May/June 2001
Summer
Conservation Tips
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Going on vacation? It's cost-effective to turn your water heater off when you plan to be away from home longer than three nights. Water takes four hours to reheat to the thermostat setting.
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Reduce heat gain from direct sunlight in your house by closing blinds or curtains before you leave the house in the morning.
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At work use daylight for office lighting. Whenever feasible, turn off desk lamps and overhead lighting.
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Make conservation and home security work hand-in-hand. If you want to leave a light on when you are away from your home, install a timer, photocell or motion sensor. Install compact fluorescent bulbs in your porch lights.
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Air dry your clothes, invest in a clothes line and clothes pins and let fresh air and sunshine save you money on your electric bill.
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Take advantage of good weather! Turn off your range and fire up your barbecue. Operating an electric oven one hour a day costs you $7.50 a month.
Conservation tips by customers
As of the end of March, we were 12.6% towards our goal of saving one million megawatt hours by the end of 2001. (You can check
progress online at
www.cityofseattle.net/light/.) Some customers have sent in their personal conservation tips to keep the momentum going:
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"How about the three minute military shower in vogue during the 1940s. It consists of turning on the shower long enough to wet the body, turn the water off and soap up, turn the water on and rinse. I still shower this way."
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"What about using water heater timers? Or hanging your clothes outside or in your basement to dry?"
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"Pull the plug on hot tubs until the energy crisis is over - it'll save energy and water not to mention bucks!"
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Our favorite: "The key to shorter showers - wash the back one day and the front the next."
Winds of Change
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City Light's efforts to broaden it's sources of energy generation have taken it to the
southeast corner of Washington state.
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City Light has signed a letter of intent to buy power from the new Stateline Wind Generating Project near Walla Walla,
Washington. With 450 turbines, their new wind farm is the world's largest.
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The Renewable Northwest Project of Portland, Oregon, says that the Pacific Northwest "has the potential to generate
133,000 average megawatts or more of electricity from wind power." That's about four times what the Northwest
generates today. Montana alone has enough wind resources to supply 15 percent of U.S. electricity demand.
Last summer City Light began actively seeking resource options when the City Council's resolution charged the
utility with meeting load growth through conservation and renewable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal
and others. City Light's goal is to obtain 100 average megawatts (MW) of power from renewables over the next 10 years.
How Green is Your Company?
Seattle businesses are learning that what's good for the environment is
also good for the bottom line. The Business and Industry Resource Venture, a new partnership of
the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and Seattle Public Utilities, provides free information,
assistance and referrals to help Seattle businesses improve their environmental performance.
The Resource Venture is working with Seattle City Light to help businesses reduce energy use and
combat global warming through Energy Smart services and the Climate Wise program.
The BIRV was a big success in demonstrating the how's and why's of recycling and assisted
thousands of local companies. Their free services include water conservation, storm water
pollution prevention, sustainable building, and issues such as hazardous waste management
and transportation choices.
This is a dollar smart call. For more information, visit Resource Venture's web site at
www.resourceventure.org or call their hotline at
(206)389-7304.
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Project
Share
Helping families in need
Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse and KIRO Radio have stepped up to the plate to
donate $100 each to Project Share for every Mariner save!
Each donation to Project Share will be matched out of the City of Seattle's general fund. That
means each Mariner save is worth $400 to help needful low-income City Light customers pay their electric bills.
One hundred percent of each donation goes directly to the Project Share fund. Donating a few
dollars each bill goes a long way to help families struggling with their utility bills. Donate online at
www.cityofseattle.net
/light/help/share/ or call
(206)684-3000.
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Visit the
Skagit
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Skagit Tours open July 5 and run through August 31. The Ross dam tour begins at 11 am and
lasts three hours. Plan a picnic lunch on the lawn or buy fixings at the Skagit store.
The tours cost as follows:
Adults (under 62 years) $20
Seniors (over 62 years) $15
Youths (5-11 years) $10
City Light Rate payers $10
An additional discount of 10% applies for groups of 25 or more. Reservations are highly recommended.
Please call the tour line at (206)684-3030.
www.cityofseattle.net/light/tours/skagit/
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Salmon in the City - through July 30
City Light co-sponsors Salmon in the City, a public art program celebrating the heritage of salmon in Seattle. Innovative
art will appear at various locations around the city through July 31.
At the Chittenden Locks salmon viewing window, push a button and hear poetry about stages of the salmon life cycle.
Through July 30.
At Carkeek Park, see 200 prayer flags depicting original salmon photography and text. Through July 10.
A working pedestrian foot bridge in the shape of a fish and decorated with playful stories about salmon comes to the
University of Washington campus in early May, then moves to Myrtle Edwards Park, the Don Armeni Boat Ramp and the
Atlantic Street Boat ramp. For complete schedule information see
www.cityofseattle.net/arts/news/latest.htm
Funding neighborhood
self-help projects
"I regard the Neighborhood
Matching Fund
as the single
most successful
City strategy
for building both
tangible projects
and
a stronger sense
of community."
Mayor Paul Schell
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Across Seattle, neighbors have used the Neighborhood Matching Fund to purchase open space, restore creek beds, improve trails and develop pedestrian corridors, create P-Patch gardens, design neighborhood parks, build playgrounds, landscape public spaces, develop environmental education campaigns, create public art, compile neighborhood histories, and complete other neighborhood self-help projects.
At $4.5 million a year, Seattle has the largest Neighborhood Matching Fund in the U.S. Any group of neighbors can apply. The Fund provides a cash match for neighbors' equal contribution of volunteer labor, donated goods and services, or cash. For more information, call the Department of Neighborhoods at
(206) 684-0464, go to
www.cityofseattle.net/don/ on the Web, or drop in at your local Neighborhood Service Center.
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