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Heating & cooling help for eligible residents, climate-resilient infrastructure & details on King County's Executive Climate Office (ECO)!





Climate Action newsletter- updates from the King County Executive Climate Office, ECO [ HTTP://WWW.kingcounty.gov/climate ]
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"Edition: January 2025"

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It’s been a little while since King County’s last Climate Action newsletter, but we’re back at it and glad to have you here! Thanks for subscribing, and for being a part of this mission.  

As we start 2025 (can you believe it?), we’re inspired by the grassroots groups, county agencies and people doing their part to reduce emissions, prepare for the future and work toward environmental justice. Climate action is about people, places, "and "the environment. It’s about a clean and healthy future for all of us in King County.  

There’s a lot of hard work ahead. But we hope this space offers hope in the shape of progress and inspires continued engagement. Positive change "is "happening. And we all have a voice and agency in it.  

"Read on for..." 


* Success with climate-resilient infrastructure 

* Encouraging news about transit ridership & more zero-emission commuter vehicles  

* More trees & open space in one frontline community, and what made it possible 

Please forward this newsletter to other folks who may want to subscribe, or share this link [ https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAKING/signup/43418 ]. *And don’t forget, you can follow countywide climate action & news from the Executive Climate Office (ECO) on social media:* 






*LinkedIn* [ http://www.linkedin.com/company/kingcountyeco ]




*Instagram* [ http://www.instagram.com/kingcountyeco ]






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By the way, who is “we”? This newsletter is written by the King County Executive Climate Office (ECO). You can learn more about us at the bottom of this newsletter. 

Alright... let’s get into it! 

“A huge change and upgrade to our lives”: program helping residents & businesses access clean energy expands
Energize contractors unload box to install heat pump

King County’s Energize program installs heat pumps and other clean technology to homes and small businesses at low or no cost to the resident. Along with reducing fossil fuel consumption in buildings, it benefits residents by offering cooling – a priority in the county’s Extreme Heat Mitigation Strategy [ https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/executive/governance-leadership/climate-office/focus-areas/climate-preparedness/extreme-heat-mitigation ] – and improved indoor air quality. 

The program serves “frontline communities”- people who are disproportionately impacted by climate change and may have limited resources to adapt. And while these units are called “heat pumps,” they also offer cooling in the summer – essential as the climate changes.  

Thanks to funding from the Climate Commitment Act, Energize is now offering services for adult family homes, family home childcare providers "and "more residents of single-family homes. Read more about which residents, adult family homes and day cares are eligible and how to sign up here [ https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/executive/governance-leadership/climate-office/focus-areas/building-decarbonization/energize%C2%A0 ].

Some feedback from a recent participant: 

"“As a recipient of a new heat pump system, [it] really feels like a huge change and upgrade to our lives. The new heat pump program made me feel like a valuable member of our community but kind of hard to explain. I don’t feel like I got something for free even though I did. Makes me feel like a part of the community that we all care about best practices to help our living conditions and environment.”" 

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Energize is operated by the King County Executive Climate Office (ECO) and is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov [ http://www.climate.wa.gov ].



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Climate action through King County’s latest parks levy
People tour Glendale Forest, a new park with trees and water

Tree-covered natural areas improve air quality and reduce emissions by absorbing carbon dioxide. They’re also a win for public health, providing a safe, cool space in urban heat islands and an inclusive greenspace that kids and families can enjoy year-round.  

With funding generated by the voter-approved King County Parks Levy, King County opened a new 5-acre forested park in urban unincorporated North Highline, a traditionally underserved community. Glendale Forest includes a wooded ravine with a stream flowing north toward the Duwamish River and is tucked in a neighborhood with homes, apartments, schools and places of worship. It’s a model solution included in the county’s first-ever Extreme Heat Mitigation Strategy [ https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/executive/governance-leadership/climate-office/focus-areas/climate-preparedness/extreme-heat-mitigation ].  

Read more about recent parks work here [ https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/caf0abd88ef745e3a21c19ecf6689b99 ]. Voters will weigh in on the next parks levy later this year.

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More transit, less emissions: King Country Metro has second-fastest rider increase in the country
Graphic showing Metro ranked second for fastest ridership increase

King County Metro has had the second-fastest rider increase in" the country, "according to a new report by the American Public Transportation Association that measured the percentage of ridership increase.

One-third of greenhouse gas emissions in King County come from transportation, and each person who chooses to take transit instead of riding solo in a gas-powered vehicle pollutes just a little bit less. Added benefit? Less traffic! 

“More people are certainly choosing transit,” King County Metro General Manager Michelle Allison said. “Every week, more than 1.5 million people take Metro for appointments, education, entertainment, shopping and more. We’re ready to take people on even more trips to the people and places they care about in 2025.” 

In other good news around Puget Sound, Kitsap Transit ranked fifth nationally. Learn more here [ https://kingcountymetro.blog/2024/12/06/king-county-metro-has-second-fastest-rider-increase-in-u-s ].

