577 votes
Make Seattle a hub for Green and Sustainable Innovation
Our population is young, tech savvy and green-minded. Our natural beauty is world class.
Seattle is a perfect place to incubate green technology and business.
Tax incentives, public/private partnerships, leveraging our local research institutions and non-profits -- there are countless paths to ... more
David Lindahl
I think it's a great idea and much more probable and arguably more ethical than turning us in to the capital of biotech. One small step we can take now that will ultimately increase the likelyhood of something like this happening is to increase the demand for sustainable products across the country. These green companies can expand faster, cut costs quicker, and compete more effectively against the status quo if there is a built in demand for their products. Currently 50% of the US GDP is spent by go... more
I think it's a great idea and much more probable and arguably more ethical than turning us in to the capital of biotech. One small step we can take now that will ultimately increase the likelyhood of something like this happening is to increase the demand for sustainable products across the country. These green companies can expand faster, cut costs quicker, and compete more effectively against the status quo if there is a built in demand for their products. Currently 50% of the US GDP is spent by government agencies on all sorts of different things. If these agencies started prioritizing green solutions on their qualified product's list there will be a huge shift in demand. Where there's money, innovation will follow and then centralizing that money will be a lot easier.
Riley
This would be a great way for Seattle to get a jump start on a trend that is definitely going to be important in the future. Put them all in South Lake U.
vince.lyons
One thing that will help the City neigborhoods go green is to have a City Solar Policy created that will coordinate all the various departments and eliminate the institutrional barriers facing individual homeowners, businesses, and institutions from installing solar hot water and PV electric. Seattle City Light and the School district, for example, need to sit down and come up with an agressive program to put PV and Hotwater solar on School buildings. There are grass roots groups out there like the Wa... more
One thing that will help the City neigborhoods go green is to have a City Solar Policy created that will coordinate all the various departments and eliminate the institutrional barriers facing individual homeowners, businesses, and institutions from installing solar hot water and PV electric. Seattle City Light and the School district, for example, need to sit down and come up with an agressive program to put PV and Hotwater solar on School buildings. There are grass roots groups out there like the Wallingford Solar Initiative that want to implement the Ellensburg and Berkeley models for solar "Pea Patches" that would create large arrays on a given location...like Gas Works Park, and then have a program where residents and business can invest..buy into the resource for as little as $250 or $ 500 bucks and then start to see a reduction in their electric bill.
We can do this....check out what Germany has done.
Vince Lyons
Jeff
Everybody jump on the "green" bandwagon. Look, I support a clean environment. Nobody wants to live in a polluted world but my god this thing is getting out of control. The "green movement" has become such a fad. Right now there are teams of marketing and advertising execs all over the world thinking up new ways to make more money off of this thing. Don't get me wrong...the concept has it's heart on the right place but we have taken it WAY too far way too fast and in effect have r... more
Everybody jump on the "green" bandwagon. Look, I support a clean environment. Nobody wants to live in a polluted world but my god this thing is getting out of control. The "green movement" has become such a fad. Right now there are teams of marketing and advertising execs all over the world thinking up new ways to make more money off of this thing. Don't get me wrong...the concept has it's heart on the right place but we have taken it WAY too far way too fast and in effect have ruined it's credibility.
As for Seattle becoming a green hub...No. If that is our goal then that is ALL Seattle will be. We will surely become the next Detroit who wanted to be an auto manufacturing hub and failed to diversify itself and now look at it.
firephynix
Agreed.
The sooner we start investing in sustainable/green technologies the sooner we will see the benefits.
I think you make a good point about us becoming a hub, if we create industries based manufacturing solar panels, wind turbines, green electrical technologies, etc. our products will be in high demand as the rest of the country comes on-board with what I believe is an inevitable and fundamental change for not only the US but the world.
In addition we would be creating a lot of jobs, and ultimat... more
Agreed.
The sooner we start investing in sustainable/green technologies the sooner we will see the benefits.
I think you make a good point about us becoming a hub, if we create industries based manufacturing solar panels, wind turbines, green electrical technologies, etc. our products will be in high demand as the rest of the country comes on-board with what I believe is an inevitable and fundamental change for not only the US but the world.
In addition we would be creating a lot of jobs, and ultimately investing in our own state and it's financial welfare.