Quick Links City's First Electric Vehicle Climate Change

Olympia is the first United States member of the Plus Network and is a founding member of ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives).

What We're Doing:

• Working with other agencies to restore Budd Inlet.
• Using porous pavement to minimize stormwater run-off.
• Converting City vehicles to biodiesel.
• Purchasing Green Power for 100% of our City utilities' electricity needs.
• Working towards Zero Waste.
• Promoting tree planting and preservation.  On March 29, 2008 Olympians planted 1000 trees in ONE DAY!
• Providing grants to Olympia neighborhoods for sustainability projects.
• Engaging community members in sustainable land use discussions.
• Conserving our precious water resources.
• Providing and using Class A reclaimed water. 
• Protecting our streams and groundwater.
• Acquiring land for future parks.
• Building sidewalks for safe and easy walking.
• Encouraging pesticide and chemical free garden and yard care.
• Providing a sustainability context for our policy decisions.
• Creating a walkable community.
• Turning street intersections into neighborhood crossroads and gathering spaces.

Earth Day Sustainability Field Trips.
On Earth Day 2008 the Olympia City Councilmembers invited the community to join them on field trips to see first hand how we're working to make our water and waste resources sustainable.  Learn more.

Community Indicators - How We're Doing.
Founded in 1991, Olympia's Sustainable Community Roundtable was one of the nation’s first grassroots organizations promoting the vision and principles of sustainability.  With Sustainable Seattle, the Roundtable pioneered the development of citizen-initiated indicators of sustainable community.  View the most recent (2006) Indicators Report (pdf file) published by Olympia's Sustainable Roundtable.

Olympia Resolutions Passed In Support of Sustainability.
The Olympia City Council has adopted four resolutions in support of sustainability:

• Resolution 1306 - A Resolution by the Olympia City Council on City actions to mitigate global warming, adopted in February, 1991.
• Resolution 1309 - A Resolution by the Olympia City Council on City actions to reduce use of petroleum fuel in order to improve air and water quality, mitigate global warming, reduce dependence on a limited resources, reduce traffic congestion, and reduce the need for pavement, thereby improving the urban environment and making Olympia more sustainable in the future, adopted in March, 1991.
• Resolution 1550 - A Resolution adopting the strategy to manage and reduce energy and fuel consumption and greehouse gas emissions, adopted in March, 2004.
• Resolution 1586 - A Resolution in support of Clean Car (Low Emission) Standards for Washington State, adopted in February, 2005.