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Vital Signs Online. Mission. Plan B Updates. Eco-Economy Indicators. Climate Impacts Group. The Climate Impacts Group (CIG) is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary research group studying the impacts of natural climate variability and global climate change (“global warming”). Research at the CIG considers climate impacts at spatial scales ranging from local communities to the entire western U.S. region, with most work focused on the Pacific Northwest (PNW).

Through research and interaction with stakeholders, the CIG works to increase community and ecosystem resilience to fluctuations in climate. The CIG focuses on the intersection of climate science and public policy/resource management. We perform fundamental research on climate and climate impacts and work with planners and policy makers to apply this information to regional decision making processes. The CIG is part of the College of the Environment at the University of Washington. Pacific Northwest. Research. Sightline Institute researches the key sustainability trends that are shaping the future of the Pacific Northwest—and how the Northwest’s citizens and policymakers can help make our region a global model for sustainability. All of our research is available for public use according to our free use policy. For other recent work visit Sightline Daily or the Cascadia Scorecard. The Facts about Kinder Morgan Energy giant Kinder Morgan has big ambitions.

Five Keystone XLs Coal, oil, & gas shipments out of the Northwest would carry as much carbon annually as 5 Keystone XLs. Northwest Fossil Fuel Exports Planned facilities would handle five times as much carbon as the Keystone XL Pipeline. If all of the coal export terminals, oil-by-rail facilities, oil pipelines, and natural gas pipelines planned for the Pacific Northwest are completed and fully utilized, the region could export fossil fuels carrying five times as much climate-warming carbon as Keystone XL. Read more » Unfair Market Value. Results Washington. Action Agenda Center. NEW! 2016/17 ACTION AGENDA Update of the Strategic Initiatives – Stormwater, Habitat, and Shellfish. Strategic Initiative Update workgroup recommendations are available for review and comment. MORE What is the Action Agenda?

The Puget Sound Action Agenda is the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for guiding recovery of the largest estuary in the U.S. The Action Agenda is the result of a collaboration by state and federal agencies, tribal governments, local governments, business and environmental groups, and others. Why do we need an Action Agenda? The Action Agenda outlines the regional strategies and specific actions needed to recover Puget Sound. Who sets the Action Agenda? Developing a master plan for Puget Sound recovery and keeping it current is a huge undertaking, involving hundreds of partners, as well as the public, on regional and local levels. Who pays for the actions outlined in the Action Agenda? The U.S. How has the Action Agenda improved over the years? Earth Economics: Home. Benefits Toolkit | Landscape Performance Series. The Landscape Performance Series Benefits Toolkit is a searchable collection of online tools and calculators to estimate landscape performance. The tools can be used to estimate specific landscape benefits for completed projects when actual measurements are not available, or they can be used in the design phase to compare projected benefits among various options.

Many tools also allow the user to compare life-cycle costs for conventional and sustainable design features. Know of additional tools to calculate landscape performance benefits? Help build the database by sending your suggestions to lps@lafoundation.org. This web-based tool estimates and compares greenhouse gas (GHG) and energy use reductions for different waste management practices in a baseline and an alternate scenario.

InVEST is a suite of software models used to map and value the goods and services from nature that sustain and fulfill human life. Pages. Bike Score Methodology. Our Bike Score service measures whether a location is good for biking on a scale from 0 - 100 based on four equally weighted components: Bike lanes Hills Destinations and road connectivity Bike commuting mode share Like Walk Score and Transit Score, our goal with Bike Score is to provide an easy way to evaluate bikeability at a specific location. Bike Score can be used by people looking for a bikeable place to live or urban planners looking to do research on bikeability. If you'd like to use Bike Score data, see our data services.

Bike Lane Score Bike Lane Score Near UW Seattle The Bike Lane Score is based on shapefile data provided to Walk Score by city governments. Bike lanes are divided into four categories: on-street bike lanes, off-street trails, cycletracks (separated bike lanes), and residential bikeways (a.k.a. bike friendly streets or greenways). For a given location, we sum up the length of all nearby bike lanes. Hill Score Raw USGS Elevation Data Used For Hill Score. Find Apartments for Rent and Rentals - Get Your Walk Score. Carbon Footprint Calculator | Climate Change | US EPA. Water Footprint Calculator. Footprint Calculator. How much land area does it take to support your lifestyle? Take this quiz to find out your Ecological Footprint, discover your biggest areas of resource consumption, and learn what you can do to tread more lightly on the earth.

