King County Council: Making green technologies a reality

On Wednesday, June 2, a special expert panel will brief the Regional Water Quality Committee on up-and-coming green technologies and some of the regulatory challenges that exist with implementation. The meeting will be held in the King County Council Chamber, 10th Floor, King County Courthouse, 516 Third Ave, Seattle.

Panelists will include Denis Hayes, President and CEO of the Bullitt Foundation, who will discuss the foundation’s “living building” project. A living building is the next generation of “green building,” made of sustainable materials and using only as much energy and resources as it is able to generate on-site. Regulations and land use codes often don’t allow for the unique characteristics required to meet living building standards.

“These new technologies and green solutions are really challenging the way we think about and regulate things like water systems and wastewater systems,” said Jan Drago, King County Councilmember and Chair of the Regional Water Quality Committee. “I’m looking forward to the discussion and hearing some ideas about how we can better align the regulatory environment with our sustainability goals.”

The Regional Water Quality Committee develops, reviews, and recommends countywide policies and plans for water quality and sewer service issues for consideration by the King County Council. Committee membership includes area sewer and water district commissioners, elected officials from suburban cities in King County and the city of Seattle, as well as King County Councilmembers Jan Drago, Kathy Lambert and Larry Phillips.