Sustainable Business in Seattle and Washington State

New June 2006:  Ad Hoc Marine Tourism Working Group

For Who: - Managers of business and organizations - Regulators managing business and industry - Business service providers - Advocates and activists - Students and scholars

Producer:  Burton Hamner I picked the resources on this page because I live in Seattle and know most of these programs.  I think they are particularly useful to business managers around Seattle, and those who regulate or support them.  It's a challenge to stay up to date - please send suggestions, comments etc.

Jump to:  Sector leaders, general assistance, recycling/solid waste, energy, water, buildings, air, hazardous materials/wastes, stormwater, training/education, state government sustainability, general directories

What's On:  Local and Regional Events and News

Seattle area events The Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability sponsors regular presentations by sustainable business leaders The Resource Venture at the Seattle Chamber of Commerce has an extensive calendar.  Many listed events are business oriented. The Program on the Environment, University of Washington has similar off-campus events listed plus many on-campus seminars and activities.  Some are business oriented, mostly from the NetImpact group.

Washington / Northwest The Pollution Prevention Research Center serves the NW region and publishes an online newsletter that is updated regularly with new events and info. The Sustainable Industries Journal covers the region with monthly news and articles. Washington State Environmental Industry calendar. Earthshare of Washington has a calendar oriented to more "green" and natural resource oriented events. Tidepool has current news oriented to the coastal and riparian NW Yes! Magazine is national but published locally and has a calendar of national and local events for progressive people. Click here for more national and international news about sustainable business

Who Helps Business with Sustainability in Seattle
  - programs with real people you can talk to, and beginning with resources that will save you money.

Best Practices in specific sectors (what are your competitors doing?) Seattle's BEST Awards for outstanding environmental performance by local organizations are presented by the Resource Venture. Sustainable Seattle gives annual awards for sustainable practices, including businesses. The City Light ClimateWise program includes many of Seattle's leading organizations who are committed to energy conservation. The EnviroStars program of King County recognizes good environmental performance in several sectors and has a searchable directory. The Construction Works program members in King County endorse green building and construction. Association of Washington Business state-wide Environmental Excellence Awards are presented annually at a a major conference. The Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices is given in several categories with profiles of winners available on line. The EPA Evergreen Award recognizes great environmental performance throughout the region. The Pollution Prevention Resource Center has sector-specific information, and also is a portal to many other sector collections at other websites.  It has much other information. See the Sectors - Industries page on this website for links to other databases of sector specific information. Energy efficiency and conservation Seattle City Light offers energy efficiency audits and financing. The Resource Venture at the Seattle Chamber of Commerce offers free information and some free consulting. The Lighting Design Lab has many kinds of efficient lights and lamps and effective design strategies on display to the public. The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance provides many resources to industry and public energy consumers. The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council is a business association of the energy efficiency industry. The Energy Ideas Clearinghouse is not Seattle-based, but it is managed by Washington State University, and is **excellent**.  Go Wazoo! Storm-water management The Resource Venture at the Seattle Chamber of Commerce offers free information and some free consulting.  The Stormwater Control Manual is available online from King County. Hazardous materials and wastes The Envirostars programs offers assistance and recognition to organizations that reduce wastes effectively.  There are also other services available. The Washington Toxics Coalition offers information about safer alternatives to many common chemicals. Environmental technical services The Environmental Services Directory for Washington State is a business-to-business directory of environmental services, products, and information sources available in Washington State. The Northwest Environmental Business Council represents several hundred environmental technology and service companies in the region.  They occasionally have events in Seattle. The Washington State Recycling Association has members offering a variety of services. The Northwest Association of Environmental Professionals is a networking and sharing organization in Washington and Oregon. Product Design The Design for Environment Laboratory at the University of Washington has online resources as well as professors and students. The Northwest Product Stewardship Council promotes green design of products Sustainable Products Purchasers Coalition has a lot to say about desirable design features Sustainable Style Foundation focuses on the fashion industry. Having Fun! Greendrinks Seattle is a networking event hosted every month by a different organization.

