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Apply to Join the Sweetened Beverage Tax Community Advisory Board

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The City of Seattle is now accepting applications for three positions on the Sweetened Beverage Tax Community Advisory Board, an 11-member body that makes recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on programs and services to fund with the Sweetened Beverage Tax revenue.

Beginning in 2018, the City of Seattle started taxing sugary drinks distributed within the city. The tax was designed to improve the health of Seattle residents by reducing the sales and consumption of sugary drinks. In addition, the tax revenue is being used to support programs and services that increase access to healthy, culturally relevant food and support child health and development in communities most affected by food, health, and educational inequities.

The ordinance that created the Sweetened Beverage Tax (Ordinance 125324) also created the Sweetened Beverage Tax Community Advisory Board (CAB) to advise and make recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on the programs and services to be supported by the tax. The CAB is composed of 11 members who are passionate about race and social justice and committed to centering communities most impacted by health and economic inequities when advising the City and developing recommendations on issues related to food access and child health and development. Members must live or work in Seattle and are appointed by the Mayor or City Council into one of the following type of positions defined in the ordinance:

  • Food Access Representatives: Three members have experience implementing community-based programs dedicated to expanding healthy food access and food security;
  • Community Representatives: Two members represent populations who are disproportionally impacted by diseases related to the consumption of sugary drinks, with preference given to a parent of a student in the Seattle School District or a child in a Seattle-based early learning program, or a youth representative aged 16-24;
  • Public Health Representatives: Four members have expertise in public health and nutrition with experience managing, researching, or evaluating programs related to the health effects of consuming sugary beverages, particularly among children and their families;
  • Early Learning Representatives: Two members have expertise in education and early learning, with an emphasis on learning from birth to age five.

Each year, the Community Advisory Board:

  • develops budget recommendations for the Mayor and City Council on programs and services supported with Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) revenue.
  • advises the City on implementing SBT-funded programs and services.
  • engages with City departments, City Council, and other committees, boards, and commissions to advocate for community-identified approaches to increase food access and support early child development.
  • engages with community stakeholders and other issue area experts to inform budget recommendations.

How to Apply:

If you are interested in collaborating with a team of community leaders working on food access, child health and development, and racial justice, please apply by June 20, 2021. For information on the open positions and to access the application, please visit our website.

For more information, questions or assistance with the application process please contact Hannah Hill at Hannah.Hill@seattle.gov.

Seattle’s Building Emissions are Rising – Here’s What the Data Tells Us

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Seattle’s buildings are responsible for more than one-third of the city’s core greenhouse gas emissions – and rising. According to the most recent greenhouse gas inventory, climate-polluting emissions in buildings increased 8% between 2016 and 2018, driven by burning fossil fuels like fracked gas and oil for heat, hot water, and cooking.

Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking Program collects and analyzes building energy performance data from more than 3,500 of the city’s largest commercial and residential buildings (more than 375 million square feet!). By comparing this data over time, we can investigate what’s happening with the City’s larger buildings (over 20,000 SF) to identify trends and create data-driven policies and programs in response.

Fossil Gas Driving Emissions in New Construction

If you thought the cranes dotted across Seattle’s skyline were increasing in recent years, you were right. Between 2016 and 2019, Seattle added more than 200 new large buildings (over 20,000 SF), representing over 50 million square of new construction. This continues a trend from past benchmarking reports where we are seeing an increase in the average height and size of new buildings. In fact, over 40% of Seattle’s building area from these larger buildings has been built since 2000.

Newer buildings generally are larger and have more amenities than older buildings, and are on average more energy efficient and have higher ENERGY STAR scores. But since many of these buildings are being built with fossil gas-powered hot water and heating systems – and because they are bigger – the overall greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase.

Recent updates to Seattle’s building energy code to eliminate fossil fuels for most space and water heating for new buildings will go a long way to cap growth in greenhouse gas emissions from any new larger buildings, but these changes will take time to phase in and be reflected in future benchmarking reports.

Existing Buildings are Reducing Electricity Use – But Not Fossil Fuels

From 2014 to 2019, total greenhouse gas emissions from existing benchmarked buildings increased 0.4% even as total energy use decreased 8.3%. Though the construction boom is driving overall higher energy use and climate-polluting emissions, a lot of older buildings have continued to improve energy efficiency – driven primarily by steady reductions in electricity use.

