Issues – Prioritizing Sustainability and the Green Economy
I strongly believe that if we make the right choices today, we can create a city that is a model for both sustainability and economic vitality.
My vision for Seattle is a city where everyone does their part to protect the environment and reduce global warming just by virtue of the simple fact that they live here. By focusing on the right priorities, we can build a city where we use less energy—and save money in the process—without diminishing the quality of our lifestyles or the strength of our local economy.
We can do this by making sensible, pragmatic investments that lead to more sustainable ways to live and do business, and by applying smart incentives that reward people for making choices that are good for the environment and good for their pocketbook.
The time has come when we need to move aggressively toward an economy where our buildings use less energy; our transit system makes it easy to get where we need to go by bus, bike, on foot, or by light rail or train; and where the energy we do use is generated through renewable sources. We should also explore ways to foster the green-technology sector of the local economy.
If we do these things, we can create a city where as our carbon footprint shrinks, our economic opportunities increase.
Here are some of the things we need to do to build a more sustainable Seattle:
- Create a citywide program to retrofit homes to make them more energy efficient. This program would include a financing program that covers the capital investment required, guarantees the work and the benefits, and spreads the cost over time through a modest monthly fee paid through residents’ utility bills or property taxes. This fee would be less than the cost-saving from the project so residents would enjoy an immediate savings. And the fee would accrue to the property so even if someone is planning to move, it would still make economic sense to do the retrofit.
- Transform our transportation system. Transportation accounts for half of our region’s greenhouse gas emissions. The priority for all of our transportation investments should be to move us toward energy independence and a lower-carbon future. This should include prioritizing our existing infrastructure to make public transit more accessible, more convenient, and more efficient. We should make it easier to get from place to place on a bicycle. We should make sustainable transportation alternatives the smart choice through incentives such as variable tolls and appropriate parking fees.
- Encourage lower-impact housing. Where and how we live has a significant impact on the climate—larger houses require more energy; so does living far away from jobs and stores. We should adopt land-use policies that create more opportunities for people to live near where they work, shop, and play, and where it is easy to use public transportation, walk, or ride a bicycle.
- Conduct energy audits of all buildings in the city every two years. By working in partnership with local utilities, we can make cost-effective improvements in the energy efficiency of buildings across the city, and we can track energy consumption before and after energy retrofits to refine techniques and develop better ways to make our buildings more energy efficient.
- Promote the green technology economy. From aerospace to software, Seattle has long been a leader in innovative, technology-based industries and we should take steps to position the city as a leader in the new green economy as well. We need to understand the investments that the city should make to ensure that Seattle is the center for the development of innovations in green technology.
The fact is that Seattle is already a pioneer in sustainability. For example, through the Seattle Climate Partnership, the city and local business leaders have committed to take action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. And the city and local developers have worked together to build a large number of green buildings. Thanks to efforts like these, Seattle is consistently ranked amongst the top cities in the country in sustainability.
But there is much more that we can do. I believe that Seattle’s citizens are ready to do more— that they are far ahead of the city’s current political leaders when it comes to their desire to transform the city and create more sustainable ways to live and work.
What we need now is leadership and vision. I’m looking forward to being the voice of Seattle citizens and translating their passion for a more sustainable future into smart, fundamental change in city policies in this vitally important area.
