar natural systems.
  • Position #8 – Development community or Non-City Utility representative –  someone from either the development community, including developers, builders, architects, or realtors, with experience in projects developed under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), or a representative from a non-city utility.

 

The Seattle Urban Forestry Commission was established in 2009 by Ordinance 123052 to advise the Mayor and City Council concerning the establishment of policy and regulations governing the protection, management, and conservation of trees and vegetation in the City of Seattle.

Applications are due February 28, 2019.

The City of Seattle is committed to promoting diversity in the city’s boards and commissions. Women, persons with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, young persons, senior citizens, persons of color,
and immigrants are encouraged to apply.

To be considered, please send a letter of interest and resume to Sandra Pinto de Bader, Sandra.Pinto_de_Bader@seattle.gov.

To send a paper submittal, address it to:
Sandra Pinto de Bader, Urban Forestry Commission Liaison
Urban Forestry Commission, Office of Sustainability and Environment
City of Seattle, 700 Fifth Avenue, Suite 6011B
PO Box 94729, Seattle
WA 98124-4729.

For more information, please contact at 206-684-3194 or via email at
Sandra.Pinto_de_Bader@seattle.gov

 

Instant Rebates to Switch to an Energy-Efficient Heat Pump

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If you’re still heating your home with dirty oil, the City of Seattle is offering an instant rebate up to $2,000 right now through the end of 2019 to switch to an energy-efficient heat pump. Join more than 300 households who have made the switch since 2017. Here are several reasons why now is the best time to make the switch:

  1. Heat pumps provide year-round comfort, including air-conditioning. Last summer we had a record 31 days above 85 degrees (our average is 11 days above 85 degrees). We also experienced bad air-quality as a result of forest fires. Should we experience a summer like last year, a heat pump can improve indoor air-quality and help you be more comfortable.
  2. Heating oil is not friendly to the environment. Burning fossil fuels (which also includes natural gas) emits carbon pollution which contributes to climate change. In addition, underground oil tanks leak over time and can contaminate soil and groundwater. Did you know that most underground oil tanks in Seattle are well beyond 30 plus years?*
  3. Seattle City Light provides carbon neutral electricity so switching to a pump immediately reduces your climate impact.
  4. Heating oil is expensive. Oil prices are volatile and you’re likely to pay a full heating season’s worth of oil all at one time which can be a bit hit on your bank account. Heat pumps save about 50% of your heating costs because they are 2-3 times more efficient than an oil furnace.
  5. Once you have switched to clean electricity to heat and cool your home, you’ll be eligible for Seattle City Light’s insulation and window rebates which will help increase the energy efficiency of your home.

For more information about the City of Seattle’s Oil Conversion Rebate Program including eligibility and participating contractors, visit www.NoMoreOilHeat.com or contact Christine Bunch, Christine.bunch@seattle.gov, 206-615-1633

*Over time, steel tanks deteriorate as they are subject to constant moisture so you’ll want to make sure you are covered by the State’s free tank insurance. More information can be found at www.plia.wa.gov.

Energy Benchmarking Deadline Extended to July 1st

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The benchmarking reporting deadline has been extended from April 1 to July 1, 2019 for submitting 2018 data.

Nonresidential and multifamily buildings 20,000 SF+ must update Portfolio Manager accounts with accurate space use details and consumption data for 2018. All buildings subject to the annual requirement must be able to generate a 2018 December ending Energy Use Intensity (EUI) and ENERGY STAR® score (if available). Your account must successfully share accurate data with the City of Seattle Annual Reporting Portfolio Manager account by July 1, 2019 to be considered compliant. See our How to Comply page.

Compliance can be confirmed starting mid-March. Use the Annual Update Checklist — even if already signed up for automated energy use updates from PSE or Seattle City Light.

If it’s your first time benchmarking, get started with the Compliance Checklist.

 

HELP DESK – EnergyBenchmarking@seattle.gov – 206.727.8484

Seattle awards nearly $350,000 for environmental justice projects

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Newly created Environmental Justice Fund will support 9 projects in 2019

The City of Seattle, through the newly created Environmental Justice Fund, awarded $347,525 for nine community-based projects to improve environmental conditions and respond to impacts of climate change. Funding was awarded up to $40,000 for projects that will be led by and benefit those most affected by environmental and climate issues: communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and Native people—including people with low incomes, youth, and seniors.

As one of the strategies advancing Seattle’s Equity & Environment Agenda, the Environmental Justice Fund was created with the understanding that the most effective environmental and climate solutions come from the community itself. The fund supports projects that honor the lived experiences of community members and that put them in positions of leadership to meaningfully participate in project design and implementation and to use their knowledge to influence the work.

“We need to honor the fact that not all Seattle residents benefit equally from our environmental achievements,” said Jessica Finn Coven, director of the Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment. “I’m pleased that we are able to support community-developed solutions that address environmental inequities in our city.”

Project proposals were reviewed by a team of five community members, some of whom also serve on the City of Seattle’s Environmental Justice Committee.

“It was exciting and gratifying to be part of the community grantmaking committee with other environmental justice advocates and to have the opportunity to support and amplify community-based solutions”, said Anastasia Ramey, grantmaking committee member, Seattle resident, and a descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. “The number of excellent project proposals we received reinforces the urgent need to invest directly in environmental work led by and for those who are most affected by inequities – native people, communities of color, immigrants and refugees.”

