News
Seattle's Green Fee Under Fire
The American Chemistry Council is backing an initiative to put Seattle's recently approved Green Fee on plastic and paper bags to a public vote.
Read all about it:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com...
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008...
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lo...
http://www.king5.com/local...
Plug-in Priuses hit the road
On May 30, 2008 Mayor Nickels unveiled the first of 13 Priuses to be converted to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) as part of a yearlong demonstration project with the Port of Seattle, King County and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. The PHEV Prius will achieve 100+ mpg (plus electricity) when driven in city.
Extended Streetcar Hours on July 4
The Seattle Streetcar will provide a new option for travel to and from this year's July 4th events on Lake Union, including the fireworks display on the Fourth and Lake Union Wooden Boats Festival throughout the weekend. Streetcar hours will be extended to 1 AM, with trains arriving every 15 minutes from 6AM to 10 PM, and every 10 minutes from 10 PM to 1 AM. Event attendees can avoid Lake Union area traffic by riding the streetcar to connect to Metro buses in downtown Seattle, or to public parking garages in downtown Seattle and the Denny Triangle.
Visit http://www.seattlestreetcar.org/ for more information.
Nickels receives 3 awards at U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting
Mayor Greg Nickels accepted three awards recognizing city efforts to strengthen the quality of life and livability for Seattle residents at the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 76th annual meeting in Miami. On Saturday, Nickels received an Outstanding Achievement Award in the City Livability Awards Program, and the city of Seattle and the Cascade Land Conservancy were named a runner-up in the Excellence in Community Tree Awards. On Friday, Nickels accepted first place honors in the 2008 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards Program.
http://www.seattle.gov/news/detail.asp?ID=...
Mayor Greg Nickels awarded Energy Leadership Award
Each year the Energy Efficiency Forum, an annual event sponsored by
Johnson Controls and the United States Energy Association, honors those
who display “continuous commitment to energy efficiency.” An Energy
Leadership Award in city government was awarded to Mayor Greg Nickels.
http://www.seattle.gov/news/detail...
PCC is saving paper by printing receipts double sided
In taking steps toward being a more ecological operation, PCC is saving
paper by printing receipts double sided. The new receipts will cut the
grocery chain's use of receipt paper 25 to 35 percent.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/...
Earth Ministry for reusable bags
Earth Ministry, a Climate Action Now partner organization, is definitely on the reusable-bag band-wagon. Find out why.
$3.83 to power hybrid plug-in for 6 days
Last week, reporter Tyler Hamilton had the opportunity of test driving a vehicle that, in a variety of driving scenarios, uses considerably less gasoline than conventional cars. When booting around the city, it almost uses no gas at all. Instead, it relies mostly on electricity from the grid. Just plug into a wall socket overnight and you're ready to go in the morning.
Interested? You should be – it could be the kind of car sitting in your driveway 10 years, even five years, from now.
http://wheels.ca/reviews/article/256058
Q13 City Of Seattle Launching Project To Cut Gas Prices
The City of Seattle is launching a year long project that could lead the way in cutting gas prices in half. A few of the city's Priuses have been converted to Seattle's first 100-mile plug-in hybrid vehicles.
http://q13.trb.com/news/kcpq-green-060108,0,3901713.story
Plug-in Priuses hit the road
On May 30, 2008 Mayor Nickels unveiled the first of 13 Priuses to be converted to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) as part of a yearlong demonstration project with the Port of Seattle, King County and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is funding the project with matches from the local participants.
The PHEV Prius will achieve 100+ mpg (plus electricity) when driven in city. Massachusetts-based A123Systems provides the conversion kits. V2Green, a Seattle company, provides the monitoring equipment.
Read the fact sheet on the PHEVs and the demonstration project.
Find out more about PHEVs including notable quotes, reports and links.
Read a recent New York Times article that describes a PHEV as, “Possibly the most sought-after technological innovation since Captain Kirk first flipped open his communicator …”
Mayor takes a stand for tap water
Mayor Greg Nickels kicked off a six-week public awareness campaign aimed at promoting the quality of Seattle's drinking water and encouraging people to stop buying bottled water. Read the full story here.
New green approaches to bags and foam
Mayor Nickels and City Council President Conlin have proposed a 20-cent "green fee" on all disposable shopping bags at the city's grocery, drug and convenience stores. The proposal also calls for a ban on foam containers in the food service industry. If adopted by the City Council, the waste prevention measures would take effect Jan. 1, 2009. Read the full story here.
New fuel standards for taxis
Mayor Greg Nickels announced today new fuel efficiency standards will require all Seattle taxis ditch gas-guzzling vehicles for more climate-friendly cabs. Read the full story here.
Shower Timer Saves World
One of the more popular items in the Seattle Climate Action Now home energy kits is the shower timer. Think a humble hourglass can't fight global warming? Consider this: reducing shower time from an average of 7.9 minutes to 5 minutes for an average household would save about 339 kWh of electricty a year, assuming an electric hot water heater. Each household would also save 2,679 gallons of water each year. If 10,000 people reduced their showering like this, Seattle residents could save more than 3.39 million kWh per year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 2,034 metric tons of CO2. That's like taking 452 cars off the road for a year. So pick up a free home energy, stick the shower timer in your bathroom, and start saving the planet.
Kid Climate Art Celebrated
As one young artist put it, the Earth is on fire, and we need to "Be the Bucket." That was just one of many creative designs submitted by kids across the city as part of the Seattle Climate Action Now T-shirt and calendar contest. 
The winners were announced at a ceremony at the Pavilion at the SAM Olympic Sculpture Park. "Students of all ages combined their skills in science and visual art to illustrate actions that will have a lasting impact on our community," said Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson. "They remind us that everyone has the ability to have a positive effect on the climate through their daily choices, whether that is at home or at school."
Local Climate Projects Funded
On Dec. 6, Mayor Nickels announced funding for 37 citizen projects through the Department of Neighborhoods Matching Fund. Seven projects recieved money from the new Climate Action Fund, which encourages community-driven solutions to global warming. Projects included: Broadview PTA's trip reduction plan, a forum on bio-diesel, a West Seattle walking trail, the "Eat Local for Thanksgiving" campaign, energy conservation tools at a Central Area street fair and a Native American summit on climate change. For more information about the Department of Neighborhood grants click here.
Climate Protection Summit
In 2005, Mayor Nickels challenged his colleagues in other cities to help address climate change. About 700 mayors have signed an agreement pledging to reduce carbon emissions by seven percent from 1990 levels by 2012.
On Nov. 1 and 2, more than 100 of these city leaders attended a summit at the Edgewater Hotel where they learned new strategies, exchanged success stories, and called for new federal legislation. Former Pres. Bill Clinton spoke to a packed house at Benaroya Hall and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore took questions via satellite hook-up from Tennessee. In a keynote address, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for a national carbon tax. A field hearing of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming capped the event.
Blitz & Moose
View a special message from Mayor Nickels, featuring Blitz and the Mariner Moose.
Twist & Save
Seattle is making it easier to Twist & Save. City Light has teamed up with area retailers to offer compact fluorescent (CF) bulbs at deeply discounted prices.
Energy Star® CF bulbs use about one-quarter of regular lights and last up to 10 times longer.
Change your old lights to CF bulbs, especially those you use at least two hours a day. You will see the light — and the savings.
Climate news provided for Seattle CAN by Sightline.