#3 Seattle: Protecting a Promising Future

In Seattle, landscape and climate are more insistently part of the culture than in many other US cities, so it’s no wonder that residents tend to develop an affinity for nature. Located between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, with dramatic sunsets and sweeping views of water, it’s hard not to be drawn to the outdoors.

Easy access to sailing, skiing, rock climbing, rafting, spelunking, hiking, and camping are a few of the activities that make the city an outdoorsperson’s paradise. This affinity for nature has been translated into leadership in sustainable living and policy.

Seattle’s geographic placement also helps explain Mayor Greg Nickels’s advocacy on climate protection, which grew directly out of his concern about preserving nearby glaciers and snowpack. In 2005, he was the first mayor to sign the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which advances the goals of the Kyoto Protocol. He challenged mayors across the country to join him, and by April 2007, 435 mayors representing 61 million Americans had done so.

In Seattle, plans are afoot to increase bus service, build more bicycle lanes, and change zoning to support more pedestrian-friendly communities as part of the multifaceted plan to address global warming locally. These moves will also, not coincidentally, create a healthier, more sustainable place to live.

Healthy Living

Seattle’s air quality, which ranks #7, stays fresh thanks to Pacific breezes that filter through the Olympic Mountains. Water quality ranks #16, with nine contaminants, three of which exceed EPA recommendations. Superb local fruit, vegetables, flowers, meat, and other products can be found at farmers markets throughout Seattle; the famous Pike Place Market has inspired other similar markets across the country. About 70 community gardens dot the urban landscape, and Seattle ranks #5 overall in local food and agriculture.

Getting Around

Seattle ranks #8 in commuting and #11 in public transportation. While 61 percent of Seattleites drive to work alone, they do have viable alternatives. The city is a national leader in the use of biodiesel, which emits less carbon dioxide and fewer greenhouse gases than gasoline. (The Washington State Ferries system is the largest user of biodiesel in the city.)

Two percent of commuters ride a bike to work, and 15 percent use public transportation on a daily basis. Though the city lacks a subway, the metro area does have an excellent biodiesel-fueled bus system, many residents commute by ferry, and a light rail between downtown and the airport is slated to begin operations by 2009. The city has one of the leading big-city green fleets, with 46 percent of its more than 3,000 vehicles running on 20 percent biodiesel, electricity, hybrid, or low-sulfur technologies.

Economic Factors

With a strong base of technology expertise from companies like Microsoft and Amazon.com, and a world-class educational institution in the University of Washington, Seattle is a major candidate to be a leading city in clean technology development and implementation. Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment has excelled in combining knowledge networks with information technology. Seattle has worked with its host county, King County, to help pioneer Environmentally Preferable Purchasing programs and with Starbucks, the University of Washington, the Seattle Technology Alliance, and Pacific Northwest Laboratories to develop everything from climate impact research to a clean tech cluster.

Seattle also ranks strong in green building at #3, offering a variety of incentives to encourage both residential and commercial green building. Its Green Home Remodel program offers free online guides to green remodeling; a lecture series, and free classes make it easy to add sustainability practices into the remodel process.

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