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Building for a Healthy Environment in King County

First Quarter 2012

Welcome to the new issue of the King County GreenTools Newsletter, a periodic electronic update to County and City staff interested in green building and sustainable development. The newsletter is produced by King County Solid Waste Division’s GreenTools green building program.

You can submit stories, events, or announcements via e-mail.

Living Future 2012 – Women Reshaping the World
Cascadia Green Building Council hosts the Living Future 2012, May 2-4 in Portland, Ore.. This annual event is where the green building movement's leading thinkers and practitioners come together to share their deep expertise. The three-day conference kicks off with a keynote address by Vandana Shiva, a physicist, philosopher, feminist and ecologist. Dr. Shiva is director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Natural Resource Policy in Dehradun, India; director of Navdanya, a seed conservation project; and co-chair of Women, Environment, and Development Organization.

“This conference allows attendees to formulate thoughtful, big-picture solutions, connect with likeminded yet uniquely talented individuals and lay the foundation for the seismic changes needed to ensure generations to come will have a Living Future,” said Jason F. McLennan, CEO of the Institute and Cascadia Green Building Council.

Closing keynote speaker Carol Sanford has been leading major efforts in both Fortune 500 and new-economy businesses for more than 30 years. Central to her philosophy and consulting approach is a fresh look at what makes an organization truly responsible and effective. Doctor Vandana Shiva, McLennan and Sanford will speak on the connection between social justice and ecological health. Click here, for more info.

Cascadia's 2012 Government Confluence - The 'unConference' for implementing change in your jurisdiction
Cascadia is excited to announce the 2012 Government Confluence, a day-long summit designed to inspire peer-to-peer conversation for those serving in the government sector. Scheduled for May 2 in Portland, Ore., prior to Living Future 2012, this is a unique opportunity for creative collaboration about sustainable communities with your nearby and not-so-nearby regional neighbors. This event is also your one-stop shop to learn about the most cutting-edge topics, replicable case studies, and sustainability planning tools.

The King County Sustainable Cities Roundtable will be the highlight of the lunch plenary session, showcasing the success of the collaborative partnership between regional and local jurisdictions as they implement green building efforts. Other educational sessions cover funding solutions for sustainability, open space innovations, social sustainability, energy retrofits, master planning and district scale sustainability, intermodal transportation and development opportunities.

Registration is only $30 for the one-day fully scheduled training. This is the best deal for green building content, expertise and networking that is tailored specifically to the government and public sectors. Click here, for more information.

The King County Sustainable Cities Roundtable is a series of training sessions and workshops dedicated to green building policy and programming priorities for cities in King County. The April Roundtable is April 12 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Shoreline City Hall, and will focus on Community Choices: Strategies for Sustainability Outreach and Engagement. This year's theme is “The Year of Whole Systems Thinking” and has another fantastic line up of events that you can view in the 2012 Roundtable Calendar. The Roundtable is a forum for learning and a platform for collaboration. The focus of topics rotates each month between green building and climate change. See the King County-Cities Climate Collaboration website to learn about this partnership that is focused on local climate change and sustainability-related solutions.

For more information, contact Patti Southard or call 206-296-8480.

Tuesday, April 10
8:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m.
King Street Center – Conference Room 2A/2B
201 S. Jackson St., Seattle

Integrative Process (IP) enables owners and practitioners to design and build substantially higher performing facilities and infrastructure while simultaneously reducing construction and operating costs. Instead of linear design and construction, IP integrates key professionals throughout the design and construction process.

Conventional capital design usually involves a series of hand-offs from owner to architect, from builder to occupant. This path does not invite all affected parties into the planning process, and therefore does not take into account their needs, areas of expertise or insights. In some cases when using the conventional method, incompatible design elements are not discovered until late in the process when it is expensive to make changes. In contrast, IP features multidisciplinary collaboration, including key stakeholders and design professionals, from conception to completion to operations. Decision-making protocols and complementary design principles must be established early in the process in order to satisfy the goals of multiple stakeholders while achieving the overall project objectives.