Since 2014, electricity use for buildings reporting complete data for all six years (2014 to 2019) has decreased almost 9% in total. But at the same time, fossil fuel use in the same buildings has increased slightly – on-site fossil gas and district steam use (which is generated from fossil gas) increased 1.4% from 2014 to 2019. Since Seattle’s electricity generation has almost no associated greenhouse gas emissions, the substantial savings in electricity use translated to little emissions reductions for these buildings.

In Seattle, fossil gas has about twelve times the amount of carbon emissions per unit of energy than electricity. As a result, from 2014 to 2019, total emissions from existing buildings increased even as total energy use decreased substantially. This highlights the need for more concerted efforts to reduce fossil gas use in existing buildings in addition to the new energy code updates for new buildings and Seattle’s other building policies.

Building Emissions are Distributed Across a Range of Building Types

For these benchmarked buildings, greenhouse gas emissions are spread across a wide range of different types of buildings, shown below. Hospitals, labs, grocery stores, and hotels tend to have the most emissions per building, but we have fewer of them. Multifamily (over 20,000 SF) and office buildings have a much smaller emissions footprint per building but make up a similar amount of total greenhouse gas emissions as these other types because we have a lot more of these buildings.

GHG emissions by building type (click to enlarge)

To help transition existing commercial and multifamily buildings off fossil-fuels and onto clean electricity to meet our climate goals, the City is exploring greenhouse gas emissions targets for larger buildings – paired with equity-centered support and incentive programs. To achieve the goals of the Climate Action Plan, Seattle’s emissions reductions rate needs to increase substantially. Find out how an emissions targets can help on our Building Performance Standards page.

To learn more about the Benchmarking program and how we use this data, see our new Benchmarking website.

Explore individual building reports on our Benchmarking map and reports site.

Cities are the Engines to Drive a Green and Just Recovery

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Cities are the engines that can drive a green and just recovery from COVID-19. On Monday, May 10, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan joined a group of leading global and city leaders to meet with U.S. Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, to work together to secure a sustainable and equitable future for all, followed by a panel discussion hosted by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts.

The virtual meeting, convened by C40 Cities, provided an opportunity to discuss collaborations on climate initiatives and continue momentum around a renewed sense of international climate cooperation. Mayor Durkan briefed Secretary Kerry on the climate policies and projects being delivered in Seattle and our commitment to inclusive climate action in line with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. Speakers also shared ideas on how to build national government support for city climate action and ambition on the road to COP26.

Mayor Durkan also participated at the CDP North America workshop panel, “Breaking Through Barriers: How We Can Deliver on the Decade of Action”, and was joined by Marilyn Waite, Program Officer, Environment, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and Jeannie Renné-Malone, VP of Global Sustainability, VF Corporation. 

Panelists discussed the many successes and challenges encountered along the way, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as cities, businesses, and philanthropies work to fundamentally reshape our economy for a fossil-fuel free future.  

Here in Seattle, many City staff and departments were redeployed to support community members access basic health care and safety needs. Our greatest successes have come when we center community and work to build Seattle back better by ensuring those who have been most burdened by COVID-19 and climate change are the ones who will benefit most from our clean energy transition.  

For example, Mayor Durkan lauded that the City was able to give out $500,000 in Environmental Justice Fund grants (the most-ever!) to community-led organizations who are designing projects that will advance climate justice and directly benefit those most in need. Seattle is also working to establish a Green New Deal oversight board with community members and labor representatives to ensure a just transition and create better pathways and funding mechanisms to support good paying jobs in the clean energy economy.   

“Our economic recovery is tied to our climate and equity goals; We can’t meet our climate goals unless we are centered and realize the ways environmental injustice has happened so we can build our city back better”

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan

In February, Mayor Durkan signed legislation making Seattle’s building energy code one of the strongest on climate in the nation. The updates to the energy code will require nearly all new commercial and large multifamily buildings to use clean electricity for space and water heating and maximize building efficiency and on-site renewables. In addition, the same criteria applies when existing buildings are substantially upgraded or space or water heating equipment is replaced.  

