WEBINAR: The Electrify Seattle Campaign and Why it Matters

Published on April 24, 2023

Stand.earth's SAFE Cities campaign cohosted a webinar to discuss the history of this campaign, the key players, and our strategy for finishing strong

First page of webinar on the Electrify Seattle Campaign

The city of Seattle is leading the charge with a bold, visionary electrification campaign that would transition us off fossil fuels, create green union jobs and bring cooling to thousands of homes and workplaces, and local partners need our help, from across the country, to get this campaign across the finish line.

To explore the importance of the Electrify Seattle movement, Stand.earth‘s SAFE Cities campaign hosted a webinar in collaboration with Sierra Club Washington State and 350 Seattle in late April 2023 that discussed the history and key players of the campaign, how people can support efforts to get the strongest possible policy passed here, and why it matters nationwide.

Our partners at 350 Seattle and Sierra Club Washington are pressuring city leaders to keep their Green New Deal promises by requiring large existing buildings (of more than 20,000 square feet) to transition off fossil fuels. If we win, all of the schools, libraries, university campuses, grocery stores, hotels, office buildings and large apartment buildings in Seattle could be upgraded to be all-electric and equipped with cooling systems in the next 10 years. The move could result in hundreds of green jobs for local communities this decade.

Our partners on the ground need our help to move their image-conscious Mayor and hold the line against major corporations pushing for unacceptable deadlines, false solutions like renewable natural gas, and minimal fees for non-compliance.

Already more than 165 cities and other local governments across the U.S. and Canada have passed concrete policies to stop fossil fuel expansion, build renewable energy infrastructure, and create good, long-term jobs. Together, we know that we can turn these local victories into a powerful global movement.

This is what SAFE Cities is all about. We’re not a few climate activists campaigning in isolation — we’re a movement of leaders who share resources and support. We recognize that our struggles are intertwined — a win in Seattle stands to set a template for cities across the country to do the same.