Greenspace - Office of Sustainability & Environment

Learn how to save $6,000 on a heat pump that provides cooling and more ways to prepare for summer heat

July 9, 2026

Summer is here! Now is a great time to prepare your home for the weather ahead. As climate change continues to warm our region, Seattle is experiencing more frequent and intense hot weather. At the City, we’re reducing the emissions that cause climate change while helping community members prepare their homes for the hotter summers that are already here. Heat pumps are one of the ways we’re helping to build more… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Climate Action, GreenspaceTagged With: Affordability, Clean Energy, Clean Heat Program, Climate Change, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions, Public Health

Seattle’s progress toward climate-resilient and efficient community centers, libraries, pools, and more!

July 2, 2026

Reducing the emissions that cause climate change takes all of us. We at the City are taking bold action against major sources of pollution, including buildings, which are responsible for 40% of emissions in Seattle. We’re leading by example by reducing climate pollution, or “decarbonizing,” in City-owned spaces. Across Seattle, we’re upgrading pools, community centers, libraries, and more to reduce energy use, improve indoor air quality, and make buildings more comfortable for the communities who use… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Climate Action, GreenspaceTagged With: BEPS, Building Emissions, Climate Resilience, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions, Municipal Buildings, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR)

Get Involved: Seattle’s new Climate Ready Curriculum to help communities prepare for extreme weather and more climate action opportunities

June 25, 2026

Hot sunny days and irregular weather have officially hit Seattle for the summer. It’s not just you — yes, it feels hotter and more unpredictable each year due to climate change. While we work to reduce the emissions that cause climate change in the long term, we are also preparing communities for the climate impacts they are already experiencing. Climate… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Climate Action, GreenspaceTagged With: Climate Action Plan, Climate Change, Climate Justice, Climate Resilience, Community Engagement, Duwamish Valley, Environmental Justice Fund, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (DON)

City of Seattle, University of Washington, and Seattle Public Schools are “Buying with Purpose” and putting institutional dollars toward local, equitable, climate-friendly foods

June 17, 2026

In a growing citywide movement, the City and our educational and community partners are using purchasing power to strengthen our local food system. This year, City of Seattle-supported food programs will purchase more than $1.3 million in local and sustainably grown foods. University of Washington (UW) Dining will join the Coolfood Pledge under its upcoming Sustainability Action Plan, and Seattle Public Schools (SPS) will pursue Eat Real Certification to advance fresh, nutritious, and climate-friendly school meals. City of Seattle Food Program Impacts Are Growing City-supported food access programs will… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Food Policies and Programs, Grants and Partner Spotlights, GreenspaceTagged With: Affordability, Buying with Purpose, Food Access and Security, Food Waste, Fresh Bucks Program, Healthy Food in Schools, Locally Sourced Food, Seattle Human Services Department, Seattle Public Schools (SPS), University of Washington, Youth Development

Growing the Foresting Seattle Program: Planting thousands of trees, community-led outreach in the CID, and more in year two

June 4, 2026

Since we announced our new Foresting Seattle Program last fall, our team, community, and City partners have significantly grown our Foresting Seattle efforts. Together, we’re restoring local urban forests, providing education and workforce training, and planning for tree planting and care. Foresting Seattle is a collaborative, neighborhood-based approach to growing urban forests in our priority neighborhoods of Chinatown-International District (CID) and Beacon Hill by strengthening community partnerships and coordinating work across four City departments. The program works… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Greenspace, Protecting Seattle's TreesTagged With: Climate Change, Community Engagement, Foresting Seattle, Seattle City Light, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR), Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), Tree Canopy Cover, Urban Forestry, Youth Development

Seattle’s Environmental Justice Fund Application is Open: Grants will support community-led climate projects

May 28, 2026

Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) is now accepting applications for the Environmental Justice (EJ) Fund! For the first time, the EJ Fund will offer funding over two years rather than 18 months, with up to $1.6 million available to provide simplified and sustainable support for community‑led climate projects. Interested applicants must check… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Grants and Partner Spotlights, Greenspace, Press ReleasesTagged With: Climate Action Plan, Climate Justice, Climate Resilience, Climate Workforce, Duwamish Valley, Environmental Justice Fund, Public Health, Racial Equity

Seattle’s Building Decarbonization Grants Application is Open: Funding will help community buildings reduce climate pollution ahead of BEPS

May 21, 2026

Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) is now accepting applications for its 2026 Building Decarbonization Grants through August 10! The City of Seattle will offer up to $4 million in grants to help owners of buildings larger than 20,000 square feet reduce climate pollution, or “decarbonize,” their buildings. The grants will help fund engineering design and/or capital upgrades to buildings ahead of future emissions reduction targets set by Seattle’s Building Emissions… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Climate Action, Grants and Partner Spotlights, GreenspaceTagged With: BEPS, Building Emissions, Building Energy Benchmarking, Climate Action Plan, Climate Change, Climate Resilience, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions, Municipal Buildings

Fresh Bucks Stories: Traditional flavors from Latin America at Mendoza’s Mexican Mercado in Greenwood

May 14, 2026

Nestled on a busy corner of Aurora Avenue, the owner of Mendoza’s Mexican Mercado, Sonia Mendoza, is hard at work preparing salsas, cooking dishes, and welcoming regulars six days a week. Some neighborhood businesses feel more like coming home than entering a store. Sonia’s earliest memories in her family’s kitchen in Mexico City include smelling chilaquiles on Sunday mornings and… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Food Policies and Programs, Grants and Partner Spotlights, GreenspaceTagged With: Affordability, Food Access and Security, Fresh Bucks Grocer Spotlight, Fresh Bucks Program, Locally Sourced Food, Partner Spotlights

Lylianna Allala’s Journey to Director of the Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment

May 7, 2026

Earlier this week, the Seattle City Council confirmed Lylianna Allala as Director of OSE! We’re sharing Lylianna’s journey to this role, from her roots as a community environmentalist to growing into a citywide climate leader inspiring national change. Lylianna has spent nearly seven years with OSE, most recently as our Deputy Director, until Mayor Wilson appointed her as Acting Director in January. Before then, Lylianna was Seattle’s first Climate Justice Director and led work on the Equity & Environment Initiative and Seattle’s Green New Deal. She was also named in the 2023… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Department Updates, GreenspaceTagged With: Climate Action Plan, Climate Justice, Climate Workforce, Duwamish Valley, First Peoples Climate Fund, Green New Deal, Green New Deal Oversight Board, Racial Equity, Urban Forestry

City announces universal school meals, all-year Preschool Program, and more investments to make Seattle affordable for families with Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) levy

April 29, 2026

Yesterday, we joined families, students, community members, and partners to celebrate new investments in childcare, preschool, afterschool and summer programs, mentoring, tutoring, health care, school meals, college, and career pathways. The investments will reduce costs, open doors, and make Seattle a better place to live, work, and raise a family. “Seattle is only… [ Keep reading ]

Filed Under: Food Policies and Programs, GreenspaceTagged With: Climate Workforce, Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL), Food Access and Security, Fresh Bucks Program, Healthy Food in Schools, Jobs, Locally Sourced Food, Mayor Wilson, Public Health, Seattle Public Schools (SPS), Youth Development

Find Posts By Topic