General assistance on multiple topics The Resource Venture at the Seattle Chamber of Commerce offers free information and some free consulting via Cascadia Consulting Inc. the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle helps businesses around South Seattle, and elsewhere, with a range of environmental challenges. The Pollution Prevention Resource Center has sector-specific information, and also is a portal to many other sector collections at other websites.  It has much other information. The Pollution Prevention program at the Department of Ecology gives non-regulatory (no inspectors) advice about reducing use of regulated chemicals and generation of regulated wastes and emissions to water and air. The Dept of Ecology also offers the Technical Resources for Engineering Efficiency (TREE) team, made up of Ecology engineers and scientists who use their expertise in industrial processes and pollution prevention to improve a facility's efficiency - for free. The US EPA Region X (10) Business Resources page is the starting point to a wide variety of EPA programs and resources that are worth exploring, including many useful business improvement tools. Need a permit?  The Environmental Permitting Services is a one-stop shop for navigating state requirements. Management and Manufacturing Washington State Quality Award is the state chapter of the national Baldrige Performance Excellence program and is the leading local non-profit source for management system know-how.  The Baldrige system happens to be excellent for sustainable management. Washington Manufacturing Service is the state promoter of Lean Manufacturing, with training and consulting services.  Lean is excellent for sustainable manufacturing, as is Total Quality Management. Recycling and solid waste prevention: King County Solid Waste Business Services offers a large information library, consultations and some on-site assistance.  King County also hosts The National Waste Prevention Coalition website and has experts on a range of topics available. The 1-800-RECYCLE Hotline has a database of state-wide resources. Water conservation and re-use Seattle Public Utilities offers information, some assistance and rebates for water-saving equipment.  The Water Conservation Coalition has a wide range of information available. The Industrial Wastewater Program helps organizations that discharge significant wastes to the King County sewer system with recycling and treatment.   Construction and demolition, and Green / Sustainable Buildings Sustainable building is a big initiative of the City, and City Light has an Sustainable Resource Guide about it. The Construction Works program has assistance, incentives and recognition. The Washington State Department of Ecology's Sustainable Building Toolbox has a lot of information on state and national resources. The Northwest EcoBuilding Guild is an association of builders, designers, homeowners, tradespeople, manufacturers, suppliers and others interested in ecologically sustainable building. Cascadia Region Green Building Council is the local chapter of the US Green Building Council and is active in developing new standards. Air pollution and control Air & Waste Management Association - Pacific Northwest Section represents air professionals in the region and has regular events and conferences. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency regulates significant air pollution sources and offers assistance of various kinds for prevention and treatment. Training and Education Bainbridge Graduate Institute offers both an MBA in Sustainable Business and a Certificate in Sustainable Business. The Northwest Environmental Education Council has technical classes for environmental professionals and links to other sustainability education resources. The Institute for Environmental Research and Education offers a variety of training and workshops with a technical orientation. The Program on Environment at the University of Washington is interdisciplinary and hosts events and workshops, and is a great source for student interns. Antioch University has a program on Environment and Community that includes business topics.

Other Directories of Local Sustainability Resources Earth Ministry's Greening Resources covers a range of community oriented topics. The Puget Sound Green Pages has an extensive collection of categorized links to organizations around the region working to protect the environment. The Northwest Conservation Directory is a huge but easy database of all kinds of organizations Other Local Resources and Organizations The state policies for operating as a sustainable business  are available on the Sustainable Washington home page.  The Washington Department of Ecology Sustainability site describes their initiatives, many of which have state-wide significance. Sustainable Seattle is a pioneer in the development of sustainability indicators and offers training, awards and education. The University of Washington is the regional center of expertise in many topics related to sustainable development.  The Program on the Environment is the major interdisciplinary activity with links to many related programs at UW.  The Washington Environmental Council is an umbrella organization for about 100 other NGOs and is the leading environmental lobbying organization in the state. Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation is a statewide nonprofit advocacy group working to keep Washington a leader in waste reduction, reuse, recycling & producer responsibility. The Municipal Research & Services Center has extensive environmental information about local government in Washington State. The Northwest Council on Climate Change is the leading regional authority on this topic. Sightline, (formerly Northwest Environment Watch) publishes extensive reports on the sustainability of the region. NW Energy Coalition is a regional alliance of community organizations and utilities promoting energy conservation, clean, renewable sources of power, consumer and low-income protection, and salmon restoration. The Puget Soundkeeper Alliance works on marine environmental protection.  So does People for Puget Sound.  Both have a lot of positive business interaction. Pacific NW Economic Region represents the elected legislators in five NW US states and the elected MLAs of 3 Canadian provinces/territories.  It has legislative policy forums on sustainability and on environment and includes a Private Sector Forum for companies to talk policy. Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition works to reduce use and pollution from Toxic Chemicals in the state. The Prosperity Partnership of the Puget Sound Regional Council is promoting local industry cluster development, and includes Clean Technology as one of those clusters. North of Seattle, Sustainable Connections promotes sustainable business in Whatcom County and beyond. The Network for Business Innovation & Sustainability is a networking and teaming organization that presents events and forums. The Puget Sound Medical Industry Waste Prevention Roundtable has participation from a wide variety of regulatory and industry people. The Bullitt Foundation is a major funder of regional environmental initiatives.  Philanthropy Northwest is a regional forum for funding organizations. Don't Forget Oregon! The Portland area has a very active sustainable business community in Portland that presents many great events and training opportunities, and you can take the train roundtrip in comfort from Seattle for less than the price of gas to drive there (hint). The Oregon Natural Step Network was formed to support Oregon business, governmental, and educational organizations interested in using The Natural Step framework for sustainability.  It is very active and a great resource. The Oregon Environmental Council has run a Forum for Business and Environment since 1995. The Zero Waste Alliance is a non-profit partnership of universities, government, business and other organizations working to develop, promote and apply Zero Waste strategies. This & That Organizations that recently caught my eye: Egg is an advertising firm serving "responsible" companies and products. Shorebank Pacific offers financing for environmentally sound projects. The Social Enterprise Group is a consulting firm that supports organizations undertaking a social enterprise.