December 2018

Wrapping up an eventful 2018! 

Dear Friends and Partners -  As 2018 wraps up, it's a great time to take a step back and reflect on everything we accomplished this year. As our team at OSE worked together to capture our major achievements, we realized it was quite a lot! And of course, nearly everything we accomplished was in partnership with you. Thank you always, for your support of Seattle's climate and environmental priorities. - Jessica Finn Coven, Director Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment

We rolled up some of our most notable accomplishments into a quick list a la Harper's Index! 

• Climate actions in Mayor Durkan’s 2018 Climate Strategy: 12
• Michael Bloomberg visits announcing Seattle as an American Cities Climate Challenge Winner: 1
• Percentage of new vehicle registrations in Seattle that are electric: 6%
• Annual energy cost savings in municipal buildings implementing sustainability measures: $171,630
• Cumulative energy use reduction in City-owned buildings between 2008 to 2017: 14.5%
• Compliance rate for Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking program: 99%
• Metric Tons of CO₂ saved by buildings participating in Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking program: 12,500
• Seattle buildings enrolled in Tune-Up Accelerator program: 107
• Number of building tune-ups completed: 11
• Homes converted from dirty oil to energy-efficient heat pumps since July 2017: 300
• Metric Tons of CO₂ saved via our Oil Conversion Program: 1500+
• New commission members on the Urban Forestry Commission representing Environmental Justice, Public Health, and Community: 3
• Customers enjoying more fruits and vegetables through our Fresh Bucks program: 10,600
• Seattle Safeway stores participating in Fresh Bucks: 17 (that’s all of them!)
• Seattle elementary schools students being served fresh fruit and vegetable snacks via our investment (thanks to the Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax): 3000+
• Environmental Justice and natural resource protection projects funded through the King Conservation District-Seattle partnership grant program: 6
• Community members from different ethnicities and cultures who participated in the development of the Duwamish Valley Action Plan: 500+
• Funding secured to address community priorities in the Duwamish Valley Action Plan: $11.5 million
• Funding announced for community-led environmental justice projects through the newly created Environmental Justice Fund: $347,525
• Number of OSE staff members wishing you a joyous holiday season and a Happy New Year: 31