And in March, Seattle released its new Transportation Electrification Blueprint, a first of its kind, comprehensive City-wide plan that outlines how the City will move toward a clean and equitable transportation system. Through this work, we will electrify everything that moves people, goods, or services in and around our City in order to reduce climate emissions and air pollution, increase electric mobility options, and create a pipeline of green jobs and workforce diversity. 

Green Worker Spotlight: Moving Toward a More Just and Healthy City

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The COVID-19 pandemic has made worse many existing inequities across our communities. As we work to build Seattle back better, we have an opportunity to build a more just, healthy, and beautiful city.

Under a Green New Deal framework, we are working to eliminate our city’s climate pollution by 2030, advance environmental justice, and create good, green, well-paying jobs. We are doing a Green Worker Spotlight on three individuals who are not only rising to the climate challenge, but also continuing to lead their communities in solutions for all.

Edwin Wanji – Sphere Solar Energy
Recent solar workforce diversity reports show a lack of diversity in the industry. At Sphere Solar, Edwin’s team is working to make energy accessible and clean, and paving the way for people of color and immigrants in the solar industry to serve all members of the community, especially for vulnerable populations. This includes energy, water and waste infrastructure, transportation sector, supported by an inclusive and diverse workforce.

Solar Sphere has successfully delivered international relief projects in Haiti and Kenya, and are supporting a solar project with a local faith-based organization, leveraging grant funding resources from the local utility, and providing education and training for the historically BIPOC congregation.

Solar Sphere is working to advance a green economy from the clean energy, community resilience, and environmental justice standpoint, and hopes to increase capacity for providing strategic advisory support at the local, national and international level. Learn more here: https://spheresolarenergy.com/

Masra Clamoungou, Black Farmers Collective and Small Axe Farms

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the need for improved natural resources and access to healthy food and green space where communities can grow culturally-significant foods and medicines.

Farmers and farmworkers play a fundamental role within the green economy by being aware of the ways that natural systems interact and through responsibly managing the use of these systems and resources to produce nourishment for human communities.

Black Farmers Collective is working to reclaim Black and Indigenous relationships with the land, improve BIPOC communities’ food sovereignty, and guide discussions about racial inequality. Learn more here: https://blackstarfarmers.org/

Stuart Vázquez, Eco-Lógica

Bringing information and education to support communities who have been most impacted by environmental injustice get involved in green living is critical for living a more sustainable lifestyle.

Eco-Lógica is the first and only bilingual magazine about environmental and sustainability education totally free in the Puget Sound area. Learn more about Eco-Lógica here, and leave a comment below about how your job helps protect the environment! https://ecologicamagazine.com/

Celebrating the Resilience of Seattle’s Duwamish Valley

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2020 Duwamish Valley Program Update & Progress Report

By Alberto J. Rodríguez (OSE) & David W. Goldberg (OPCD)

Resilient communities have called the Duwamish Valley home since time immemorial — from the fishing and winter campgrounds of the Duwamish Tribe to the first European settlers in the Pacific Northwest, up to the people living in it today. The neighborhoods of South Park and Georgetown are close-knit communities, home to nearly 6,000 people and numerous businesses and industries. Yet these communities have experienced inequities for years, and both climate change and COVID-19 have magnified existing health, economic, and environmental disparities. 

Since 2016, the City of Seattle’s Duwamish Valley Program has been working to create real positive change in the Duwamish Valley and build a more equitable and resilient city. Through collaboration with community organizations and residents, we are working to advance a new model for how city policies and programs can address health, equity, and climate change for our residents and businesses in the Duwamish Valley. But, as you might imagine, things got a little complicated in 2020.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to our local government, ranging from budget cuts to staff emergency response redeployment and more. We are extremely proud of the work we did and for our nimble response to ensure Duwamish Valley stakeholders were connected to and benefitted from the City’s COVID‐19 relief and response efforts. Despite encountering many obstacles and delays due to the pandemic, the Duwamish Valley Action Team (DAT) made progress on implementing the Duwamish Valley Action Plan. We would like to highlight the following:

COVID-19 Relief & Response:

In partnership with Villa Comunitaria, Concord PTA, and Georgetown community leaders, we were able to support 34 South Park and Georgetown families and individuals with rental assistance, utility payments, back-to-school expenses, and healthcare costs. In addition, we were able to provide technical assistance and/or four rounds of protective supplies and gear to 17 women- and BIPOC-owned small businesses in Georgetown and South Park.

