It’s easy being green
101 actions for a healthy urban environment

 

Nov. 15, 2005 –The choices we make in our daily lives — the way we heat our homes, get to work, care for our yards, just to name a few — have an impact on our urban ecosystem. A new resource guide is now available to help people make those impacts more positive.

Green Seattle Guide: 101 actions for a healthy urban environment, offers common-sense steps people can take to keep our local environment green and healthy. These steps are applicable throughout our region, not just in Seattle.

"This guide illustrates how easy it is to make choices that support a healthy urban environment," says Dennis McLerran, executive director of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. "Whether it's taking fewer car trips, teleworking one day a week, or not idling your engine: It all adds up to cleaner air."

The actions are organized by everyday activities – in your home, in your yard, when you shop, on the move, and in your community. Web links provide additional information and resources for each action. What makes this guide unique is that it gives people a tool to assess the relative impact of their actions. It describes and ranks 101 actions that can help protect the air, climate, land, water, wildlife and natural habitat.

Here are some specific steps that have an air-quality or climate-protection benefit:

• Install a clean burning natural gas or propane fireplace or stove instead of wood
• If you use a wood stove, make sure it is EPA certified, burn only dried or seasoned wood in small, hot fires
• Insulate your home and tune up your home heating system
• When replacing major appliances, buy the most efficient ones you can find
• When it’s time to replace your car, buy a fuel-efficient, low-polluting vehicle
• Reduce your vehicle use as much as possible
• Turn your engine off rather than idling
• Use electric or manual mowers and yard equipment instead of gasoline models

Look through this easy guide and pick a dozen actions to weave into your life right now. Once they become routine, pick a dozen more. Use this guide. Share it with family, friends and neighbors. The more you and others use this guide, the healthier the Puget Sound region will be, for us and for future generations.

Resources:

The guide is available both as a downloadable PDF file and as an interactive website. It was produced through a partnership of several City of Seattle departments and regional agencies including the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and the Puget Sound Action Team.

Web site: http://www.seattle.gov/environment/cag/index.html

PDF: (3.1MB) http://www.seattle.gov/environment/cag/GreenSeattleGuide_08.25.05.pdf