Select your location on the map below to start taking the Footprint Calculator Quiz. We recommend using a computer or laptop because the calculator requires Flash animation that is unavailable on some tablets and smart phones. Are you a student or educator using our calculator? If so, please share your experience using the calculator by emailing media@footprintnetwork.org. We are collecting stories for a campaign to build a mobile app version of the calculator. If you have the means to support our efforts to update our calculator to newer technology, please consider making a donation to support this sizable project.

<B>The Ecological Footprint Calculator requires requires that JavaScript be enabled. Why is Calgary on the map, but not Canada? Sound Behavior Index - Puget Sound Partnership. Valuing the Puget Sound Basin - Earth Economics. 2013 State of the Sound - Puget Sound Partnership. The 2013 State of the Sound is the Puget Sound Partnership’s third report to the Legislature on progress toward the recovery of Puget Sound by 2020. The 2013 State of the Sound builds upon the information presented in the 2012 State of the Sound, which described this complex ecosystem as a patient in “serious condition.” Our objective for this year's report was to update that assessment, recognizing that with a short, 12-month period between the 2012 and 2013 reports, we can expect relatively little change in recovery trajectory and pace.

The Partnership works closely with its many partners to coordinate the recovery and long-term protection of the ecosystem. This collaborative effort includes government agencies, tribes, business and private sector interest groups, non-governmental organizations, and citizens, who work together to plan, evaluate, and continually improve efforts to meet our collective vision of a healthy Puget Sound. Kirkland Green - City of Kirkland. Kirkland is known for its green spaces, parks and waterfront. The City is committed – through many “green" initiatives – to preserve, protect and sustain our natural resources. Through a variety of efforts, the City is also addressing sustainable development, green buildings and climate change. Kirkland recognizes the interdependency of our natural resource systems: Water: Our streams, lakes, wetlands, storm water runoff, groundwater and shorelines Land: The soils, vegetation, rocks, geology, and topography Air: Climate change, air quality, microclimates and macroclimate.

Keeping It Green: City Initiatives Kirkland's Comprehensive Plan calls for the community vision to have Kirkland be an “attractive, vibrant, inviting place to live and work,” and to provide an “extensive park system and to preserve open space and waterfront trails and vistas.” The City is implementing its green initiatives using a multi-departmental approach. Making It Green: Community Involvement. King County Strategic Plan. On July 26th the King County Council unanimously approved legislation adopting the “King County Strategic Plan, 2010–2014: Working Together for One King County.”

The plan was created with input from thousands of residents and county employees over a period of 18 months and was developed in collaboration with council and the county’s separately elected officials. It is a key tool in the Executive’s work to reform county government by focusing on customer service, partnerships and ways to bring down the cost of government. What comes next? In many ways, the work is just beginning. The Executive will be working with his staff and those of departments and agencies to begin implementing the plan and measuring our performance on the goals and objectives contained within.

As is required in the legislation passed by Council, King County’s separately elected officials will meet at least twice annually to review progress and performance on the plan and set priorities. Background. Vision 2040 - Puget Sound Regional Council. Eco-cities in China - Going green. The Portland Plan. About the Portland Plan Developed in response to some of Portland’s most pressing challenges, including income disparities, high unemployment, a low high school graduation rate and environmental concerns, the Portland Plan presents a strategic path forward. This is not your typical plan. The Portland Plan requires us to work smarter, be more practical, partner across jurisdictions and be ready to have difficult conversations.

This is how real progress will be made in Portland. So, how is this plan different? Advancing equity is the foundation of the plan. The Portland Plan is also practical, in that it does not assume new money. Several years in the making and reflecting more than 20,000 comments from residents all over the city, the Portland Plan comprises the following elements.

Community Indicators - City of Redmond. One Planet Communities. EcoDistricts - Revitalizing cities from the neighborhood up. Puget Sound Partnership - Vital Signs. Puget Sound Partnership Dashboard of Vital Signs: Charting our Course and Measuring Our Progress Puget Sound, while one of the most vibrant and complex regions in the nation, is at the same time one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world. It is a place of beauty and wonder that we want to protect now and for generations to come. The Sound covers some 2,500 square miles, larger than the states of Delaware or Rhode Island, and is the drainage basin for more than 16,000 square miles. The Sound includes thousands of rivers and streams, rich forests, numerous plantlife, and numerous wildlife species including the iconic wild salmon and Orca whale.

Our actions, past and present have taken their toll However, our region faces many severe challenges. Other challenges These challenges are not merely aesthetic. The role of the Puget Sound Partnership Puget Sound Dashboard of Vital Signs Each section of the Dashboard provides information on these indicators.