West Seattle Bridge Closure:

Residents of the Duwamish Valley have been heavily impacted by the West Seattle Bridge closure because of all the detour traffic moving through the neighborhoods. Community groups have worked closely with the city to identify projects to help with the environmental and safety impacts, such as speed bumps and tree plantings to offset the increased carbon emissions. To date, the city has allocated over $3 million in transportation-related projects to help the South Park and Georgetown neighborhoods.  

Georgetown Flume Off-Leash Area:

The Georgetown Flume is a historic site that transported water from the Duwamish River to the Georgetown Steam Plant until it was decommissioned. The City and community partners are working to convert the land into a new community asset. The eastern portion of the site will be developed into a new off-leash area, and the western portion will be developed into a shared use path for those walking, biking, or rolling between Georgetown and South Park. Learn more about project from our colleagues in the Parks department.

8th Ave. S in Georgetown:

The Georgetown community obtained a Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) grant to develop a conceptual design for Gateway Park North and the adjacent street-end park. This design achieved broad community support, including the abutting property owners. Through this design, the community installed voluntary conveyance swales on a portion of 8th Ave. S and the Port of Seattle committed to stabilizing the bank in 2021. The community also obtained a second NMF grant for additional design and has been very active at pursuing construction funding to improve the park and access to the park along 8th Ave S.

Affordable Housing in South Park:

Working with the Office of Housing and South Park community partners, new affordable homeownership will be developed in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Additionally, the Office of Housing is in the process of purchasing two parcels for the future development of affordable rental housing (a first for the City!).

Supporting the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center

With support from OPCD, we provided financial support to Duwamish Tribal Services to support the improve access to the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center and programs, which will include an expansion of their parking lot.

Climate & Community Resilience Grant:

The Duwamish Valley Program applied for and received $600,000 in funding to continue developing and implementing the Resilience District concept. Funding from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will support the City with developing a Resilience District — a geographic strategy, inspired by global models, focused on adapting to flood risk and other climate change impacts as a key first step towards adapting to a changing climate, while taking a comprehensive approach that fosters community resilience.

And there’s even more!

We would also like to celebrate how the Duwamish Valley Action Team made great progress on all seven priority areas in the Action Plan, including:

In 2021 and 2022, many of these projects will go from planning and design to construction, so you will be seeing on-the-ground improvements. Additionally, in the next couple of months, we will be officially launching our Resilience District work and look forward to co-developing solutions with residents, industries, philanthropy, and other non-City partners that will have a positive effect on our communities’ wellbeing for years to come.

Thanks for your ongoing support. Here’s to a resilient Duwamish Valley!

Alberto and David

Register Yourself and Your Community for a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment

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Our region and state continue to make incredible progress on vaccinations. As of April 23, an estimated 61.5 percent of Seattle residents have begun the vaccination process, and 34.7 percent are fully vaccinated. This week, the City received 52,000 vaccinations from the county, state, and federal level, which is our largest allocation to-date. If this level of supply and demand continues in Seattle, we could vaccinate 70 percent of our workers and residents by the end of May.

Even with supply breaking loose, the City can’t end this pandemic alone – we need your help. If you haven’t already been vaccinated, sign up for a vaccination appointment today at any of the four City-affiliated sites at Lumen Field, North Seattle, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle.

Details are below:

If you have already been vaccinated, be a good neighbor and help your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers get vaccinated by sharing this link throughout your communities. To end this pandemic – and soon – we need to share registration opportunities far and wide: To our workforce, our neighborhood, and our friends and families. If you have any questions, the City encourages you to review our “What to Expect” website.

And if you know someone 60 or older who hasn’t been vaccinated, take them to our hubs in Rainier Beach and West Seattle, and you’ll both get vaccinated without an appointment. You can find more information on our new Good Neighbor walk-in program here.  

Vaccines save lives. With more variants in our community, you can protect your health and the health of your family by getting vaccinated.

If you’re unable to book an appointment this week, they can sign up for the City’s notification list and get notified via email as soon as appointments are available at any of the four City-affiliated sites.

