Like many Seattleites, I treasure my connection to the outdoors. I grew up in a working-class neighborhood in the south end where I built dams in roadside ditches and looked forward to camping on our lawn each summer. It was more Raymond Carver than Norman MacLean.
Though these days it often feels like my subscription to Backpacker magazine is as close as I get to wilderness amid obligations at home and work, I want to ensure that everyone has access to our region’s natural riches.
I know that being an environmentalist requires more than good intentions. It means working toward bold policy changes. Here are five areas that I campaign on during my run for city council:
Land use and transit. We must improve mobility for people and goods in by providing transportation alternatives. Steps to do this include creating a strategy to move freight more efficiently, investing in effective transportation options (e.g., transit, bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure) and changing land use policy so more people can live in close proximity to work. I support more taxis and taxi stands to provide alternatives after hours.
Climate change. Cities are where climate change is happening and we have an opportunity to be a leader for other major cities to follow. This means accelerating the Seattle Climate Action Plan to accomplish carbon neutrality by 2030 or sooner. We must improve transit and land use policies because cars and trucks are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in our area.
Efficient buildings and retrofits. Seattle must promote green building, simplify building red tape and revise zoning rules to encourage ground source heat, cooling and other energy efficient technologies. In addition to making Seattle more sustainable, these changes could create many new jobs as we devise and implement new affordable systems.
Modernize Seattle City Light. Seattle's public power company should become a model utility that adopts smart grid technology and other 21st century infrastructure. Seattle should reform governance of the utility and implement a more sustainable rate structure.
Utilities and water. Seattle should continue to find ways to reduce waste and increase recycling. Broadening the pilot project for biweekly trash pickup could save ratepayers millions of dollars annually. As we add sidewalks and make streets more efficient, we should implement more rain gardens and water swales in order to better manage storm water runoff and protect our lakes and Puget Sound.
In addition, I firmly oppose shipments of coal through Seattle on the way to export at regional ports. Most shipments go by train and additional trips could snarl traffic on Seattle’s rail lines, which are essential to the success of our port. This is a case where doing the right thing for the environment is also better for our economy.
These are ambitious goals that would require working with regional counterparts and Olympia in order to make concrete progress. The first step is having the vision and commitment to do it.
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