Conscious Choice Seattle: CC’s look at local economies and sustainable biz

March 2006 | Green Lines

CC’s look at local economies and sustainable biz

This Month: Bonkers about biodiesel, sustainable education, Greening Up statewide, Seattle hybrid bus results

By Heather Nordell

The Northwest Biodiesel Network will hold its 4th Annual Biodiesel Forum March 18 at Magnuson Park. This year, they expect to have their largest turnout—800 to 1,000 citizens, municipal fleet operators, elected officials and producers. The forum will educate the public about the advantages of biodiesel as a cleaner-burning renewable energy source for transportation, heating and marine fuel. It will offer lectures, exhibits and “hands-on” demonstrations of how to make the alternative fuel. Participants will get the latest updates on policies, regulations and incentives for biodiesel adoption. “Our first two years attracted a niche crowd, says organizer Aaron Kahn. “Last year, we doubled our numbers and were over-capacity. This year, interest from the public and government officials has really exploded. Kahn and colleagues expect record numbers of public officials to participate. For more information visit www.nwbiodiesel.org. Key sponsors include Dr. Dan’s Alternative Fuelwerks, Seattle Biodiesel, Whole Energy, and University Volkswagen.

Northwest Environmental Education Council will hold its third annual public Northwest Sustainability Conference March 10 and 11 at the Moutaineers Conference Center. The program will focus on “everyday sustainability,” plus best practices for business, agencies and industry. More than 40 professional and community leaders will lead speeches, workshops and films. Topics include simpler living, clean energy and energy conservation, eating sustainably, waste reduction and green building. “The goal of the conference is to educate and inspire people to incorporate sustainability into their daily work and lives,” says Emi Morgan, Environmental Awareness Programs Coordinator. Sponsors include PCC Natural Markets, FlexCar, The Mountaineers, and King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks Solid Waste Division. For registration and information, visit www.nweec.org.

Seattle City Light’ new Green Up program lets customers use their monthly bills to invest in clean, renewable resources such as the Stateline Wind Project in eastern Washington, and other renewable energy projects. The Green Up program has several participation levels with varying monthly costs. The average residential customer in Seattle uses 9,300 kilowatt hours of electricity each year. The percentage figures used for the Green Up program are based on the electricity usage of the average customer, not individual usage. Through the Green Up program, customers can choose to purchase renewable power generated from sources such as the Stateline Wind Project for 25 percent, 50 percent or 100 percent of their power. The cost adds $3, $6 or $12 to the customer’s monthly bill. To sign up or receive more information, visit www.ci.seattle.wa.us/light/green/greenpower.

King County Metro (www.metrokc.gov) reports its hybrid bus fleets are delivering on the commitment to cleaner air. One year ago, Metro accepted the delivery of 214 new buses—the nation’s largest fleet of articulated hybrid buses. Metro says they’re logging better fuel economy than their conventional diesel cousins. A year’s worth of performance data shows that the buses are delivering on their promise of lowering greenhouse emissions and providing rock-solid reliability. “We are not only reducing our contribution to global warming, our new clean-burning buses have helped capture the imagination of an entire industry,” said King County Executive, Ron Sims. Over the past year, Metro says the hybrid fleet’s overall fuel economy rated 31 percent better than its newest fleet of 30 conventional 60-foot diesel buses. In addition to hybrids, Metro also has more than 1,200 busses that use a 5 percent blend of biodiesel as part of a Seattle City Light greenhouse gas mitigation program.

Heather Nordell is a regular contributor to Conscious Choice.

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