Sustainable Washington

3.1 Climate Change Impacts & Hazards

3.1.1

Understand the potential impacts

3.1.2

Help educate and involve your community

3.1.3

Survey known hazards

3.1.4

Review existing hazard and emergency plans

3.1.5

Assess specific local impacts

3.1.6

Apply adaptive management techniques

3.1.7

Expand your existing hazard and response plans to reflect climate change

3.1.8

Acknowledge and include longer term planning

3.1.9

Integrate sensitivity analysis into scenario plans

3.1.10

Focus information and commit to staying current

3.1.11

Re-prioritize funding decisions to support climate action

3.1.12

Integrate emerging climate impacts into capital planning

3.1.13

Update building and zoning codes

3.1.14

Update local SEPA and critical areas regulations

3.1.15

Emphasize integrated solutions to traditional – and emerging – problems

3.2 Ecosystems & Water

3.2.1

Develop and articulate a common vision

3.2.2

Restore and retain farms and forest lands

3.2.3

Optimize flood control and stormwater codes

3.2.4

Guide development away from floodplains and barrier beaches

3.2.5

Realign shorelines and critical areas protections

3.2.6

Increase acquisition of open spaces

3.2.7

Protect existing trees and encourage the planting of new trees

3.2.8

Provide education about water conservation

3.2.9

Guide ongoing and proposed research efforts

3.2.10

Maintain open space connectivity and corridors

3.2.11

Minimize or eliminate the use of extracted underground toxic materials

3.2.12

Reduce the use of chemicals and synthetic compounds

3.2.13

Reduce water use and require conservation

3.2.14

Reuse water

3.2.15

Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers

3.2.16

Encourage use of native plants

3.2.17

Require water efficient retrofits

3.2.18

Implement a Green System Development Charges (SDC) program

3.2.19

Implement a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program

3.2.20

Create ecosystem service special districts

3.2.21

Develop a community-wide water budget

3.2.22

Develop market-based mitigation programs

3.3 Energy

3.3.1

Conduct a GHG inventory

3.3.2

Create goals for reducing energy usage

3.3.3

Implement energy efficiency measures in municipal buildings and operations

3.3.4

Incorporate energy policies into local Comprehensive Plans

3.3.5

Work with you local utilities

3.3.6

Create a Resource Conservation Management Program

3.3.7

Apply for State and Federal Energy Efficiency Grants

3.3.8

Use Block Grants to motivate private financing for ongoing energy conservation retrofits

3.3.9

Utilize energy audit and efficiency programs offered by utilities

3.3.10

For cities with ports or large industrial and shipping facilities, work to install electrical hookups to reduce diesel idling

3.3.11

Accommodate hybrid vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles, and alternative fuel vehicles

3.3.12

Create local government demonstration projects for green energy

3.3.13

Purchase green power

3.3.14

Balance issues of protecting and enhancing tree canopy with solar access for energy use

3.3.15

Create siting standards and ordinances for renewable energy facilities

3.3.16

Partner to build a community energy project

3.3.17

Remove regulatory barriers to on-site “distributed energy” projects

3.3.18

Support your municipal or private utility in preparing for the smart grid and increased electrification

3.4 Waste Management

3.4.1

Evaluate local waste and wastewater treatment processes

3.4.2

Educate local consumers

3.4.3

Encourage “Reuse” of products

3.4.4

Provide convenient opportunities for recycling waste

3.4.5

Provide disposal opportunities for difficult items

3.4.6

Demonstrate recycling practices

3.4.7

Remove organic wastes

3.4.8

Establish Environmentally Preferred Purchasing (EPP) standards

3.4.9

Provide for the proper use, storage and disposal of household hazardous waste

3.4.10

Use municipal waste contracts to create incentives for recycling

3.4.11

Modify solid waste management plans

3.4.12

Use municipal waste contracts to create incentives for reuse and recycling

3.4.13

Implement waste- to-energy technologies

3.4.14

Promote eco-industrial facilities

3.4.15

Support development of new products and technologies for organic residuals