January 2013

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CAPLaunchFour Ways to Help Shape Climate Action in Seattle 
Council member Mike O'Brien talks about climate change with the media

On January 14, City Council and Green Ribbon Commission members spoke with the media about sea level rise and other impacts of climate change Seattle residents can expect in the coming years. They also used the opportunity to highlight the City's plan to reduce emissions and adapt to impacts and invite the public to comments on the city's efforts. News coverage of the event can be found here: 

OSE is now in the process of drafting the Seattle Climate Action plan and this is the best opportunity for the public to weigh in on the recommendations before the plan is adopted. Don't let this opportunity to participate pass without making your voice heard! There are four easy ways for residents and community groups to get connected with this process:

1. Share our newly released video, "We're So Green" that celebrates green Seattle with a song written and performed by Seattle's own Chris Ballew (Caspar Babypants; also the lead singer of The Presidents of the United States of America). Like the song says - "there so much more we can do" - and we are asking the public for their ideas and support. 
2. Give us -   via survey  - your "Top Three Quick Start Climate Actions" in the areas of transportation & land use, building energy, adaptation and building community support. 
3. Attend a council sponsored forum and participate in a panel discussion. 
4. Submit written comments - either via email or through the comment section on the Seattle Climate Action page
 
Public comment will be accepted on the climate action recommendations until February 28. If you have any questions about the process or would like to schedule a briefing on the climate action recommendations, please contact Sara Wysocki, 206.233.7014.
SNAPCommunity Project Highlight: Sustainable Neighbors Action Program

This past fall, the Sustainable Neighbors Action Program (SNAP) launched, training 24 neighborhood advocates about energy efficiency behavior change. The pilot project, funded by the OSE Community Climate Action Projects program, trained advocates about simple steps they could take to reduce their energy use and empowered them to pass along this training to friends and neighbors. 

 

Sustainable Seattle and SustainableWorks partnered on the project with the aim of helping rental and low-income housing residents in Seattle easily reduce their energy use, thereby saving money and minimizing their impact on climate change. Using years of experience combined with best practices from the City of Seattle and WSU, SustainableWorks developed an energy efficiency training that focused on simple behavior changes and easy modifications that everyone can do in their home.   

When the training was complete, trained advocates walked out with a lot: new knowledge about energy efficiency, a goal to perform a mini-assessment on their home, kits and a checklist to implement behavior changes, and tools to start a conversation about energy efficiency with friends and neighbors. By the end of the pilot project, advocates had shared their training with 71 other people, starting new conversations and planting the seed in their neighborhood for broader energy efficiency. For many advocates, this was just the beginning of sharing and using the energy efficiency gospel. Interested in this kind of training? Stay tuned to SustainableWorks to see where it will be held next!  

 

BlogFrom OSE's Blog... 

 

The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you informed about the City's environment and sustainability programs, partners, and initiatives. We welcome your feedback and suggestions for future issues - contact Sara Wysocki.