Sustainable Bellevue Climate Leaders

Call to Actions

• Reddy Kilowatt

  by Theresa, 21 days ago

  I made a concerted effort this week to ensure that all electric appliances and energy drainers were turned off. As for systemic actions, the best I could do this week was to nag my family to do the same.

  
  

  Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects. Dalai Lama

  I made a concerted effort this week to ensure that all electric appliances and energy drainers were turned off. As for systemic actions, the best I could do this week was to nag my family to do the same.

  
  

  Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects. Dalai Lama

• Leaky faucet and some things to improve

  by ColdenRouleau, 27 days ago

  For personal action besides all the reduce/reuse/recycle, carpooling, etc, I fixed a leaky faucet we have in one of our bathrooms. It's been a problem for a few weeks.

  
  

  For Systemic actions, I identified three areas in the community that I think should be improved and that I want to investigate further:

  * Leaf blowers operate in the community every now and then, and they are single-stroke gas powered. They are really smelly, indicating waste, signficant excess emissions as well as major negative health effects. Electric leaf blowers are much greener and also have the benefit of being quieter and... Continue reading

  For personal action besides all the reduce/reuse/recycle, carpooling, etc, I fixed a leaky faucet we have in one of our bathrooms. It's been a problem for a few weeks.

  
  

  For Systemic actions, I identified three areas in the community that I think should be improved and that I want to investigate further:

  * Leaf blowers operate in the community every now and then, and they are single-stroke gas powered. They are really smelly, indicating waste, signficant excess emissions as well as major negative health effects. Electric leaf blowers are much greener and also have the benefit of being quieter and less disruptive to the topsoil

  * I've noticed that many large buildings in Bellevue downtown leave most of their lights on afterhours when presumably very few people are in them. This seems wasteful? Can we turn off unused lights?

  * Some of my neighbors have small trashcans for their waste, and often overfill them. In one case I let them know that they can request larger bins (or smaller!) as needed, and that their trash can needed to be fixed. However, it seems to me that that waste management needs to communicate this to customers generally, or better yet... they could just upgrade people's trashcans automatically if they're overfull. Overfull trashcans are vulnerable to wind and animals and lead to trash distributed all over the ground.

• Neighborhood Newsletter

  by Michael H, 27 days ago
  I published the summer edition of our neighborhood newsletter. It contained a link to allow neighbors to sign up for the Sustainable Bellevue Newsletter. In addition the newsletter alerted neighbors to an electronics recycling opportunity at our neighborhood summer bock party.

  I published the summer edition of our neighborhood newsletter. It contained a link to allow neighbors to sign up for the Sustainable Bellevue Newsletter. In addition the newsletter alerted neighbors to an electronics recycling opportunity at our neighborhood summer bock party.

• Small steps, plants & bees

  by cmcclure, 27 days ago

  An individual call to action I’m currently working on is making our yard more sustainable and nature-friendly. We use soaker hoses in the planting beds and let the grass go dormant during the summer. I have planted more native, drought-resistant plants to attract bees, and I ultimately aim to reduce the amount of lawn we have over time. Earlier this summer, we installed a rain barrel that we purchased from the City of Newcastle at a very reasonable price. I also recently learned about a grass-removal rebate program coordinated with local cities through the Cascade Water Alliance called “Lawn Be... Continue reading

  An individual call to action I’m currently working on is making our yard more sustainable and nature-friendly. We use soaker hoses in the planting beds and let the grass go dormant during the summer. I have planted more native, drought-resistant plants to attract bees, and I ultimately aim to reduce the amount of lawn we have over time. Earlier this summer, we installed a rain barrel that we purchased from the City of Newcastle at a very reasonable price. I also recently learned about a grass-removal rebate program coordinated with local cities through the Cascade Water Alliance called “Lawn Be Gone.” Although the rebate would certainly be helpful, I’m just as interested in the program’s resources and guidance.

• Week 1 homework

  by bellevuean, 27 days ago

  Individual action: bike everywhere if it's safe, otherwise use transit. This is also perfect for the upcoming Week Without Driving.

  Systemic action: individual actions will take you only so far, so I went and checked the voter's pamphlet for the upcoming elections to see if any candidate mentions climate change as an important problem in their statement, and I was very disappointed to find only one candidate, Jessica Forsythe for LD48; this is my district, and I only checked "my" candidates. Would be curious if somebody in another district found another candidate who takes climate change seriously.

  Individual action: bike everywhere if it's safe, otherwise use transit. This is also perfect for the upcoming Week Without Driving.

  Systemic action: individual actions will take you only so far, so I went and checked the voter's pamphlet for the upcoming elections to see if any candidate mentions climate change as an important problem in their statement, and I was very disappointed to find only one candidate, Jessica Forsythe for LD48; this is my district, and I only checked "my" candidates. Would be curious if somebody in another district found another candidate who takes climate change seriously.

