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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 $1,500 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.
  • Young Women Empowered
    The Y-WE Nature Connections program supports young women in engaging in environmental learning and becoming environmental stewards while having empowering experiences of being active in the natural world. Components include a youth-led Environmental Leadership Council; mentoring; youth-led food workshops, presentations and healthy meals generated by Y-WE; and STEM learning in real-world context through urban farming and habitat protection activities.

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.

Fresh Bucks Supports Small Grocers and Healthy Eating

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In the heart of Rainier Valley you’ll find Zamzam, a small business owner and a dedicated member of the community, who works hard to help her customers afford healthy foods.

“Fruits and vegetables in my neighborhood affect the health of my community positively,” says Zamzam. As the owner of Harameyn Grocery,  Zamzam is familiar with some of the challenges her customers face, “I think affordability is the problem, fruits and vegetables can be expensive and Fresh Bucks helps with that. I tell people how great Fresh Bucks is, it really helps a lot of people.”

Harameyn Grocery is one of six ethnic grocers who partner with Fresh Bucks, a program connecting people with healthy food they can afford.

The store started its partnership with Fresh Bucks in 2017 and it has been beneficial for the business. “Fresh Bucks has helped my business a lot, we now see more customers than before.” Zamzam manages her day to day business, while also taking time to introduce customers to Fresh Bucks. Fresh Bucks offers a dollar-for-dollar match on produce when customers make a purchase with SNAP (or food stamp) benefits.

“Healthy eating is very important to me, my children and my customers,” said Zamzam.

Fresh Bucks expanded access to healthy foods through partnerships with local, ethnic grocery stores. Many minority-owned businesses serve Seattle’s immigrant and refugee community while also serving as cultural hubs. Harameyn Grocery, located at Rainier Ave S and S. Juneau St., is open 7 days a week, catering to the Somali community while also serving the neighborhood at large.

Zamzam introduces Mohammed, a regular customer who has been buying fruits and vegetables with Fresh Bucks for the last five months. Mohammed now has better control of his diabetes and attributes his improved health to Fresh Bucks. “If people eat more greens, more fruits and vegetables, they will see the difference. I want to see more of this,” said Mohammed, referring to the Fresh Bucks program.

Zamzam agrees, “To stay healthy and live longer I think you need to nurture your body – this includes healthy food, but also, healthy spaces, likes parks, green spaces and fresh air.”

Fresh Bucks is proud to partner with small business leaders like Zamzam who does so much more than run a successful business. She is a local leader, advocating on behalf of her customers while building a stronger, healthier community.

Growing Seattle’s Building Tune-Up & Energy Efficiency Workforce

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Seattle’s progressive energy efficiency policies like the City’s Building Tune-Ups Ordinance and a strong local market favoring energy efficient buildings requires a specialized workforce to tune-up buildings and keep them operating their best. Seattle Colleges is growing this workforce through its Sustainable Building Science and Technology (SBST) degree program at South Seattle College and participation in the Office of Sustainability & Environment’s (OSE) Tune-Up Accelerator Program.

With eleven Seattle Colleges buildings enrolled in the Tune-Up Accelerator, SBST students had opportunities to grow their skills beyond the classroom by supporting the tune-up process. Student teams scouted three buildings for operations and maintenance efficiency opportunities, reviewed operations and energy data, and collected details on each building’s equipment for the tune-up assessment and US Department of Energy Asset Score. Students worked under the guidance of SBST faculty Steve Abercrombie, and in coordination with Sustainability Coordinator Adam Maurer, Campus Facilities staff, and energy service provider, McKinstry.

 

SBST students in building operations lesson. Credit: Alison Pugh

“Using campus facilities for hands-on STEM learning is a valuable opportunity for our students,” said faculty Steve Abercrombie. “The ability to expose students to the tune-up process and have them work on a multi-quarter project directly interacting with building systems and College staff teaches essential real-world skills. Each building is unique, and while many of our students come into the program with facilities’ experience, seeing the whole picture of the building’s assets—and its occupants—operating as a system, is critical to developing the skills needed to improve building energy efficiency.”

And these skills have industry demand—South Seattle College reports that 90% of graduates are hired by firms working in energy efficiency or promoted to better jobs by their current employer. The SBST degree is one of the certifications accepted by the City for persons conducting tune-ups to meet the mandate. The time spent pursuing the degree can also contribute to the tune-up specialist qualification of seven years of experience with commercial building operations and/or energy management.

