Over 25 Years of Leadership

The City of Seattle has been a leader in improving energy efficiency and reducing municipal building emissions for more than 25 years. The City’s efforts have shown that reducing energy and emissions is practical and cost-effective, even for old or unique buildings. Read more about the City’s past efforts below. 

2000

Sustainable Buildings Policy Implemented

The Sustainable Buildings Policy becomes the first green building policy in the nation and requires buildings to meet LEED Silver. The policy creates a set of requirements that new or substantially altered City-owned buildings, as well as tenant improvements, must follow.

2008

Improving Operations and Energy Efficiency

City capital departments — those that develop and manage City-owned buildings (FAS, SPR, SPL, CEN, SDOT, SCL, SPU, WPZ) — implement a range of asset management and energy efficiency improvements, reducing energy use from 2008–2012.  

2011

Sustainable Buildings Policy Strengthened

To remain a leader, the City strengthens the Sustainable Buildings Policy, now requiring LEED Gold and adding additional energy, water, and waste requirements. The policy requires applicable buildings to achieve LEED Gold, beyond code energy and water efficiency, and high construction waste diversion rates.

2013

Resource Conservation Management Plan Launches

The Resource Conservation Management Plan (RCMP) begins guiding the City’s municipal energy and emissions reduction efforts. The RCMP aims to improve energy efficiency and establishes a coordinated approach to reducing energy use across the City’s buildings, outlining the actions necessary to meet the goal of achieving a 20% reduction in energy use by 2020. 

2016

Municipal Building Tune-Ups Start

Alongside the Building Tune-Ups Ordinance, the City requires municipal buildings to meet the first cycle requirements for Building Tune-Ups one year in advance of most other buildings. 28 large City-owned buildings will go on to comply early, increasing the City’s energy savings and reducing costs.

2019

Resource Conservation Management Plan Meets Goal

The Resource Conservation Management Plan meets its goal of reducing energy use by 20% a year ahead of schedule.

2020

Advancing a Green New Deal for Seattle

Seattle furthers its Green New Deal efforts with Executive Order 2020-01, which directs OSE to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings and develop a building performance standard. This work leads to the Municipal Buildings Decarbonization Plan and the Building Emissions Performance Standard.

2023

Resource Conservation Management Plan Continues Impact

The Resource Conservation Management Plan continues to make an impact, generating a 27% reduction in energy use and a 26% reduction in emissions against a 2008 baseline. This amounts to $4 million per year in avoided energy utility costs.

2024

More than 50 LEED Projects Completed

After more than two decades, the Sustainable Buildings Policy continues to reduce energy and emissions in City-owned buildings. See the list of completed projects here.

2025

Municipal Buildings Decarbonization Plan Launches

The Municipal Buildings Decarbonization Plan charts a course towards eliminating fossil fuels from City-owned buildings by 2042.

Sustainability and Environment

Michelle Caulfield, Interim Director
Address: 700 5th Avenue, #1868, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 94729, Seattle, WA, 98124-4729
Phone: (206) 256-5158
OSE@seattle.gov

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