Carbon Neutrality

In 2010, the City Council established carbon neutrality as one of its sixteen Council priorities. This commitment builds on Seattle’s history of environmental leadership including efforts in 2000 to create the first carbon neutral electric utility, and the 2005 effort to get cities across the nation to commit to meet the Kyoto Protocol targets for greenhouse gas reduction and Seattle’s Climate Action Plan.

Public dialogue and engaging the community about carbon neutrality

In the fall of 2010, work groups comprised of community members from across the city presented their recommendations for carbon neutral policies across eight sectors: transportation, land use, energy, food, zero waste, green careers, neighborhoods and youth.  The Council is working to implement some of these ideas and will continue to work with these community members during the update of the Climate Action Plan.

Developing an analytic framework

The Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) is working with Stockholm Environment Institute and the Council to examine the science of achieving carbon neutrality. Their analysis includes an update of Seattle’s greenhouse gas inventory, an exploration of several reduction scenarios and the development of a strategic framework for action planning.  The report will be available in 2011, and will include a public engagement process in the fall.

An example of efforts to reduce energy usage

In 2010 the City was awarded a $20 million grant from the US Department of Energy’s "Retrofit Ramp Up" program, a competitive grant program funded through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG). The Office of Sustainability and Environment will implement this grant, which will bring energy efficient retrofits to existing buildings in Seattle most culturally and economically diverse neighborhoods, while creating 2,000 green jobs.

Seattle Public Utilities and Neighborhood Committee Special Meeting 9/14/2010
Presentations from community work groups

Regional Development and Sustainability Committee Special Meeting 5/27/2010
Introduction of Van Jones, Green Jobs and Local Climate