Today's Seattle Times: " Clowncil member wants city's goal to be "greener""
Seattle City Clowncilmember Peter Steinbrueck and several colleagues want to "outgreen" Mayor Greg Nickels.Steinbrueck is the Clowncilmember who has pushed the hardest to get families to give up their cars and move into downtown condos. He's also the Clowncilmember who currently lives farthest from downtown and makes the most use of City vehicles.Steinbrueck proposed Monday that the clowncil set more aggressive environmental goals than Nickels has recommended.
While vague on specific goals and how he would attain them, Steinbrueck said he favored a ban on plastic bags, waste-to-energy incinerators, fees for driving cars downtown and a requirement that developers construct energy-efficient buildings.
"This is about walking the talk. It's about a serious commitment rather than rhetoric," Steinbrueck said.
The Seattle business community needs to speak up. Between this idea and the fact they the city has reduced requirements on parking spaces for new development, pretty soon, the problem will work itself out: nobody will go downtown.
Fees for going downtown are pretty regressive as well - I know people will say "ride the bus", but that is not always possible for the working family that has to deal with childcare, school, soccer, etc.
This is just another reason to avoid Seattle....
Posted by: eric on April 24, 2007 12:22 PMThey are already doing this with the increased taxes on parking downtown.
Whatever. Keep giving people reasons not to come downtown, and we'll keep staying away. I'm sure the businesses at Southcenter and Northgate appreciate the business.
Posted by: Palouse on April 24, 2007 12:47 PMThey lost the ideological war of communism over democracy, although they still hope in Cuba. They see the opportunity to push the Marxism in the Green Movement. By scaring enough people into buying the hype the can advance their agenda clocked in the rhetoric of "saving the planet."
It's pure elitist manure, look at those yelling the loudest and their lifestyles, vs. what they ask the proletariat to do.
If we do all that is asked of us by the watermelons what will be left. By the definitions of the watermelons N. Korea is the Greenest place on earth. They forget all the trees there have been eaten.
Posted by: JCM on April 24, 2007 01:02 PMBTW did anyone happen to contact 'Baghdad' Jim McDermott and ask him what he thinks of all this?
Posted by: juandos on April 24, 2007 01:04 PMWhose puffed up vanity legacy will win?
It's great!
Soon even the most naive of the citizenry will become suspicious of the psychotic, sociopathic nature of the vanity and re-election money grab being foisted on them.
Posted by: Bart Cannon on April 24, 2007 01:13 PMIt is a cost benefit law which we voted in support of a few years back, but which has yet to be employed and tested.
Posted by: Bart Cannon on April 24, 2007 01:18 PMWill the last person leaving Seattle please turn the lights out?
Posted by: Dan on April 24, 2007 03:49 PMThe facts are:
1) "Styrofoam" meattrays were nothing more than hard plastic with air blown in! They failed to even look at the chemical composition.
2) Hard Plastic Trays were cutting the hands of butchers & customers.
3) Hard Plastic Trays would cut the plastic wrap causing animal blood to seep all over and expose the meat.
4) No one to my knowledge has ever reported anyone driving home from QFC unwrapping a roast from a styrofoam tray and hurling the "styrofoam" tray out the window!
It will be very interesting to see how many mindless ideas KLOWNcilmember Steinbrueck can pull out of his ass on this mission.
Posted by: Mr. Cynical on April 24, 2007 04:23 PMJust begs the question.
Posted by: gs on April 24, 2007 06:33 PMLet's start summarily and randomly executing HOV lane violaters, single car motorists, heterosexuals, people who patronize businesses, couples who produce children, Caucasians, jaywalkers, but worst of all-strip club patrons.
Cleansing.......long delayed......
Posted by: Hank on April 24, 2007 06:56 PMAnybody read the recent piece on Nickels and Sims trying to out-recycle each other? Does it amaze anyone else that these bozos are "spending the morning separating recyclables" while there is serious work to be done? Can we maybe elect some adults next time?
On the positive side, I have noticed that both have recently slimmed down somewhat--no doubt as a result of the fat arse reputations they have developed on SP.
Posted by: Organization Man on April 24, 2007 07:09 PMFirst of all, Steinbrueck was on the radio yesterday talking about this very subject. He did say that he rides busses all the time. So I wonder which it is: "...makes the most use of city vehicles." or uber-green bus rider?
Second, I think that doing whatever Steinbrueck says is simply a great idea. He even said so. His model is New York, which uses the toll to enter the city. One problem is that Seattle isn't New York and that is where the problem lies.
Like I said, this will be great. Seattle will be vacant of businesses in a matter of years. Mr. Steinbrueck doesn't seem to realize that Seattle businesses rely on people from the 'burbs for support. I don't see them paying for the privilege. Bellevue and the surrounding metropolis will grow. Seattle will slowly lose relevance.
There will probably be a program of city distributed "Entrance Vouchers". These will be exclusively for the use of Seattle's elite's so that they may pass into the Fabled City for free. That will be expanded to the poor. Since there are no advocates for the middle class and they do not wield the levers of power, they will be denied Entrance Vouchers.
Huh?? Energy-from-waste plants are an extremely "green" way to capture and use otherwise toxic landfills aross the country. Other countries are rushing to participate in this emerging market.
This reduces greenhouse gas emissions cuz piles of rotting garbage produce methane (20 times as powerful as CO2)
And the energy produced from burning waste is used to generate electricity.
Germany (who top all eco / energy efficiency lists) love energy-from-waste technology, and are partnering with forward-thinking cities to share their expertise (and economic opportunities!)
see link:
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/partner/story?id=47505
I encourgae Steinbrueck to Google "waste-to-energy", and get up on the science!
Posted by: Scott Kennedy on April 25, 2007 11:13 AMIt will also offer extensive habitat for wild animals and Street People.
Think of all the carbon emissions that will offset.
The best part is that since no one will commute there (via the brand new light rail system to nowhere) folks will tend to live closer to work. Mind, they'll live in the same place. Jsut work will get closer.
How can you object to that?
Posted by: bfr on April 25, 2007 01:26 PM