In May 2008, we started up this Seattle-centric Worldchanging site as a means to bring the big picture to the city level. Now, as we celebrate our Fifth Anniversary, we're making the launch official! We decided that our own hometown was the best possible starting point for trying to bridge the global and local conversations. Its wealth of natural resources and creative human capital give the Emerald City a unique position from which to face the challenges of an exploding population and the corresponding strain on both nature and the social structure.
And the world watches us. Seattle is in the headlines again and again, from its #3 position as Sustain Lane's list of most sustainable cities to to the newly released blockbuster Battle in Seattle. We have a reputation as a leader in conservation, in bright green innovation, and in earnest, effective activism. And we're proud. But the smart people who live here know that this is no time to rest on our laurels. We still have a long way to go.
So, Seattle, this is your conversation. We have a lot of ground to cover. Whether your issue is public transit, Puget Sound, pedestrian infrastructure, improved education, affordable housing, local farms, public spaces, urban planning, clean tech … the list is endless, and all of these conversations are interconnected. So we need your voice. Please let us know what systems-changing ideas are taking hold in your neighborhood, which emerging leaders inspire you, and what is helping us become – or holding us back from – the city you want to live in?
And, for those of you who are new to the site, please check out a sampling of what we've been working over the summer:
May 2008
Seattle in Top 10 Smallest Carbon Footprints
Q&A with Amee Quiriconi
Product Stewardship: The Carrot, The Stick
June 2008
Own the Service, Ditch the Stuff!
How-To: Know if Solar Power is Right for You
Seattle Architects Design Award-Winning Community Tech Center
July 2008
Car-Free Sundays: A Business Plan
HIA: A Tool for Building Healthier Public Projects and Policies
How-to: Eat Local
August 2008
The Future of Shopping Malls: An Image Essay
Emergency Food Services Respond to Bag Fees
Seattle Visionaries: A Conversation With Tony Gale
September 2008
This month, we launched our series Seattle to the World: 100 Best Innovations from the Emerald City! Search the archives for "Seattle to the World" to find profiles of Seattle's smartest people, policies, institutions and more that are working to bring us a better world, from the city level up.
Image credit: Morgan Greenseth