For more information, including the notification list, visit the City’s vaccination website at www.seattle.gov/vaccine. The site contains vaccination information in seven languages, and in-language assistance is also available over the phone.

Even as more residents get vaccinated, public health measures like social distancing, wearing a mask, and washing your hands remain critical. Please continue to follow all public health guidance, and visit this website from Public Health – Seattle & King County for more information.

Fresh Bucks opens application process to select new retail partners

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The City of Seattle’s Fresh Bucks voucher program is expanding its network of retail partners. Fresh Bucks is a healthy food access program which provides eligible and enrolled households with $40 a month to purchase fruits and vegetables from participating farmers markets, farm stands, and stores. The program currently serves close to 12,000 households and is expanding its retail network to provide Fresh Bucks customers with more fresh produce access points as well as additional locations to shop for culturally specific produce. Interested supermarkets, large and small grocery stores, culturally specific grocers, and/or farm stands are encouraged to apply through one of the two selection processes explained below. Fresh Bucks is accepting applications from supermarkets and grocery stores through April 28 and from small food retailers through May 14. 

Fresh Bucks Retail Expansion 

The City is launching two separate application processes to select new retailers, one for supermarkets, grocery store chains, and franchise stores, and the other for small food retailers. Results from a 2020 survey of Fresh Bucks customers and national data on SNAP usage suggest that supermarkets and grocery stores are important access points for Fresh Bucks-eligible customers. The 2020 survey and feedback from Fresh Bucks community partners also indicated that small food retailers, particularly those that offer culturally specific foods and/or are located in neighborhoods with limited access to fresh produce, are also priorities for customers.  

In addition to meeting customer preferences, Fresh Bucks seeks new retail partners that create environments which are welcoming to all cultures, races, economic backgrounds, and languages, and that consistently provide high-quality produce in neighborhoods where priority populations live and work. Fresh Bucks aims to eliminate racial disparities in access to healthy foods for low-income Latino, Black/African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander communities and immigrants and refugees, particularly those with language barriers, through focused enrollment into the Fresh Bucks vouchers program.​​ In 2020, 70% of Fresh Bucks vouchers enrollees were from these priority populations. 

Two Selection Processes 

The deadlines for the two application processes are below, and more information is available on the Fresh Bucks website.  

  • Supermarkets and Grocery Stores:  
    • Applications due Wednesday, April 28 by 11:59 p.m. Click here to learn more about eligibility and scoring criteria, and to access the application.  
    • Register here to learn more about this opportunity and ask any questions at a virtual information session on April 14 at 3:00 p.m.  

Apply to Join the Green New Deal Oversight Board

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The City of Seattle expanded on its history of progressive climate action by enacting the Green New Deal Resolution to help create jobs and advance an equitable transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy by prioritizing investments in communities historically most harmed by economic, racial, and environmental injustices.

Seattle City Council voted to form the Green New Deal Oversight Board (CB 119604) to advance the work of establishing a Green New Deal for Seattle. The Seattle Green New Deal Oversight Board is composed of representatives who are passionate about advancing an equitable transition to a clean energy economy, centering frontline communities and workers most impacted by climate change. 

How to Apply:
If you are interested in collaborating with a team of community leaders working on bold and transformative solutions to climate change and racial and economic inequity, we encourage you to APPLY HERE by April 16.

For more information, questions, or assistance with the application process please contact equityenviro@seattle.gov or call (206) 487-0007. 

The Oversight Board will work towards developing a workplan that includes:

  • A definition of what constitutes a policy, program or project that advances a Green New Deal for Seattle
  • Proposals for new policies and programs to advance the Green New Deal for Seattle;
  • Support in planning and implementation of City actions to make Seattle climate-pollution free by 2030;
  • City budget and legislative recommendations;
  • Engagement with departments and existing committees, boards, and commissions.  

The Green New Deal Oversight Board will be made up of 19 members appointed by the Mayor and City Council for a renewable, 3-year term.

