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 Transportation Today
 

It’s easy being green

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It was the greenest celebration of the year in King County so far, as the Green Festival made its first-ever trip to Seattle. The festival brought together more than 150 speakers, 350 local and national green businesses, dozens of community groups, along with the public to share tips on reducing our carbon footprint on several fronts.


King County's Green Festival pavilion.

King County is a proud sponsor of the festival and hosted its own pavilion that featured exhibits from the Department of Transportation and the Department of Natural Resources and Parks . Thousands of festivalgoers visited the tables inside King County’s pavilion to learn more from one of the greenest counties in the nation, about how to green-up commutes, homes and gardens, including environmental volunteer opportunities.

Among the more popular “hands-on” exhibits were examples of porous concrete and asphalt – just two green ideas to consider in planning that next home improvement project. Many festivalgoers were intrigued by how rain can flow through solid surfaces like concrete sidewalks and asphalt roadway to reduce stormwater runoff.

“One of the key items we're looking at is incorporating porous concrete and asphalt and low-impact development techniques for stormwater management,” said Jim Sussex, an engineer with the King County Road Services Division.


Festivalgoers experience porous concrete at the Green Festival.

Sussex had some examples of porous concrete and asphalt at the festival. “A lot of people have sort of heard of it, some are telling me they just haven't had a chance to see it, touch it, feel what it looks like,” he said. “They seem to be interested in using it on some of their own personal landscaping projects.”

King County Metro Transit was also showing off how county residents can take advantage of its services to get a greener commute. Hundreds of people visited the Metro table inside the pavilion, where they could learn how to use Metro’s Trip Planner to plan their next bus ride. Information was also available on carpooling, vanpooling, and car sharing.

On top of exploring their commuting options, attendees heard King County Transportation Project Manager Melody Bennett speak about how they can conserve fuel in their car.

“Certain things actually have proven to be effective, such as driving within the speed limit. Who would have thought it?” said Bennett.

“Also, not doing jackrabbit starts and sudden stops can cut gas consumption. Keeping your car properly maintained, and of course the capstone is not idling, switching your car off when you're not using your vehicle. If you have to idle for more than 30 seconds, switch off the vehicle, tremendous fuel savings, up to 30 percent fuel savings if we combine some of these tips.”

All great tips for a region where transportation continues to be the single largest source of carbon emissions.

The Green Festival will also be making stops in Chicago, Washington D.C., and San Francisco throughout 2008.

 
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Updated:  April 15, 2008

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