The April 10 training will include presentations and break-out activities that will convey process steps, provide examples, and generate an understanding IP.

Training objectives:

• Distinguish IP from “traditional” design and construction process;
• Identify the financial, environmental and operational benefits of using IP;
• Learn how to practically apply the suggested IP steps;
• Implement tools that optimize design and construction process and facility performance;
• Identify your strengths and your potential role in IP;
• Practice key skills necessary to manage an Integrative Process; and
• Apply key concepts of IP and practice problem solving using scenarios.

This training is free and open to King County staff and Sustainable Cities Roundtable staff, including project managers and team members, sustainability coordinators and building operators who seek to influence and improve the design, construction, and operation of facilities and infrastructure. Space is limited, and registration is required.

To register, please email Nori Catabay with the following information:

• Name
• Title
• Employer
• Department/Division
• E-mail address

For more information contact Nori Catabay at 206-296-4407.

In January, the City of Shoreline kicked off a five-month speaker series on themes related to the City's Comprehensive Plan Update. Each month, a speaker will present a topic relating to the Comprehensive Plan component that will be before the Planning Commission.

Following each speaker's presentation, attendees will be invited to mingle and share ideas with staff and other participants. These ideas will be transformed into new goals and policies for the Comprehensive Plan that will guide future decisions made by City officials and staff. The Comprehensive Plan is the primary tool used by local governments to guide decisions regarding the use of land, housing, transportation, community design, economic development, infrastructure and natural resources.

Guest Speaker: Jenny Pell
Topic: Beacon Food Forest
Thursday, April 12
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Shoreline City Hall - Council Chambers

The next event will include Jenny Pell with a focus on “food forests”. This topic is related to the Natural Environment element, which will be discussed at the Planning Commission on April 5. Jenny Pell is a permaculture designer, consultant and teacher, living in Seattle, WA. Recent projects in the Pacific Northwest include Seattle's Beacon Food Forest, a seven-acre permaculture project on public land right in the center of the city, a 60-acre small farms and permaculture incubator project outside Portland, Ore., and most recently a two-acre food forest and permaculture demonstration garden at The Evergreen State College in Olympia.

For more information, contact Miranda Redinger at (206) 801-2513, or visit the City of Shoreline 2012 Comprehensive Plan Update web page.

Mark your calendars for the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild's second-annual Green Home Tour on April 21-22 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily, with sites located throughout the greater Seattle area and in Kitsap County. The self-guided tour features local green new houses, remodels, energy retrofits and more, along with sustainable building workshops and kid-friendly activities. A Saturday Green Home Expo will feature green suppliers, sustainable products and contractors. The Green Home Tour is an opportunity to showcase green building and living techniques with hopes to inspire, educate and offer green solutions to the community.

For more information, including site maps, visit the Seattle Green Home Tour.

The King County Council unanimously passed an updated version of the King County Climate Motion, as proposed by Executive Dow Constantine. This is an update to the original 2006 action, and it outlines a series of near-term actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from County operations, takes steps to prepare the County for the impacts of climate change, saves energy and money, and promotes joint efforts with cities to reduce community-scale greenhouse gas emissions.

“Action now will benefit future generations, and future plans will need to evolve with new information and insights, allowing us to tackle climate change directly and aggressively,” Executive Dow Constantine said.

Buildings account for 35 percent of greenhouse gas emissions that occur in King County. Green building and operations are specific efforts to reduce emissions and contribute to meeting the regional goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 2007 levels by 2050. The newly adopted motion directs the County to continue carrying out green building programs, to ensure consistent implementation of the Green Building and Sustainable Development Ordinance 16147, and provide technical assistance to local governments, businesses, non-profit organizations, and residents to implement green building practices while addressing critical environmental issues, such as climate change, critical habitat restoration and solid waste reduction. In addition, the updated action directs the County to work with cities, the Puget Sound Regional Council, regional transit agencies and housing groups to implement the Sustainable Communities Grant to develop policies, including green building standards, to encourage transit oriented development along high capacity corridors.