  • Eight positions designated for community representatives directly impacted by racial, economic, and environmental injustices (including two tribal members and two individuals between the ages of 16 and 25 at the time of their appointment).
  • Four positions designated for representatives of labor unions.
  • Three positions designated for representatives of environmental justice organizations.
  • Three positions designated for representatives with experience in greenhouse gas reduction and climate resiliency strategies relevant to cities.
  • One position designated for an individual specializing in workforce training.

APPLY HERE by April 16.

For more information, questions, or assistance with the application process please contact equityenviro@seattle.gov or call (206) 487-0007. 

Seattle’s Blueprint for an Electrifying Future

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We are excited to announce the City of Seattle’s new Transportation Electrification Blueprint, a first of its kind, comprehensive City-wide plan that outlines how the City will move toward a clean and equitable transportation system. 

Seattle’s Transportation Electrification Blueprint is a comprehensive City-wide plan that outlines how the City will move toward a clean and equitable transportation system in order to reduce climate emissions and air pollution, increase electric mobility options, and create a pipeline of green jobs and workforce diversity.  

“Seattle’s Transportation Electrification Blueprint is a comprehensive, cross-cutting effort of multiple city departments working together to set ambitious 2030 policy goals and near-term actions to electrify Seattle’s transportation system. This bold plan is a model for cities across the nation to follow.” 

Amanda Eaken, NRDC, American Cities Climate Challenge

This effort was co-led by the Office of Sustainability and Environment, Seattle City Light, Seattle Department of Transportation and the Office of Economic Development to incorporate a wide range of expertise in climate policy, innovation, infrastructure, transit, mobility, economic development and workforce development. 

The Transportation Electrification Blueprint calls for the City to take immediate action to plan for the policy changes, infrastructure investments, and partnerships that will be required to meet these ambitious 2030 goals for the City: 

100 Percent of Shared Mobility is Zero Emissions 
As shared mobility services like bikes, scooters, taxis, Uber, Lyft, carshare services and others continue to expand in Seattle, the City will ensure those options are electric and emissions free. 

90 Percent of All Personal Trips are Zero Emissions 
To reach our climate goals, by 2030 nine out of ten trips must be taken by walking, biking, electric transit or in an electric vehicle (or avoided all together).  

30 Percent of Goods Delivery is Zero Emissions 
As more and more of the goods we buy and the food we eat are purchased online, we are seeing growing congestion and pollution from transportation. This goal is aimed to spur the transition of private fleets to EVs, following the same goal for personal vehicles, over the next 10 years.  

100 percent of City Fleet is fossil-fuel free (Executive Order 2018-02) 
Continuing to lead by example, Seattle will operate a large municipal fleet with zero fossil fuels by 2030.  

One or more ‘Green & Healthy Streets’ in Seattle  
Seattle will ensure a major area of our city will have zero emissions from transportation including streets or blocks that are closed to cars and promote walking, biking, electrified transit, and electric goods delivery and services. 

Electrical infrastructure required to stay ahead of Transportation Electrification adoption is installed and operational.  
Infrastructure investments will enable a rapid transition to an electrified transportation system. Seattle City Light will work strategically to make sure the grid is reliable and built out to enable rapid adoption for emerging electric transportation technologies and vehicles. 

This work included consulting with the Environmental Justice Committee, community leaders, and is centered on community-identified priorities of expanding electric transit and mobility options, making charging more reliable and accessible, and connecting workforce opportunities to communities who need them the most. 

“Since 2018, the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle has partnered with the City of Seattle on several projects to gather input from various communities on transportation electrification. We are thrilled that our community based participatory research provided the framework for Seattle’s Transportation Electrification Blueprint to center community identified priorities. Specifically, increasing electric transit and mobility options, making EVs and charging more accessible and connecting related job opportunities to residents who need them the most. We look forward to continuing this partnership as the City works to implement the Blueprint and loop back with communities to let them know their voices have been heard and how their feedback is being actioned.” 

Jose Chi, Environmental Coalition of South Seattle Project Manager & Environmental Justice Committee Member 

Seattle’s Transportation Electrification Blueprint is an opportunity to build on past successes and lessons learned to provide economic and health benefits to traditionally underserved communities through increased mobility options, reducing fuel and maintenance costs, mitigating climate change and improving air quality.  