Pathways to earning an SBST degree include students with an associates degree from Seattle Colleges, Multi-occupational trades, or a new Multi-occupational Engineering Technology degree being developed at South Seattle College. The program has agreements with 13 other associate-level programs in the Puget Sound area (and even in Oregon).  Furthermore, students who complete their first two years of College free through Mayor Durkan’s Seattle Promise Program, could apply to enroll in SBST for the last two years to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Seattle Colleges plans to continue connecting students with hands-on, real-world opportunities. A new grant from National Science Foundation just awarded to South Seattle College will help the students take this experience into the community.

For more information about the SBST Program, contact Alison Pugh, Sustainable Building Science Technology Faculty Coordinator, at alison.pugh@seattlecolleges.edu.

The Tune-Up Accelerator Program is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under Buildings Program Award Number DE-EE0007556.

Environmental Justice In Action: Rainier Beach Community Farm Stand

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This article is part of the series: “Seattle Environmental Justice in Action” — highlighting projects and organizations that are advancing environmental justice in our city. In 2017, the City of Seattle and the King Conservation District (KCD) to support projects that advance environmental justice along with improving natural resources in Seattle. Project proposals were required to address the goals of the Seattle Equity & Environment Agenda as well as natural resource priorities.

The Rainier Beach Community Farm Stand is a weekly event for the Ethiopian Community in Seattle (ECS). Every Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm, Liya Rubio, Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC) Farm Stand Manager, and her team of staff and volunteers from RBAC and Roots of All Roads, set up a farm stand in the parking lot of ECS. The stand brings in locally sourced fresh produce from people of color (POC)-owned and operated farms to the Rainier Beach community. This is environmental justice in action.

The Farm Stand provides employment opportunities for five young adult fellows who attend weekly staff meetings and are provided with other leadership and learning activities such as field trips to meet the farmers, researching best practices at other farmers markets, and designing the Farm Stand’s logo and slogan – “Start Fresh.”

Michael, one of the Farm Stand Fellows, said he enjoyed working with the Farm Stand, especially learning how to handle cash, running a small business, and having the opportunity to go on field trips to explore other Seattle markets. Fellows are accompanied by three seniors recruited from ECS’ Senior Meal Program. The program is multi-generational, collaborative, and opens communication channels.

The goal of the Farm Stand is to help local POC community members make healthier choices about their diet, especially those with lower incomes on EBT and SNAP. Liya and her team create this safe space at ECS each week so that community members can ask questions about healthy food and how to cook the fruits and vegetables found at the stand.

As the weather starts to change in the next few months, the Farm Stand will transition into the ECS indoor space. The project is funded until February and will continue to bring healthy food and education to the Rainier Beach community through seed exchanges, cooking classes, and recipe sharing.

City of Seattle and King Conservation District announce funding for environmental justice and natural resource improvement projects

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Six organizations to receive a total of $395,458 through the King Conservation District – Seattle Community Partnership Grant Program

The City of Seattle and the King Conservation District have announced funding for projects that advance environmental justice and improve natural resources in Seattle. Six community organizations were awarded grants ranging from $50,000 to $75,000 for projects that will launch in 2019. A total of $395,458 was awarded.

The King Conservation District and the City of Seattle have worked together since 1995 to fund projects that support water quality, soil protection, ecosystem restoration, and urban agriculture within city boundaries. In 2017 the program guidelines and criteria were updated to reflect Seattle’s commitment to environmental justice. Project proposals are now required to address the goals of the Seattle Equity & Environment Agenda as well as natural resource priorities. The Office of Sustainability and Environment coordinates the City’s involvement in the program.

“Seattleites are proud of our natural resources and healthy environment,” said Jessica Finn Coven, the director of the Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment. “However, we know that not all Seattle residents benefit equally from our environmental progress and we have a responsibility to address those inequities. We appreciate the partnership with King Conservation District that enables us to invest in environmental equity.”

“King Conservation District values its partnership with the City of Seattle,” said Bea Covington, King Conservation District Executive Director. “We are committed to working together to develop community-based natural resource projects that address the priorities of the Equity and Environment Agenda and ensure that all Seattle residents have access to local food, healthy forests and clean water.”

