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What's the City doing to take action?

In November 2007, the City will release its first progress report on the Climate Protection Initiative. However, here are a few highlights of what the City is doing to take climate action:

• Seattle City Light was the first large electric utility in the country to achieve "zero net emissions" of climate pollution through aggressive conservation programs, innovative energy efficiency solutions, and carbon offsets.
• Seattle was the first city in the United States to formally adopt a sustainable building policy, setting a target for a LEED Silver rating for all new City construction. The City also created a Green Building Team to accelerate green building and energy efficient construction. The early adoption of green building principles has led to 28 LEED certified buildings citywide, including nine city-owned facilities.
• The City's Clean & Green Fleet Plan set a goal of using the cleanest fuels and most fuel-efficient vehicles available. As a result, the City has reduced fleet use of fossil fuels by 12 percent compared to 1999, and by the end of 2007, all of the City's diesel vehicles will run on biodiesel (B20 or B40).
• This year the City created the Neighborhood Climate Protection Fund, which provides matching funds to neighborhood groups or organizations to help them develop local solutions to reduce global warming.
• The Seattle Department of Transportation recently completed Seattle's first-ever Bike Master Plan, which guides future improvements to Seattle's bicycle network, including 200 miles of new bike lanes and plans for extending and improving trail networks.
• In 2006, the City initiated the Seattle Climate Partnership, a voluntary pact among Seattle-area employers to assess and reduce their own carbon footprints. The Partnership includes 50 members, and provides technical assistance and other resources to help businesses take action to reduce climate pollution.