Sustainable Seattle -
City is a leader of worldwide movement to foster
'environmentally responsible' business practices
Sunday, August 11, 2002
Seattle
Post-Intelligencer
STEVE NICHOLAS
GUEST COLUMNIST
(Steve
Nicholas is director of the Seattle Office of
Sustainability & Environment.)
"Sustainable urban
development is one of the most pressing
challenges facing the human community in the
21st century."
-- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan
Every Thursday is car-free day
in the Portuguese city of Almada. Hundreds of
would-be car commuters voluntarily choose other
modes of mobility, encouraged in part by reduced
bus fares and discounts at local shops, museums
and sporting events offered by city government
and local businesses.
Early next year, several buses
emitting nothing but water will hit the streets
of Reykjavik, Iceland. In the coming years, the
city will partner with Iceland's national
government and major energy companies to replace
its entire 80-bus fleet with these zero-emission
vehicles, powered by hydrogen derived from
renewable geothermal energy.
Here in Seattle, a growing
consortium of government agencies and private
companies is revolutionizing the way we design
and build everything from residential streets to
downtown skyscrapers.
For example the Seattle Justice
Center that is nearing completion will feature a
"living roof." Instead of metal or
concrete, a portion of the roof will be covered
with grasses and other green plants. This will
cut the costs of heating and cooling the
building (due to improved insulation), reduce
the flow of storm water into Puget Sound,
provide more soothing scenery for workers and
visitors, and create habitat for birds.
Cities around the world are
rising to the challenge of "sustainable
development" -- experimenting with creative
new ways to meet the needs of their expanding
populations while respecting and protecting the
natural resources and ecological systems on
which long-term health and wealth depend.
When world leaders gather in
Johannesburg, South Africa, later this month for
the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the
spotlight will be on cities.
According to the United Nations'
State of the World Cities 2001 report, urban
areas already consume more than 75 percent of
the world's natural resources and generate an
equally disproportionate amount of pollution and
waste. These challenges will only grow more
difficult and complex as more and more people
settle in cities. In 1960, about 30 percent of
the world's population lived in cities; by 2010,
that proportion will exceed 50 percent.
Seattle is a widely recognized
leader in the movement toward more
environmentally sensible cities. On Earth Day,
Mayor Greg Nickels announced his Environmental
Action Agenda, with urban sustainability as the
centerpiece.
"The beauty and diversity
of the Puget Sound environment is something that
defines and distinguishes our city,"
Nickels said. "Our physical and economic
health, now and into the future, depend on clean
air, clean water and a healthy
environment."
The mayor's agenda outlines a
number of innovative next steps for putting
sustainability into practice. Among them:
"Lean Green City
Government": As a major landowner, fleet
operator, employer, consumer of goods and
services and service provider, city government
has ample opportunities to reduce its own
"ecological footprint" and to inspire
others to do the same.
A key feature of the agenda is
an aggressive campaign to make city government a
model of resource-efficient and environmentally
responsible business practices.
Recent examples include:
significantly downsizing the vehicle fleet;
converting all diesel vehicles to much cleaner,
low-sulfur diesel; installing energy- and
water-efficient fixtures in facilities; and
purchasing environmentally responsible products
such as less toxic paints and cleaners and more
energy-efficient flat-screen computers.
-
"Restorative
redevelopment": Seattle is being
transformed by new development. Thirty-eight
neighborhood plans are in various stages of
implementation; almost all of them call for
significant capital investments such as
street and sidewalk improvements and new or
expanded community centers, libraries and
parks.
Major chunks of the city
(South Lake Union and High Point) and large
segments of our basic urban infrastructure
(roads, bridges, drainage systems) will be
redeveloped in the coming years as well. The
mayor sees this as an opportunity to work
with the private sector and neighborhoods to
practice "restorative
redevelopment," which will incorporate
new products, technologies and approaches
that are healthier for people and the
environment.
For example, city
departments and residents recently
collaborated on the Street Edge Alternative
pilot project in northwest Seattle. This
innovative project features attractive
swales -- miniature marshes filled with
trees and native plants -- on each side of
the street to filter pollutants and slow the
flow of storm water into Piper's Creek. The
alternative street design also slows
traffic, creating a safer and more
pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly
environment. And it adds green, improving
quality of life (and likely property values)
in the neighborhood.
-
"Transportation
conservation": We are recognized around
the world for our success in recycling and
conservation of energy and water. The agenda
takes the next step: transportation
conservation. Since our ability to expand
vehicle capacity is limited by funding and
physical constraints, we need to use the
existing transportation system more
efficiently. We need to apply the same
creativity and consciousness to our
transportation choices that we apply to
garbage disposal and energy and water
consumption.
The city will continue to
help community groups, schools, neighborhood
business districts and residents to develop
homegrown strategies for reducing car use in
their neighborhoods. In the University
District, for example, one resident recently
received a "Car-Smart Communities"
grant for the "Explore 44"
project. The project promotes both bus
riding and local businesses by creating and
widely distributing a map and directory of
the schools, parks, shopping centers,
hospitals and sightseeing destinations along
Metro bus route 44, which runs through
Montlake, University District, Wallingford
and Ballard.
In a lingering recession
that has hit families and city government
alike, the obvious question is cost. Can we
afford these initiatives? But a better
question might be: Can we afford not to make
these kinds of investments in our current
and future quality of life?
