DNRP > SWD > Green Building > GreenTools for King County Sustainable Cities

What is a Sustainable City?

Explore the map above or use the menu bar on the left side of the screen to explore the many integral parts of a Sustainable City, from regulatory tools to green buildings and infrastructure to programs that improve all aspects of quality of life.

"A sustainable community is one that works harmoniously to create a balance between equity for people, economy and environment. The community uses its resources to meet current needs while benefiting future generations. We conserve natural resources and their richness through prioritizing human health, eliminating waste, preventing pollution, maximizing conservation and promoting prosperity in our local living economy." – King County GreenTools, Earth Day 2010

Toolkit2 for King County Sustainable Cities

The Sustainable Cities Toolkit2 is a web-based network of tools, resources, examples and a peer-to-peer networking forum to support a municipality’s role in making green building a priority and a reality. Toolkit2 is a resource for the community of local governments dedicated to advancement of deep-green design and construction, and sustainability planning.

This free program includes an expansive menu of initiatives and plans, designed to allow individual jurisdictions to customize for their locality. The Roadmap to a Green Building Program is the foundation of this unique suite of resources. The Roadmap helps Cities take an important step toward becoming sustainable, by creating a green building program and systematically setting objectives for improving the environmental performance of the built environment. The Roadmap was developed in collaboration with the Sustainable Cities Roundtable, a coalition of King County jurisdictions.

Goals of Toolkit2 include:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change;
• Maximize energy efficiency and cost savings;
• Keep housing and commercial buildings affordable over time;
• Decrease consumption of potable water, especially during summer months;
• Increase on-site stormwater management;
• Reduce waste during construction and operation;
• Improve indoor environmental quality, occupant health and productivity; and,
• Increase the number of local living-wage jobs.

The Roadmap Shortcut

This 2-page document (PDF, 170 K) cuts to the chase and offers 12 Essential Actions for starting, implementing and maintaining a municipal green building program. Start with these suggested actions to quickly make early planning decisions and use them as a starting point for your municipality’s customized roadmap, adding actions as your program develops.

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