Author Archives: Thad Curtz

W2.11 Watering schedule Institute mandatory watering schedule that limits irrigation to certain days. Lacey has a mandatory program limiting outdoor watering to odd or even days during June, July, August and September.

A4.8 Ban wood pallets Require the use of alternatives like reusable, recyclable plastic, aluminum, or corrugated paper pallets. Carl Pope’s Climate of Hope says that 50% of the hardwood used in the US goes into wood pallets, and half of … Continue reading →

G3.3 Green energy bond Research feasibility of green energy bond. King County has issued green bonds. So far, the proceeds have been used for waste management projects, but they also anticipate using them for “projects that involve clean transportation conversions … Continue reading →

G7.1 Crowdsourcing Launch an idea crowdsourcing tool like “The Gamechanger.” (I can’t find “The Gamechanger”, but if you Google “idea crowdsourcing tools” there are lots of suggestions, some commercial, some not.)

G2.6 Training diversification Diversify workforce training (to apply to a wider variety of green jobs). Berkeley’s Office of Education and Sustainable Development funded a report on “Green Collar Jobs: An Analysis of the Capacity of Green Businesses to Provide High … Continue reading →

G3.3 Renewables training Provide job training for employment in renewable energy industry. Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan has an extensive section on workforce development. Washington DC has established several programs – Solar Works DC, a job training program that installs cost-saving … Continue reading →

G2.3 Clean economy roundtables Organize and facilitate roundtables with business leaders focused on clean economy strategies. ICLEI’s Green Business Challenge program provides a guidebook for this “friendly competition to engage commercial property managers, office tenants, and other business sectors to … Continue reading →

B4.6 Tax heating oil Use the proceeds to fund rebates and grants for conversions to heat pumps. The Seattle City Council recently passed a $0.24/gallon tax on heating oil, collected from distributors. There are roughly 18,000 heating oil tanks in … Continue reading →

W6.3 Collaborative consumption Support “collaborative consumption” community projects like tool libraries and repair cafes, through mini-grant programs. SPSCC now has a sophisticated MakerSpace, which community members can also use.

B2.9 Municipal building retrofits Continue to identify and implement priority energy efficiency improvements in municipal buildings. Olympia – The City has 12 buildings, and has taken a lot of different steps to reduce their energy use, including: Building occupant engagement … Continue reading →