Author Archives: Thad Curtz

G4. _ Community financing The Perennial Farming Initiative (PFI) has started a program, Restore California, in which participating restaurants add an optional “1 percent for healthy soil” surcharge to customer tabs. PFI has already signed 30 restaurants up for the … Continue reading →

B5.14 Time of use pricing Lobby to base electricity prices on time of use to support more renewables on the grid by reducing demand at times of peak loads and low renewable production. According to an email from Jim Lazar … Continue reading →

B1. _ City Energy Project Resource Library A joint initiative of the Institute for Market Transformation and the Natural Resources Defense Council, the City Energy Project partnered with 20 local governments to design local energy efficiency policies and programs, and … Continue reading →

G1.5 Social research Work with higher education institutions to research effective behavior change through marketing and education. Use this information in developing campaigns to reduce high emissions GHGs. See G1.2 Community-Based Social Marketing Dietz’s et. al’s “Household Actions Can Provide … Continue reading →

W5.3 Kinetic energy Evaluate feasibility of utilizing kinetic energy from transport of water and wastewater through piping networks. Lucid Energy generates power from its spherical turbines in water mains. Their first Portland project uses four turbines in a main to … Continue reading →

G3._ Neighborhood grants Create and support competitive grants for neighborhood clean energy and energy efficiency projects. The Cleveland Climate Action Fund has used tax-deductible contributions to a donor advised fund (along with a page for calculating the carbon offsets from … Continue reading →

WS7.4. Prohibit organics in residential landfill pickup Increase composting, reduce tipping fees, and reduce landfill methane. Seattle has been doing this for several years. Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) sections 21.36.082 and 21.36.083 require that residents and businesses do not put … Continue reading →

WS7.3 Electrify garbage trucks Seattle’s new BYD EV rear-loader Volvo EV garbage truck Mack EV garbage truck Peterbilt EV heavy duty trucks

WS7.1 Waste route efficiency Utilize one side of the street pickup. Olympia shifted to this method six or eight years ago. Obviously, this reduces truck mileage and associated emissions by something less than 50%; the trucks only make one run … Continue reading →

WS7.1 Waste route efficiency Utilize on one side of the street pickup. WS7.2. Trade service areas to eliminate patches served redundantly by municipalities and private waste collection, such as the Tumwater/Olympia border south of Olympia High School. WS7.3 Electrify garbage … Continue reading →