You can view the full text of the motion here. Many of the efforts mentioned are already underway. The newly adopted motion reinforces the County's commitment to reducing government and communitywide greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, it reiterates the importance of delivering on projects, programs and policies.

For more information, visit the King County Climate Response website or contact Matt Kuharic at 206-296-8738.

The King County Council recently gave its unanimous approval to a unique County-City partnership designed to enhance the effectiveness of regional efforts on climate change and sustainability efforts.

“This Climate Collaboration is more than a pledge, it's a new era of partnership with cities to make real progress toward reducing climate pollution,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

In June 2011, King County and several of its cities introduced and pledged their support for a new partnership — the King County-Cities Climate Collaboration. The focus is to pool both resources and knowledge in the effort to combat the impact of climate change. The adopted ordinance calls for the Executive to enter into an interlocal agreement finalizing the County's participation in the Collaboration.

The County and participating cities — Redmond, Renton, Tukwila, Shoreline, Seattle, Mercer Island, Kirkland, Issaquah and Snoqualmie — have pledged to commit funds and staffing to the Collaboration. These resources will be used to support and enhance projects and programs in focus areas such as green building, using and producing renewable energy, sustainability outreach and education, and alternative transportation.

“The Climate Collaboration is an exciting opportunity to maximize our regional efforts to respond to the climate crisis through cooperation, coordination, and pooled resources,” said King County Councilmember Larry Phillips, prime sponsor of the legislation and Chair of the Transportation, Economy, and Environment Committee. “Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions starts with action at the local level.”

For more information, contact Matt Kuharic at 206-296-8738 or Patti Southard at 206-296-8480.

Emissions produced by food, goods and services from outside King County and consumed here more than double our collective footprint, according to the first comprehensive study by a local government in the U.S. to quantify the impact of consumption upon climate change. The new study, entitled “Greenhouse Gas Emissions in King County,” was produced by King County in partnership with the City of Seattle, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

“This new study changes the way we look at our carbon footprint,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine, in releasing the results today. “The bottom line: buying local is not only good for our economy; it's good for the planet as well.”

The study documents that per-person sources of greenhouse gas emissions generated in King County are half the national average, thanks to abundant clean energy and the particular mix of industry in the region. However, it also reveals the hefty greenhouse-gas price tag of goods and services produced elsewhere and consumed here by King County residents, businesses and governments.

Smart land-use planning, such as developing sustainable, walkable communities, and preventing waste and increasing recycling, are also clearly having a positive effect on the County's overall environmental impact. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for the effects of climate change are key County objectives that are formally adopted in the King County Strategic Plan. The County is implementing many projects and programs where it is uniquely positioned to have a substantial impact on reducing emissions, including its energy, green building and recycling programs, and transit, vanpool and commute trip reduction services.

While local governments primarily influence emissions through transportation and land use decisions, they can also help to reduce emissions from foods, goods, and services by strengthening our local clean-energy economy and helping residents and business think about green purchasing alternatives. King County is working on several related next steps, including:

• Using findings to inform work with King County cities to develop a countywide greenhouse gas emissions reduction target and monitoring framework;
• Implementing the 2010 King County Energy Plan and supporting community energy efficiency and renewable energy projects;
• Designing an outreach campaign to address the significant production and use emissions that result from wasting food.
• Building the manufacturing base in King County and encouraging residents to buy locally;
• Continuing to provide County residents practical alternatives to driving their cars; and
• Using the data to help inform environmental purchasing efforts — both for governments and to support consumer and business choices;

You can find more information about this study here, or contact Matt Kuharic at 206-296-8738 or Josh Marx at 206-296-4429.

Are you looking for a resource to make it easier to include green flooring or recycled content carpet in your next project? There is now in place a national contract that can be used by public agencies and non-profit members of U.S. Communities. U.S. Communities is the leading national government purchasing cooperative, providing world class government procurement resources and solutions to local and state government agencies, school districts (K-12), higher education institutes, and nonprofits looking for the best overall supplier government pricing. For those in public agencies, many of your agencies are likely already members of U.S. Communities, and if not, it's easy to participate.

