News Release
This week, Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin is at a conference in Vaxjo, Sweden, named the 'Greenest City in Europe,' representing North America. He is presenting Seattle’s best practices, key policies and community engagement efforts toward the City’s goal of Carbon Neutrality.
I am lucky to be in Brazil this week for a Climate Conference; so far I’ve seen Bill Clinton and Mayor Bloomberg. I look forward to reporting back to you all upon my return. In the meantime, here’s what happened last week! Last year, the City Council announced achieving carbon neutrality as one of its [...]
Councilmember Mike O’Brien (District 6 – Northwest Seattle) issued the following statement today announcing his decision against seeking re-election: “After nearly a decade serving as a Seattle City Councilmember today I’m announcing my decision not to seek re-election in District 6. “It has been both an honor and privilege to serve the people of one...
SEATTLE – In an open letter to members of Washington State’s Congressional delegation, Councilmember Mike O’Brien and his Council colleagues declared their opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement and affirmed their support for practices that protect jobs, workers and the environment. The letter, which is signed by all nine members of the Council,...
(Remarks presented as prepared, see Seattle Channel for the full video and remarks as delivered.) Councilmembers, distinguished guests, friends, and family — I am honored to stand before you as District 4’s first representative and humbled by the trust you’ve placed in my passion for the city of Seattle. I want to send a heartfelt […]
Last week I joined thirty five other elected and tribal officials from Washington, Oregon, and Montana to send letters to President Barack Obama, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington Department of Ecology asking for a broad and inclusive review of the three coal export sites proposed for […]
Improving energy efficiency in your household is a sound investment – saving money and energy, and making your home healthier. But for those that can’t afford the initial investment, weatherization services are often beyond reach. But what if they were free? As it turns out, the City has a very successful and long-running weatherization program […]
Data is now in on recycling outcomes for 2012, and Seattle continues to move steadily towards the Zero Waste goal. The City reached a 55.7% recycling rate in 2012, with record recycling rates for both single family and multi family sectors. Tons of waste sent to the landfill declined to 316,000, a reduction of more […]
On Monday, May 13th, the Council unanimously adopted the 2012-2013 Comprehensive Plan Amendments. Under State law, the Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) can only be amended once a year (with a few specific exceptions), and the process involves a lengthy and thorough review of proposed amendments. The Comp Plan is not taken lightly by the [...]
This week, the Seattle City Council and the Office of Sustainability & Environment completed the final of three public forums to discuss the Climate Action Plan. At our first forum, Making Energy Use Visible, we heard from guest panelists Brian Geller (2030 District and Green Ribbon Commission member), Aaron Fairchild (Green Canopy Homes) and Michael [...]