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And speaking of reducing emissions with transit...
Metro trackless trolley

King County Metro clocked a few major milestones in efforts to move its fleet toward producing zero greenhouse gas emissions. It’s climate action and a public health win, reducing both carbon and the pollutants drivers, riders and people walking nearby would otherwise breathe in.


* New, improved battery packs are coming to Metro’s 174 electric trolleys. It was time to replace the old batteries, and a more efficient, powerful option is on the market. The new batteries will provide 72 kwh to each trolley – nearly triple the energy capacity of the current battery packs. Read more here [ https://kingcountymetro.blog/2024/12/10/new-stronger-batteries-to-boost-king-county-metros-trolley-bus-fleet/%C2%A0%C2%A0 ].

* King County Metro announced weeks ago it’s adding 120 electric vehicles to the county’s vanpool fleet. Vanpools are similar to carpooling: people pay a monthly fare and 2 serve as volunteer drivers. They share use of the van for similar commutes, cutting down on the number of cars on the road. Now, some of those will reduce emissions even "further "by going electric! Learn more about vanpooling here. [ https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/travel-options/vanpool-and-vanshare/vanpool%C2%A0 ]

* Metro also recently contracted with European electric and hydrogen bus builder Solaris to buy up to 16 zero-emission buses. The brand is widely recognized in Europe for superior performance, but this is the supplier’s first contract with a US-based transit agency. The move will help diversify the number of transit suppliers in the region – a necessity with bus manufacturing shortages creating supply chain challenges for all transit agencies. More options mean lower costs and more access to clean energy technology for other transit providers. Learn more here [ https://kingcountymetro.blog/2024/12/23/king-county-metro-signs-landmark-deal-to-welcome-new-bus-manufacturer-to-north-america-expand-zero-emission-fleets/%C2%A0 ].

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Hundreds of residents are speaking up and taking action:

Dozens of county staff are working together and plugging away on the 2025 “Strategic Climate Action Plan [ https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/executive/governance-leadership/climate-office/strategic-climate-action-plan ].” It’s a detailed document that offers vision, strategies, actions and accountability on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote preparedness and ensure sustainable and resilient frontline communities. These areas all overlap, and making sure community drives decision-making and action moving forward is key. 

It’s a lot of work, and we want to get it right. So we are incredibly grateful to the hundreds of people and groups that showed up over the past year at road shows, brainstorming sessions and public events or who filled out a survey, responded to questions from agencies, etc.

Thank you, thank you, thank you – and please don’t stop here. Stay tuned for the plan’s release later this year, please stay engaged with county climate action efforts, and let us know about your ideas and efforts to reduce emissions, improve preparedness and ensure environmental justice.  

You can email us at climatechange@kingcounty.gov! 

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Climate-resilient infrastructure proves its power
Overhead view of battery system

A new onsite battery system installed at West Point Treatment Plant – thanks to an emergency order signed by Executive Constantine – proved its effectiveness during the recent bomb cyclone.   

The 48,000 battery cells housed in a new 24,000-square-foot building provided operators with the smooth, reliable power they needed to protect Puget Sound throughout the night. It likely prevented an emergency bypass that can occur when there are voltage sags. These sags often happen during severe storms, which are increasing due to climate change.  

“The massive onsite battery system we created at West Point Treatment Plant passed its first major test with flying colors, delivering reliable power during a significant storm,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Despite multiple voltage sags, our frontline employees kept operations running smoothly throughout the night, ensuring Puget Sound was protected – proof that our ambitious upgrades have better prepared this critical infrastructure for severe weather events." 

Read more here [ https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/about-king-county/about-dnrp/newsroom/news-releases/11-20-battery-power-storm%C2%A0 ].

(By the way – financial help is available for residents impacted by the bomb cyclone. Learn more here [ https://governor.wa.gov/news/2025/inslee-order-opens-state-recovery-funds-bomb-cyclone-victims ].)

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An upcoming grant opportunity: the “Re-earth Initiative”

Our Climate Equity team wanted to share this grant opportunity [ https://reearthin.org/regranting#FAQs ] for community organizations with climate action, conservation, sustainability and social equity projects.

Please share with any eligible local organizations that should apply! 

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Get to know King County ECO

Are you familiar with the King County Executive Climate Office (ECO)? Here’s a little more about who we are, and what we do: 

Departments across King County implement climate action within their work. King County ECO elevates, coordinates and accelerates those efforts and manages several in-house programs. That includes work on building decarbonization, climate preparedness, climate justice and building a clean energy workforce. Our agenda is set based on the approaches laid out in the 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan. 

ECO works with the broader King County Climate Team, which includes climate leads from different departments.

You can learn more about us at our website here. [ http://www.kingcounty.gov/climate ]

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Thanks for reading!

Please share this newsletter with a friend [ https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAKING/signup/43418 ], and we’ll be back in February with more news and updates. Until then, you can find us on Instagram [ http://www.instagram.com/kingcountyeco ], LinkedIn [ http://www.linkedin.com/company/kingcountyeco ] and our website [ http://www.kingcounty.gov/climate ]!













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