The organizations receiving funding and their proposed projects are:

iUrban Teen: Yesler Terrace Goes Green
iUrban Teen is an African-American-led organization focused on career pathways for low-income youth of color. This project will create a durable, cooperative urban farm and promote environmental stewardship in the Yesler Terrace neighborhood by providing economic opportunities for the Black Farmers Cooperative and environmental education and career opportunities for youth.

Na’ahIllahee Fund: Seattle Urban Native Community Indigenous Food & Ecological Knowledge
This project will support a cohort of Native women & girls in learning permaculture design, increasing traditional knowledge, and engaging volunteers in ecological restoration (enrich ponds & surrounding wetlands, remove invasive plants, amend soil, plant native plants. This project will ensure the Master Plan at Discovery Park is informed by Native people.

Young Women Empowered: Y-WE Nature Connections
This project supports a mentoring program for girls (13-18 y.o.) of color and adult women of color that includes an Environmental Leadership Council that focuses on environmental justice and healthy food. Workshops and on-site learning at Marra Farm integrate STEM learning in real-world contexts: habitat protection, urban agriculture, fruit tree maintenance, food preservation, and animal care.

Delridge Neighborhood Development Association: Delridge Wetlands Restoration
This project continues DNDA’s wetlands restoration project at Longfellow Creek, focusing on engaging neighborhood community groups and STEM K-8 teachers & students to restore habitat and native plants and plan a garden for residents and students to grow food. DNDA will engage diverse local organizations & stakeholders to participate in restoration, environmental education, and long-term stewardship of this wetlands area.

A Common Acre: The Green Line – Pollinator Pathway
This project supports the next phase of a demonstration pollinator conservation and native planting project along Seattle City Light’s Creston-Duwamish transmission corridor. In partnership with Unkitawa (a Native American coalition) and Rainier Beach Action Coalition, this project will engage local community members to inform, lead, and model long-term stewardship of this demonstration project.

Zero Waste Washington: Youth green jobs to reduce plastic pollution in the greater Duwamish Valley
This project supports a youth green jobs program in the Duwamish Valley that will assess litter and engage with local businesses to reduce plastic pollution in waterways. This project provides environmental education and career opportunities and engages local organizations in natural resource improvements.

Environmental Justice in Action: Native Food Systems Initiative

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This article is part of the series: “Seattle Environmental Justice in Action” — highlighting projects and organizations that are advancing environmental justice in our city. In 2017, the City of Seattle and the King Conservation District (KCD) to support projects that advance environmental justice along with improving natural resources in Seattle. Project proposals were required to address the goals of the Seattle Equity & Environment Agenda as well as natural resource priorities.

The Na’ah Illahee Fund’s Native Food Systems Initiative encompasses the planting, growing, harvesting, preparing and delivery of a mix of cultivated vegetables and native plants to urban Native people in need across Seattle. This is environmental justice in action.

A cohort member attends drop-in hours to water the garden

The program connects urban Native peoples across the Seattle area through a cohort model that builds community and shares knowledge. The current cohort consists of around 10-15 urban Native peoples from many Indigenous cultures, tribes, and lands. Most often, they are displaced indigenous peoples. In addition to not having access to their homelands, many urban Native people don’t have a garden space where they can plant something and return later to see it thriving.

The garden and greenhouse at the Arboretum provides this garden space.  Stephanie Reidl (Sts’ailes & Musqueam, First Nations) Indigenous Food Program Coordinator at Na’ah Illahee Fund has built the program from the ground up, including supplementing her own knowledge through permaculture training and recruiting cohort members. Many of the systems and principles Euro-Western people know as “permaculture” are appropriated knowledge of Indigenous peoples.

Corn, squash, and beans all grow together to provide complementary shade and ground coverage

The foods that the cohort members are growing and harvesting reflect a diverse group and diverse food traditions. The focus is cultivating heirloom seeds that can be regrown, re-harvested and redistributed to the community. These include Oaxacan green dent corn cultivated by Oaxacan peoples, 800-year-old squash and many others.

Stephanie’s hope is that by providing this garden space, cohort members will share their knowledge, grow together and re-create community. This initiative is part of a thriving food sovereignty movement led by Indigenous peoples that incorporates seed sharing and organized shared learning programs to expand interpersonal networks around plant education and traditional knowledge. In coming months, Stephanie’s goal is to cultivate more opportunities for cohort members to lead the program with more learning activities and field trips.