City of Seattle
At a Glance
Industry
Government/Public Administration
Project Types
Climate Justice/Energy Equity, Data Analysis, Financial Evaluation and Planning
Year
2021
Location
Seattle, WA
Summary
Nenha Young assisted in implementing one of the nation’s first city-wide Green New Deals centered on racial, social, and environmental justice and equity.
Goals
In 2019, the City of Seattle passed Green New Deal legislation and an Executive Order to deepen its commitment to leading the environmental movement with a just and equity-based approach to climate policies and programs. Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment enlisted Nenha Young to support the co-development of climate indicators, policy recommendations, and programmatic opportunities with community partners in a manner that centers the needs of Seattle’s Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
Solutions
In support of the Green New Deal legislation and Executive Order, Nenha Young approached the challenge by:
- Analyzing policy recommendations that contributed towards the priority list of actions to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
- Curating and evaluating climate indicators that will be included on an online dashboard to track and communicate the greenhouse gas emission reductions to the public.
- Recommending programmatic opportunities to explore alternative financial tools to accomplish climate policies.
Potential Impact
Nenha was part of a nascent team at the Office of Sustainability & Environment that is tasked with standing up the internal and external entities responsible for executing on Seattle’s Green New Deal priorities. Nenha made tangible contributions in shaping the team’s internal processes, as well as its messaging as it relates to the Green New Deal. Additionally, Nenha’s recommendations to tie in disparate tracking and reporting efforts across the City into a more unified process will enable the City to more effectively track progress towards our climate goals.