Seattle is taking action to prevent one of the biggest threats to the future of our city and the planet - global warming. Through Seattle Climate Action Now, we are committed to leading by example and helping everyone in the city take steps today to reduce climate-changing pollution in their homes, at work and on the road. Get involved in Seattle Climate Action Now by visiting www.seattleCAN.org.

• Reduce hot water use through more efficient washing machines and other water conservation tips (Saving Water Partnership).

• Keep Seattle Clean. Learn more >

• Reduce and Reuse – excess packaging costs you, and our environment. Lots of items can be reused too. Learn more >

• Green Fee Proposal. Learn more >

• Plastic Foam Foodware Ban. Learn more >

• Recycle plastics, glass, and paper – recycling uses a fraction of the oil and gas it takes to make new paper, glass, or plastic. Learn more>

• Recycle food waste, yard waste, and soiled paper. Compost food and yard waste at home. Or dispose of kitchen scraps and soiled paper in the food & yard waste collection for composting. Either way, you keep organic wastes out of landfills. (When organic wastes decompose without oxygen in landfills, they generate methane, a potent greenhouse gas.)

• Practice natural lawn and garden care. When you build the soil with compost and mulch, compost at home, and practice natural lawn care, you take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it in the soil as organic matter. You also reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides, which are made from gas and oil. And you get a healthier yard that’s easier to care for too! Electric mulching lawn mowers also reduce pollution. Learn more about healthy practices in natural yard care (in English and Spanish).

• Businesses can help too by recycling, and conserving water. More information on business waste reduction, conservation, and green building is available through Seattle’s Resource Venture, the regional Saving Water Partnership, and Seattle’s Green Building Program.

• 2007-2008 Seattle Climate Action Plan Progress Report (PDF)