 “The City of Seattle refuse contract and climate strategy enabled Recology to purchase two of the first all-electric Class 8, rear-load garbage/recycling collection trucks in North America. With Seattle leading the way, other cities are eager to follow and provide their residents with quiet trash service and clean air. We look forward to supporting near term actions outlined in Seattle’s Transportation Electrification Blueprint, specifically working with the City on infrastructure incentives and policies needed to advance electrification of municipal waste fleets in Seattle and beyond.” 

Derek Ruckman, Vice President, Recology  

Seattle’s reliance on cars and trucks is not only increasing congestion and hazardous air and water pollution, but it is also the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions in Seattle – all of which disproportionately harm our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. While the City is committed to reducing car trips and the need for car ownership, these efforts alone are not enough to meet our climate goals – we must electrify everything that moves people, goods, and services in and around Seattle. Right now, as our city and residents recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we have the opportunity to build our city back better to prioritize our residents’ health, safety, and quality of life. 

Seattle has a vision for a fossil-fuel free future, where the air is clean and our communities thrive. People will take electric buses, ferries, or light rail to work, shopping and other destinations. A robust bike lane network will make it easy for to use bikes, e-scooters, or walk. Ships at port are plugged in, every package delivered to your doorstep comes on an electric van, truck or e-bike. Silent, clean, electric trash and utility trucks will service neighborhoods. This is a future we all deserve, and through this Transportation Electrification Blueprint, we’re ready to get to work. 

Building the Team to Advance Climate, Food, and Environmental Justice in Seattle

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OSE is thrilled to announce six new (and returning!) staff members who are joining the team to help Seattle advance climate justice, food access and sustainability, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and transportation sectors. New staff include:

Kristin Brown (she/her/hers) – Climate Communications Advisor
Kristin moved into this new communications role in January and serves as the primary media contact and communications staffer for the office.  

About Kristin:
Kristin Brown joins OSE with more than 10 years of experience running digital and advocacy campaigns to support environmental causes and candidates. She most recently was embedded with OSE as a “Climate Advisor” through the Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge (Climate Challenge), where she worked to advance Seattle’s transportation and building policies with an emphasis on racial equity and environmental justice. Prior to the Climate Challenge, Kristin served as the Digital Organizing Director for Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s presidential campaign. She completed her Masters of Public Administration specializing in Environmental Policy at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. While pursuing her MPA, Kristin worked as a consultant providing digital and marketing guidance for Rock the Earth and Spark Northwest. Prior to moving to Seattle, Kristin served as the Director of Digital Strategy at the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) in Washington D.C. She is a proud alumna of two UWs — the University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin. Kristin loves the outdoors and getting her hands dirty wherever plants and gardens can be found, and loves curling up with her 60 pound rescue “lap dog” named Charlie Brown.

Robbie Carrasco (he/him/his) – Resource Conservation Specialist
Robbie manages energy reduction projects at city-owned buildings.

About Robbie:
Born and raised in Seattle, Robbie grew up in the city but was always finding himself outdoors and in nature. This led him to attend college at Western Washington University where he took classes in environmental policy and energy economics. Robbie continued to pursue outdoor interests such as snowboarding, hiking, and biking. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, Robbie became a river raft guide and snowboard instructor for several years. Robbie then travelled to Asia to work for a Seattle based non-profit called Mangrove Action Project. He worked within the local community organizing volunteers to create sustainable agriculture and fisheries with the overarching goal of mitigating climate change by protecting the mangrove forests along the south shores of Thailand.  After traveling and working in Asia, Robbie returned home to the Pacific Northwest to continue working in the environmental space gaining employment as an Energy Advisor for Seattle City Light and eventually working his way into the Office of Sustainability and Environment where he is happily working on project management of energy upgrades in City of Seattle owned buildings.

Lisa Chen (she/her/hers) — Equity and Environment Manager
Lisa joined OSE in February and will provide strategic leadership to the Environmental Justice Committee, Environmental Justice Fund and the Green New Deal Oversight Board.  

