Environment & Sustainability

King County Metro Delays Planned Electrification Work, Pushing Out Fiscal Cliff

Pivoting away from full-scale bus base retrofits that go all-in on battery electric buses means that Metro won't face a fiscal cliff until the early 2030s, according to budget writers. Metro's General Manager also framed the move as one that helps to preserve core bus services.

Sunday Video: 24 Hours In Rotterdam

https://vimeo.com/246188042 In this video, locals and city officials from Rotterdam explain how the city center has had an intentional urban renaissance by increasing residential densities,...

Sunday Video: What’s The Impact of Noise on Us?

https://youtu.be/qryWWGP0kKs Vox takes a deep dive into noise and its effects on humans. As the video shows, much of the noise people experience in their...

Garbage Diagrams Only Tell Half of the Story

Let's try to build a picture of King County’s waste issues.  For the last couple of weeks, I have been working on an article about...
Rows of buses with the I-90 ramps and Seattle skyscrapers in the background.

Metro Adding Hydrogen Buses, Auditor Casts Doubt on Fleet Electrification Strategy

King County Metro unveiled plans to test out hydrogen-powered buses by 2026. The news comes on the heels of a King County Auditor report casting doubt on Metro's plans to rely heavily on battery buses to meets its goal of a fully electric fleet by 2035.

Sunday Video: Stormwater Pollution and Green Infrastructure Solutions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATNy-vaIPXI In this video, the Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District (NCSWCD) explains how stormwater is generated and poses serious threats to public health...
I-5 through Northgate section of Seattle. Northgate Station rises on the right.(Photo by Doug Trumm)

State Commission: Replace Gas Tax with Road Usage Charge, but Keep Highways-Only Earmark

From February 2018 through January 2019, Washington state tested out a possible replacement program for the gas tax known as the "Road Usage Charge"...
The Port of Seattle and the Seattle waterfront. (Photo by Doug Trumm)

How 3D Printing Will Change Cities

In the sci-fi series Star Trek, characters could use machines called replicators to instantly materialize just about any food, beverage, or tool on site....