The City of Seattle, the lead contracting agency, and King County, have awarded flooring contracts to Empire Today for product and installation. The bid document requires minimum environmental standards for carpet and other flooring products, such as recycled-content and low-VOC's. Empire Today responded with many products that meet various sustainable standards with certifications, such as NSF/ANSI 140 Sustainability Assessment for Carpet (Gold), Cradle to Cradle, CRI Green Label Plus Floor Score (IAQ), and NSF/ANSI 332 Sustainability Assessment Standard for Resilient Floor Coverings. Empire is also committed to minimizing the environmental impact of your day-to-day operations and supports customer's LEED certification efforts by participating in the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) through Empire's carpet and padding recycling program.

Empire Today is a leading provider of installed carpet and flooring, delivering quality products and world-class service for over 50 years. Empire's U.S. Communities contract delivers end-to-end flooring solutions including free on-site consultation, comprehensive account management, installation and customer service for organizations of all sizes.

King County and City of Seattle are hosting a “Sustainable Flooring Workshop” to hear more about this opportunity and get more information.

April 12
10 – 11:30 a.m.
Chinook Building - Rooms 121/123
401 5th Ave, 1st Floor Seattle

Representatives from the City and County, and Empire Today will discuss the contract, highlighting environmentally preferable products and recycling services. This is a free event and there is no RSVP necessary.

For more information, contact Karen Hamilton with the King County Environmental Purchasing Program at 206-263-9294. Click here to view the details of the U.S. Communities Empire Today flooring contract.

Using recycled glass is a great way to incorporate green materials in your project. Glass placed in recycling bins in Thurston County and neighboring counties is not actually recycled into new bottles or jars but ground into a fine sand/gravel called aggregate or cullet. It is not sharp and is a perfect substitute for pea gravel or sand in many types of construction projects.

Common uses include base for roadways, fill underneath slabs, bedding for pipers, or drainage. The benefits of using glass aggregate include:

• Saving money - costs about 50 percent less than virgin product
• Improving workability - easier and cleaner to use in adverse weather
• Meeting your specifications - satisfy DOT requirements and get LEED certification points or Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard credits
• Closing the loop - help grow the market for recycled products in a green economy

Glass aggregate has been used in many local large and small building projects. The Washington Department of Transportation has been using glass aggregate for several years now. This makes sense because it provides the same function as sand and gravel and often has advantages over these materials in our rainy climate. Glass aggregate is available locally and is often significantly less expensive than similar materials.

The South Sound chapter of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild recently held a summit to discuss the use of recycled glass aggregate. There are excellent uses out there for glass cullet and a new AASHTO specification for glass cullet is coming out for 2012. To find out more, check out the presentations from the summit.

In 2012, Washington state's recycling rate grew to its highest level ever, reaching 49 percent, according to data reported by the Washington Department of Ecology. The national average was 34 percent in 2010. Washington's statewide recycling goal is 50 percent. In the coming weeks, the King County Solid Waste Division (SWD) will use Ecology's data to calculate the overall recycling rate in King County for 2010. Implementing recycling programs in operations practices or SWD plans in capital projects is an effective way to contribute to increasing our recycling rates and diversion of waste from our landfills that can become valuable reusable resources.

You can find helpful salvage and deconstruction resources at the King County Construction and Demolition Recycling webpage, as well as recycling tips at the King County Recycling webpage.

Two public meetings were held to provide status updates on a King County project to build green stormwater infrastructure to control combined sewer overflows from the Barton Pump Station in West Seattle.