• The journey of a thousand [carbon neutral :-) ] miles begins with one step.

  by AbhishekZ, 27 days ago
  A personal action that I have been doing more intentionally is to strictly use public transit for work commute. GHG emissions from single occupancy car use, feels really disheartening when you factor in the daily traffic volume across regions. Since our last session, as a personal action, I also spent some time to look into my commute carbon impact through a platform that I have at my work and thanks to the knowledge shared in our session, I now understand what it means when it says that by using transit, I have prevented ~12,500 pounds of CO2 over ~8800miles of... Continue reading

  A personal action that I have been doing more intentionally is to strictly use public transit for work commute. GHG emissions from single occupancy car use, feels really disheartening when you factor in the daily traffic volume across regions. Since our last session, as a personal action, I also spent some time to look into my commute carbon impact through a platform that I have at my work and thanks to the knowledge shared in our session, I now understand what it means when it says that by using transit, I have prevented ~12,500 pounds of CO2 over ~8800miles of commute so far.

  
  

  As a systemic action, I plan to participate in the city's upcoming environmental services (9/3), and parks and community services commission (9/16) meetings and as a first step, have been reading the 2026-2030 Bellevue Sustainable Plan.

• Iris Call to Action

  by IC, 27 days ago

  I took the following actions to share this program and initiatives with my Service organization, reviewed state policies that apply to my properties in Ohio as well as Washington and purchased and installed energy efficient appliances and tools to control and monitor my energy consumption.

  1. Share this program, specifically the Energy Smart Eastside with my service organizations: The Links, Incorporated and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Identify areas that I can bring to both groups for their STEAM programs
  2. Review the State Policies for Washington and compare them with Ohio - leverage both policies for homes in Washington State and Ohio
  3. ... Continue reading

  I took the following actions to share this program and initiatives with my Service organization, reviewed state policies that apply to my properties in Ohio as well as Washington and purchased and installed energy efficient appliances and tools to control and monitor my energy consumption.

  1. Share this program, specifically the Energy Smart Eastside with my service organizations: The Links, Incorporated and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Identify areas that I can bring to both groups for their STEAM programs
  2. Review the State Policies for Washington and compare them with Ohio - leverage both policies for homes in Washington State and Ohio
  3. Purchased a new energy efficient refrigerator for the Ohio property
  4. Purchased a smaller toaster oven. Only use the oven for large parties or holidays
  5. Installed an Eco smart thermostat

• small changes

  by laurencastellon, 27 days ago

  One individual action I have taken is reducing my use of paper towels at home. Instead of automatically reaching for a paper towel when cleaning, I have started using reusable rags that can be washed and used again. It is a simple change, but it reduces the amount of waste I create and has made me more aware of how small everyday habits can add up over time.

  One systemic action I have taken is encouraging waste reduction at work by identifying opportunities to reduce unnecessary disposable materials and improve how resources are used. This goes beyond changing my own... Continue reading

  One individual action I have taken is reducing my use of paper towels at home. Instead of automatically reaching for a paper towel when cleaning, I have started using reusable rags that can be washed and used again. It is a simple change, but it reduces the amount of waste I create and has made me more aware of how small everyday habits can add up over time.

  One systemic action I have taken is encouraging waste reduction at work by identifying opportunities to reduce unnecessary disposable materials and improve how resources are used. This goes beyond changing my own behavior because it focuses on practices that affect a larger group of people. Small changes within a workplace can have a much greater impact when they become part of how an entire team operates.

• Individual and Systemic Actions

  by Jennifer Louie, 28 days ago
  Individual Action: We've only been living in LEED-certified apartment buildings for the last 10 years. Because of this, we never need to turn on heat in the winter. The summers are a different story and have been getting increasingly hotter, but we have only been using a box fan so far. We'll need to explore our cooling options if the summers get hotter.

  
  

  Systemic Action: Despite the LEED certification of our building, it still does not have composting. I emailed the apartment management last week to let them know about the Better Buildings program with free compost services for... Continue reading

  Individual Action: We've only been living in LEED-certified apartment buildings for the last 10 years. Because of this, we never need to turn on heat in the winter. The summers are a different story and have been getting increasingly hotter, but we have only been using a box fan so far. We'll need to explore our cooling options if the summers get hotter.

  
  

  Systemic Action: Despite the LEED certification of our building, it still does not have composting. I emailed the apartment management last week to let them know about the Better Buildings program with free compost services for the building and offering to help kickstart things if necessary. I haven't heard back yet and will follow up with them in person if I don't hear back from them by end of week. They are a huge property management firm, so process changes might take a while.

• Saving water

  by Theresa, 28 days ago

  In an effort to conserve water in our current drought:

  
  

  Individual action: When waiting for hot water to reach shower head, I run water into a bucket and use the water for plants in and outside the house.

  Systemic action: I signed up for high water usage notifications from Bellevue Utilities and mentioned it to several friends

  In an effort to conserve water in our current drought:

  
  

  Individual action: When waiting for hot water to reach shower head, I run water into a bucket and use the water for plants in and outside the house.

  Systemic action: I signed up for high water usage notifications from Bellevue Utilities and mentioned it to several friends