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Welcome
Welcome to Seattle's Office of Sustainability and Environment web site.
We collaborate with City agencies, business groups, nonprofit organizations, and other partners to protect and enhance
Seattle’s distinctive environmental quality and livability.
The purpose of this site is not only to inform, but also to inspire individuals and organizations -- both within
and outside City government -- to take actions that help make Seattle a model of healthy, ecologically sustainable urban living.
Seattle will launch Community Power Works
On Monday July 26th 2010, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed an Ordinance accepting a $20 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE), as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), to invest in energy efficiency improvements and job creation. Along with this Ordinance, both the DOE and the City of Seattle have recently changed program names associated with this grant:
- Retrofit Ramp-Up Grant from DOE is now called BetterBuildings.
- Seattle’s Weatherize Every Building ( WEB) Initiative is now called Community Power Works (CPW).
Currently, the City is meeting with a diverse set of stakeholders to develop plans for implementing CPW in each targeted sector. Within the next couple of months, Seattle will unveil the CPW website that will provide homeowners, business owners, and tenants with the information they need to apply for and accomplish retrofits of their homes and buildings.
For the latest on Seattle's progress on this grant and other ARRA-related projects, visit the City's recovery homepage. Please direct all questions regarding CPW to: CPW AT seattle DOT gov.
Council unanimously approves Community High Road Agreement
On Monday July 26th, the Seattle City Council unanimously approved a Resolution adopting the Community High Road Agreement for residential buildings retrofitted as part of Community Power Works (CPW) . “This program will ensure that where the city invests public dollars in energy conservation, we are creating career pathways and producing high quality work that saves residents money and follows our value of shared prosperity,” said Mayor Mike McGinn.
The high-road employment and contracting standards in this Agreement will generate employment and training opportunities for community residents, while imposing quality standards on training programs, working conditions, and contractor performance. Together, these standards will ensure that CPW creates high-quality and broadly-accessible jobs for area residents, while maximizing the environmental benefits of the program.
In addition, the Agreement creates mechanisms for stakeholders to play a central role in the ongoing implementation, evaluation, and adjustment of CPW. This ensures that the program benefits from diverse expertise in the community.
Seattle receives $20 million for Energy Efficiency Retrofits
 Mayor Mike McGinn joined Vice President Joe Biden at the White House for an announcement that the city of Seattle will receive $20 million 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). Seattle was one of only 25 communities to receive a Retrofit Ramp Up award, of
the more than 150 cities that applied to the program.
 How Cool is Your City?
Would your city like to help residents make climate-friendly decisions as part of community-wide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? If so, IMCOOL is a ready-to-go climate action campaign designed to inspire citizens to take simple but important actions that reduce climate pollution.
IMCOOL is a free toolkit containing outreach materials, such as posters, flyers, email newsletter templates, a website framework and more. All your city needs to do is download the templates and personalize its name on the materials in order to start talking to residents about why cool personal choices can help change the climate for good!
The IMCOOL toolkit was produced through a partnership between the cities of Seattle, Salt Lake City, Boston and Minneapolis with assistance from ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability and the generous support of the Blackstone Institute.
Seattle reLeaf
Seattle's valuable trees are disappearing. You can learn why it matters and what you can do to help by visiting the new Seattle reLeaf website. The site is both fun and informative, with features like a weekly tree blog, "Ask the Experts," videos about trees and links to all you need to know about planting and caring for trees. Working together, we can keep the Emerald City green!
The City's Green Seattle Partnership with the Cascade Land Conservancy was formed to restore
2500 acres of forested parkland by 2025. Visit the Partnership's website to learn more about the program and how you can get involved.
The site also includes best practices for removing invasive plants.
The Green Seattle Guide
features a list of 101 eco actions for you and your family to help protect our urban environment.
It also offers a wealth of resources including websites, publications and volunteer opportunities.
Check out the website, or download the PDF!
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