About Lisa:
Lisa has spent more than a decade deeply invested in building power for low-income communities of color around issues of health equity, worker’s rights, immigration and environmental justice. Most recently she was a strategy consultant for local organizations and institutions including: 4Culture, City of Seattle, Seattle Foundation and King County Public Health. She was the Executive Director at FEEST, an organization dedicated to fostering radical joy for youth of color through organizing for food justice in South King County schools. Under her leadership, FEEST’s operating budget tripled in less than 4 years, doubled youth engagement capacity and underwent a major strategic planning initiative. Prior to FEEST, she was an organizer with UNITE HERE, a labor union representing low-wage hospitality workers, predominantly immigrants and refugees. In 2009, Lisa was an immigrant rights advocate at the esteemed Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco where she helped build the nation’s first undocumented Asian youth project, ASPIRE, and organized for both the state and federal DREAM Act. She has a B.A in Political Science & International Studies from UC-San Diego and was a UC Berkley Goldman Public Policy & International Affairs Fellow. When Lisa is not supporting leaders you can find her writing, reading poetry, trying new soup recipes, rock climbing, or attempting to go running with her rescue dog, Odie.

Lauri Jordana (she/her/hers) — Fresh Bucks Communications Specialist
Lauri joined OSE in March and will be with us for several months to manage the communications strategy and implementation for the rollout of both the new e-benefits card and the Fresh Bucks rebrand.

About Lauri:
Lauri’s career has been mostly focused on Hispanic marketing and communications, and she is excited to now be making a meaningful, local impact to residents in her own hometown! Lauri spent the past eight years as senior advertising manager at T-Mobile, where she managed all national Hispanic advertising campaigns and served as primary stakeholder for all Spanish-language communications companywide. Before that, she had a small firm specializing in Hispanic marketing strategy and communications, Conexión Marketing. In fact, it was there that Lauri served a similar role as today—leading the Latino communications strategy and execution for King County’s Farmers Market Access Project, promoting fresh produce access opportunities for recipients of WIC benefits. Lauri’s undergrad degree is from WSU, in Foreign Languages & Literature, and she earned her MBA from Seattle U. She lives on Capitol Hill with her husband Alan and cat Zucca. You may see the cat on calls from time to time, but you’ll never see the camera-shy husband.

José Manuel Vasquez (he/him/them) – Green New Deal
In his new role, José will establish and staff the Green New Deal Oversight Board as well as provide strategic leadership on workforce development & economic opportunity in the climate space.

About José:
José is a displaced immigrant — descendant of the indigenous people from the Mixteco region of Oaxaca, Mexico. His family immigrated to the South Park neighborhood in the early 90’s, where he grew up near the banks of the Duwamish River. José graduated from the University of Washington Foster School of Business and throughout the years has successfully launched and led small businesses, non-profits, and equity initiatives across our city and region. He helped establish and lead the Latino Community Fund of Washington State for close to a decade, spent two years serving as a bridge between our local immigrant and refugee populations and local government through the City of Seattle’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, and is now joining the amazing Climate Justice team here at OSE. He was deeply involved in the development of Seattle’s Equity and Environment Agenda and establishing the Environmental Justice Fund, ensuring that our communities most impacted by climate change are at the forefront of leading Environmental Justice efforts across the city.
José is also a passionate supporter of the Sounders Football Club, and is a board member of both La Barra Fuerza Verde, the Latinx supporter group and the RAVE Foundation, the official charitable arm of the Seattle Sounders FC.

Alyssa Patrick (she/her/hers) – Strategic Advisor
Alyssa currently wears many hats on the OSE food policy team. Her work ranges from supporting the City’s emergency food response through federal and state policy analysis to leading projects increasing access to fresh fruit and vegetables for students and Fresh Bucks customers.

About Alyssa:
Alyssa’s life and work is deeply rooted in Washington State and a desire for a more equitable future. She grew up in Yakima and her career has included supporting Washington State University economic development efforts through storytelling and legislators and councilmembers through policy analysis.  At OSE, she has had the opportunity to work alongside colleagues and community groups on access to nutritious, culturally relevant food. She earned her bachelor’s from WSU and Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington. Alyssa is also on the Jackson Foundation Leadership Committee, where she is helping develop sustainable structures for a growing network of public service-minded leaders. She is also passionate about supporting young people, something she has done through Big Brothers, Big Sisters and the Technology Access Foundation. Outside of work you can find Alyssa cooking, nerding out about some food or music podcast, spending time with family and friends, reading, exploring a park, or dabbling in creative writing.