Since 2003, Worldchanging has focused on global solutions for building a sustainable future. Our newest project brings that conversation down to a local level, in our home base, Seattle. The tools we need are emerging all around us; now we want to explore how new thinking, innovative policies, culture shifts and ingenious technologies can help us transform this particular place into a sustainable city.
Whether or not you live in Seattle, we hope our local blog will inspire you with visions of what healthy, people-friendly, compact, waste-free urban living could be like.
For many reasons, the Emerald City is an ideal base camp for our conversation about how to create a sustainable city. We believe that Seattle's wealth of natural resources give policymakers a unique challenge when it comes to smart management. Seattle's exploding population (if current rates continue, Washington state may double its population in less than 50 years) presents new challenges: Can we engineer a compact, efficient, appealing urban environment that will attract people into the city and help curb destructive sprawl? Can we create an infrastructure for moving people and goods that puts the needs of pedestrians and public transportation above those of personal vehicles? Can we take Seattle into the future?
We believe we can, and we also believe that many of the forward-thinking, smart and creative people who will drive these changes are right here in Seattle. Our Seattle blog is the best place to read about the designs, policies, individual leaders and community solutions that are already here, and to re-imagine great ideas from around the globe in one city's context. Worldchanging ideas … city-sized debate. That's what Worldchanging Seattle is all about.
We're just getting started, so please check out the site and get involved! For our official debut this fall, we will be featuring Seattle's 100 Best People, Places and Things That Are Changing Our Future. Who are the individuals and groups that are bringing innovative, big-picture change to Seattle? What are the most exciting sustainable designs, programs, policies and concepts around town? It's a big category, and we welcome your nominations. Please email editor@worldchanging.com with a brief description, complete with any relevant web links or contact info, of who/what/where we should feature, and why you think so.
Design credit: Worldchanging intern Morgan Greenseth