Growing urban needs
translate into growing opportunities for
innovation, jobs and profits. Last year, a
consortium of utilities and economic
development agencies from Seattle and the
Pacific Northwest commissioned the report
"Poised for Profit: How Clean Energy
Can Power the Next High-Tech Job Surge in
the Northwest." According to the
report, clean energy -- the production of
energy-efficiency technologies and renewable
energy sources such as solar and wind power
-- will grow from a $1.4 billion-a-year
industry to $4 billion a year over the next
20 years; 12,000 jobs will be created.
Approaches to meeting human
needs that conserve resources, reduce waste
and protect and enhance urban environmental
quality already are in high demand. That
demand will skyrocket, both here and abroad,
as more and more cities struggle with rapid
population growth, limited funds and
intensifying competition for dwindling
natural resources. Companies that develop
"green" products and technologies,
and the knowledge and skills to implement
them, are positioning themselves to tap into
these potentially huge emerging markets.
A critical mass of such
companies has emerged here, including Mithun
(a Seattle architectural firm specializing
in sustainable building); MagnaDrive (a
Seattle-based manufacturer of super
energy-efficient motors), and Neah Power
Systems (a Bothell-based start-up developing
hydrogen fuel cell technology). Seattle can
become a major U.S. hub for such "green
businesses" -- companies and research
centers developing the ways and means of
putting sustainable urban development into
practice. The mayor's new economic
development action plan pledges support to
this promising new niche.
When we invest in protecting
and strengthening those qualities that most
distinguish us as a city, we improve the
quality of life for ourselves and our kids.
At the same time, we sharpen our competitive
edge. In his recent groundbreaking study,
"Competing in the Age of Talent,"
Carnegie Mellon professor Richard Florida
cites two telling surveys.
In one, Money magazine asked
512 respondents to rank 37 quality-of-life
factors on a scale of 1 to 10. Two
environmental factors -- "clean
air" and "clean water" --
were ranked in the top three, higher than
factors such as "low sales taxes"
and "cheap car insurance." In the
other survey, private companies ranked
"environmental quality" third
among important factors influencing their
business location decisions, just below
"good schools" and "public
safety" and higher than "easy
commute" and "cost of
living." High technology firms ranked
"environmental quality" first.
"Environmental quality
and economic vitality depend on each other,
especially here in Seattle," the mayor
says. "Keeping our city green, keeping
our air and water clean and healthy for our
kids -- we've been committed to these goals
for a long time. But more and more, we're
recognizing that environmental quality is a
source of jobs and economic competitiveness,
too. And this community, with its culture of
entrepreneurship and ecological
consciousness, will be a leader in this new
industry."
Steve Nicholas is
director of the Seattle Office of
Sustainability & Environment. For more
information on the mayor's Environmental
Action Agenda and the city's sustainability
initiatives, see www.cityof
seattle.net/environment seattle.net/environment.
For more examples of sustainability
initiatives in other cities around the
world, see www.sustainabledevelopment.org
.
Is
"sustainable development" something the
American people should want? Read about it here
to decide:
When
sustainable development comes to
your town by Henry Lamb
Sustainable
Development is alive and well in the U.S.
by Sharon Shumate
Arkansas:
Sustainable Development brought in
through Community Development Dpt.
vis-a-vis the Dept. of Agriculture
Europe
incorporates Sustainable Development
Strategy
U.N.
Commission on Sustainable Development
Report
New
religion? Global Ethics, Sustainable Development
and the Earth Charter
Global Ethics, Sustainable Development
and the Earth Charter April 3, 2002 Received from
one of our reporters, this note caught our
attention
Agenda
21/Sustainable Development -
Philanthropy...or Piracy?
UN
Secretary-General names five key areas for
advancement of Sustainable Development
worldwide
Sustainaable
Development: A snowball bound for hell
Moving
Toward World Government? A report on the UN World
Summit for Sustainable Development
Sustaining
Nothing, Losing Everything
Sustainable
Communities by Henry Lamb
Imperial
Rule by Benevolent Council
Earth
Charter adopted in Russia
It
all ties together - controlling the opposition
'Sustainability
Community Plans', South Carolina style, includes
preservation of everything except individual
liberty
New
'green' policy for World Bank
In
Sustainable Oregon: Property rights and
gardens
Corridors
of Wilderness: How much land should the
government own?
Governor
Locke promotes a "sustainable
Washington" - what does that mean?
Freedom
21 Report: Sovereignty issues high on agenda
'Smart
Growth' or dumbed down by consensus politicians
The
Forced Relocation of Rural Populations
United
Nations attack on gun ownership by Phyllis
Schlafly
A
Lightning Bolt of Reality: The forced relocation
of rural populations
Property
Rights and Wrongs: Web of intrigue is spun while
America sleeps
The
Olympic Discovery Trail - An alternative to
driving?
NGOs
march toward global governance
The
privatization of water
Stormwater
Management Plan carries far more restriction on
land than meets the eye
'No
American Left Alone!' - The Trail of control over
U.S. lives
The
Deliberate Dumbing Down of America
Understanding
the Third Way by Niki Raapana
UN
Millennium Declaration - "Mandate" for
global governance
Portland
votes to grow like Los Angeles
Connecticut
Representative introduces Wildlands Bill for
Western States
A
Sustainable World reprint from 1998
Farming
takes the hit from all sides, by M. Ireland
Conservation
Easements: A Critical Commentary
River
owners balk at selling out their property;
encouraged by county agencies with an agenda to
become 'willing' sellers