Overall, thirty-one proposals totaling $1,185,771 were received. Funding is provided by the City of Seattle and grants will be administered by The Seattle Foundation. Proposed projects represent a wide spectrum of ideas and activities, including arts, community education, food access, green jobs, mitigation, multi-generational activities, youth leadership and more. The organizations receiving funding and their projects are:

  • Cham Refugees Community
    An intergenerational project that includes a 16-month curriculum engaging elders and youth, including monthly workshops about mindful eating and the therapeutic, positive effects of gardening. The elder component will include mental health and education about nutrition; the youth component will include an educational science program in addition to gardening.
  • FEEST
    A youth leadership program that includes a youth-run dinner program that brings together 50-60 youth once a week to cook an improvised dinner using fresh vegetables and inspirations from family traditions, and to lead each other in a series of activities and conversations focused on culture and food justice.
  • Na’ah Illahee Fund
    A program of climate- and environmentally-focused activities emerging out of their Yahowt Just Transition listening sessions. Activities will promote climate resiliency and will focus on permaculture, food sovereignty, just transition, and the arts.
  • Rainier Valley Corps
    A partnership between Rainier Valley Corps and Got Green to address the lack of diversity in the environmental movement by developing a pipeline of emerging leaders of color with a racial equity and intersectional lens. The Green Pathways Fellowship Program will recruit fellows of color who will be placed in pairs to work full-time at environmental organizations.
  • Somali Health Board
    A culturally-responsive, student-directed learning experience for Somali youth that focuses on environmental health. Activities will include educational workshops about environmental health, opportunities to learn to advocate for environmental justice and community volunteerism that exposes children to concepts of environmental preservation.
  • SPIARC (South Park Information and Resource Center)
    SPIARC staff and a cohort of promotoras will be trained on indoor air quality improvement best practices (mold prevention, non-toxic pest management, green cleaning) and work to inform and support residents of tenant rights and resources available to them in the City of Seattle. Activities will include development of effective environmentally-focused engagement tools and provision of healthy home kits to community members.
  • Seattle Globalist
    Seattle Globalist will create an investigative journalism fellowship program to train journalists from communities of color and immigrant communities to uncover environmental justice issues in the community and raise awareness about these issues to promote change. Each fellow will develop and complete an investigative story based on ideas from communities of color and immigrant communities.
  • Sustainable Seattle
    Sustainable Seattle’s RiSE (Resilience, Sustainability and Equity) program is a formal coalition of neighborhood leadership driving change in the frontline Seattle communities most at risk for climate disaster. This program serves neighborhoods historically excluded from environmental initiatives, or for whom solutions are prescriptive and focus more on the natural environment than root causes or correlations between environmental and community health.

 

More Seattle Public Schools students will eat healthier this year thanks to City support

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Seattle to use Sweetened Beverage Tax revenues for fresh fruits and vegetables for kids

Students at up to 19 Seattle elementary schools will get extra servings of fresh fruits and vegetables at school this year thanks to the Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax. The City of Seattle has partnered with Seattle Public Schools to offer the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to all Seattle elementary schools where 50 percent or more students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. This program expansion is being funded by revenues from the Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax and means up to 7,000 more students will have the opportunity to eat healthier during the school day.

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program makes produce snacks available to students during the school day—at times other than breakfast and lunch—at no cost to them or their families. The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and typically only funds a handful of Seattle elementary schools. For the 2018-2019 school year, only six elementary schools, serving approximately 2200 students, are funded by the USDA grant. The City of Seattle’s support marks a major expansion and potentially will serve an additional 7,000 students at the 19 schools. Seattle has earmarked over $350,000 to fund the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program for this school year.

This program marks a new partnership between Seattle Public Schools and the City of Seattle, which launched the flagship healthy food access program Fresh Bucks in 2012. Fresh Bucks provides vouchers to Seattle residents and families with low incomes so they can buy more fruits and vegetables at Seattle farmers markets and participating retailers.

The goal of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is to introduce children to fresh fruits and vegetables, to include new and different varieties, and to increase overall acceptance and consumption of fresh, unprocessed produce among children. Research has shown that eating a balanced, healthy diet has a direct effect on academic performance. More information about this program can be found here.

Introducing OSE’s new Climate Director!

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The Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) is pleased to announce that Chris Page has joined OSE as our Climate Director. The Climate Director is primarily responsible for directing and coordinating the numerous strategies that Seattle is deploying to meet our ambitious climate goals and plays a critical role in helping us build an equitable and clean energy future for Seattle’s residents.

Chris brings a wealth of experience to the City and we thrilled to have her on our team. Prior to joining OSE, Chris was an independent consultant on systems thinking and sustainable business strategy. Chris has also held senior leadership positions on energy, environment, and sustainability at both Amazon and Yahoo!. She has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies and Religious Studies from Brown University and a Masters in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Chris has also been a field instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School and a writer/editor for the public radio environmental program “Living on Earth.”  She is a Donella Meadows Leadership fellow in systems thinking. She’s an avid camper and skier and mom to two little boys. She and her wife Jen have lived in Seattle for almost three years and are loving exploring the Pacific Northwest as a family.