Combined sewer overflows occur during heavy rains in older parts of Seattle where pipes designed long ago to carry both stormwater and wastewater fill to capacity. To protect public health and water quality in the Puget Sound, King County is working closely with residents in West Seattle's Westwood and Sunrise Heights neighborhoods to plan and build a system of swales and rain gardens to capture and reduce the amount of stormwater that gets into the sewer system during heavy rains. Green stormwater infrastructure, or GSI, refers to engineered infrastructure used to manage stormwater. Bioswales (infiltration soils, grasses, plants and trees) in the City of Seattle-owned right-of-way will be designed to capture and reduce the amount of peak stormwater flows that would enter the combined sewer system by up to 15 million gallons a day. The GSI project will consist of planted areas between sidewalks and curbs, and use soils and vegetation to infiltrate, evaporate, capture and reuse stormwater.

The project is utilizing the King County Wastewater Treatment Division Alternative Scorecard to increase green building efforts. These include:

Sustainable Sites

• Sited for gravity flows so no pumping required resulting in less energy usage
• Proposed design will increase the amount of pervious area
• Landscaping with native plants and trees, where appropriate thus reducing amount of existing lawn will increase habitat for birds and other wildlife
• Bioretention cells and new street trees will decrease impervious surfaces, reduce the existing heat island of the concrete roads, and where a “bulb” design is used, serve to slow traffic

Material and Resources

• Use King County native salvage plans when possible
• Plantings are locally grown and harvested

Innovation and Design Process

• Overall concept is to reduce and possibly eliminate CSO events which dump raw sewage combined with storm water into Puget Sound
• Post educational information on the website for other jurisdictions and the public to learn from

For more information, contact Kristine Cramer at 206-263-3184. Additional information about the King County Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard can be found here.

Since 1999, the City Green Building team has been working to make sustainable development standard practice in the City of Seattle — first working as an interdepartmental team from across multiple City departments and then as a combined multidisciplinary unit within the Department of Planning and Development (DPD). City Green Building is now moving to its next iteration to better align work on environmental policy, sustainable communities and development services. A portion of the team will be merging with the Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) where they will consolidate City Green Building's efforts on strategic policy development for sustainable building practices with OSE's broader environmental policy initiatives, thereby strengthening the City's ability to guide a unified approach to these issues. Other team members will work directly with the Operations Division in DPD where they will continue work to promote green permitting and green code development. Staff focused on sustainable communities and low impact development will maintain integral roles in the Planning Division to further sustainable communities and infrastructure.

For more information, see DPD's Building Connections blog.

In a first-ever partnership, Caffe Vita and Stewardship Partners are launching the 12,000 Rain Gardens coffee blend. By donating 10 percent of proceeds to Stewardship Partners and Washington State University Extension's 12,000 Rain Gardens campaign, Caffe Vita is enabling consumers to directly help Puget Sound pollution prevention efforts.

“Rain gardens are such an easy way to increase green space, prevent flooding and improve water quality. That's why this partnership with Caffe Vita is so important—it will provide much-needed support to bring these rain gardens to communities that need them,” said David Burger, executive director of Stewardship Partners.

Each year, 14 million pounds of toxics enter Puget Sound. This pollution is primarily caused by rainwater runoff from our streets, driveways, lawns and rooftops. Rain gardens take advantage of rainfall and stormwater runoff in their design and plant selection. The 12,000 Rain Gardens project will capture, filter and infiltrate 160 million gallons of pollution that would otherwise flow untreated into the waters of Puget Sound.

Since 2011, partners with Stewardship Partners and WSU Extension's groundbreaking campaign have seen over 700 rain gardens built, with several more being planned in schools, parks and homes.

“The environmental community has already demonstrated so much support for rain gardens as launch points for local community improvement. So we're really excited about this partnership and this product because we feel it has a lot of potential to make a difference for an important cause,” said Elizabeth Weber, co-owner of Caffe Vita.

The coffee is a rich, all-organic blend of shade-grown coffees from Ethiopia, Guatemala and East Timor with notes of dark cherry, cocoa and honey. They can be found in Caffe Vita stores now, Rudy's Barbershops Phinney Ridge and Bellevue locations starting April 1 and online here.

For more information about this campaign, go to here.

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