Slog - Comments on Seattle's Enviro Scorecard: Not Bad, But More to Do http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo The Earth Day Network has done a comprehensive "urban environment" scorecard, ranking 72 cities by factors such as air and water quality, toxic chemicals, availability of recreation, and response to global warming. Out of the cities ranked, Seattle scored an impressive No. 7. Among the highlights: •13.5 percent of our population is considered "more vulnerable" to the effects of environmental degradation, due to diabetes (5.27 percent), lack of health insurance (13.4 percent), adult obesity (18.9) adult asthma (9.33 percent) and other factors. • Seattle scored relatively low on toxics because our air and water contain high levels of neurologically damaging... Copyright 2008 Thu, 22 Feb 2007 13:51:55 -0800 Sun, 25 Feb 2007 12:40:38 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Dougsf San Francisco down below Kansas City at #28. Not suprising really, we do kinda suck in some ways. Also not suprising to see Portland close to the top. #7 is pretty dang good Seattle, but with the wealth in the area, too bad* you ain't closer to the top.

* By too bad, I mean "yeah, I get how government works, I'm just saying..."

]]> Dougsf http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645032 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645032 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:01:39 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle I blame our car-oriented development and lack of major transit growth (no, ST II won't cut it) for our low global warming score. That and the Seattle Process.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645043 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645043 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:20:31 -0800 Comment by Levislade It's true, as much as people talk about SF's great transit - and they do have something to talk about; there are loads of transit options there - people seem really, really attached to their cars there. Blows me away every time I visit.

]]> Levislade http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645048 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645048 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:23:40 -0800 Comment by Ahab A closer look suggests a number of issues out of the city's hands that would affect our ranking -- most notably in Climate Change. First off, EDN understates the population by about 40,000 people (536,000 vs. 578,700). Given that many of the scores are "per capita" it sort of depresses some of our scores. Second, contrary to what Erica says, the scorecard looks at the state's greenhouse gas inventory and finds it lacking -- not the city's. They city has actually done a really comprehensive inventory and it is updated every two years. But Erica thinks the city's efforts are crap, so it figures that she would leave that fact out. Indeed, many of the low scores in the global warming section refer to the state, not the city. Finally, the city's other big losers in this global warming section are based on environmental factors beyond our control. Things like average percent of possible sunshine, average windspeed in January and July and elevation in feet.

Oh yeah, our quality of life. Yes were were in the middle of the scale, but we ranked 5 overall compared to the 72 other cities.

]]> Ahab http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645077 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645077 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:50:08 -0800 Comment by Dougsf I'm suprised how many San Franciscan's own cars as well, but more than that, this city is home to many very poor and underinsured people (one of the criteria), as well as some very old and dirty powerplants within the city.

]]> Dougsf http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645101 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645101 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:02:58 -0800 Comment by DreadLion I wonder how we scored to, say, Tokyo?
If it is higher then surely we must end sprawl. Everyone in Seattle hope your prepared for a Neo -Tokyo shift in thinking. San Francisco was ahead of us on that, but I think Seattle Bay activities are occasionally cleaned by the fresh cold waters of the Ocean. Or maybe its just washing out to Sea. Are we sending our pollution in the Water and that has also to do with the warming of the Seas? Will Tokyos water slog monster defeat our air slog monster? or is there air and our water? Whos coast will it reach first? Like a bottle in the Sea. enuff. I'm starting to sound like that Batman t.v. show anouncer.

]]> DreadLion http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645111 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645111 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:12:47 -0800 Comment by boo
I hate city rankings. They all rank different things and are totally inconsistant.

For example, Seattle has a serious air quality problem that is largely un-reported and un-addressed. I mean, now does the ranking jib with this:

http://www.seattle.gov/environment/clean_air.htm

]]> boo http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645132 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645132 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:30:40 -0800 Comment by Peter Sherwin I suggest that every project include a carbon footprint category. The tunnel is the worst of all the choices for AW as it requires 24/7 energy consumption that none of the other options have and we waste hundreds of millions of dollars that could be used for global cooling efforts.

]]> Peter Sherwin http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645154 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645154 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:36:48 -0800 Comment by Matthew Christ Erica, Seattle gets 7th out of 72, and your "highlights" consist of nothing but lowlights.

You're just never fucking satisfied, are you??? (I love that about you, actually)

]]> Matthew http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645221 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645221 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:37:25 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle To the critics of the population number, they probably used 2000 census data.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645371 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645371 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:55:46 -0800 Comment by Some Jerk I wouldn't be too impressed by our ranking. This study has a totally arbitrary methodology. No study with 'environmental' in the title that ranks Phoenix, AZ the number 1 very large city and Fargo, ND number 1 overall is credible.

]]> Some Jerk http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645802 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645802 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 19:02:29 -0800 Comment by daytrpr Another fine example of the quality of Erica's "journalism."

"Our vaunted “quality of life” ranked smack in the middle of the scale"

Wow...that's a misleading statement. While it's true that the score of 2.5 is exactly half of 5, all of the other scores are also less than 3 (i.e. - they're all about "smack in the middle of the scale). Seattle's quality of life score was the 5th highest of the 72 cities studied.

"with the worst scores for population and housing density, use of public transit, travel time to work, car ownership, and wasted fuel."

That's flat out incorrect (3's in all of those categories). Did you actually look at the scores Erica, or just make up what you wanted to say despite what the report concluded?

]]> daytrpr http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645811 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c645811 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 19:03:52 -0800 Comment by DreadLion #3 Thats because they like to drive up and down the coast. Its a tradition. Hitchhiking is so 60s and its dangerous these days. And walking or biking down 101 south is cool, if you want to get creamed. And packing a surfboard on your back while trying to make it out to Northshores is no fun either.

]]> DreadLion http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c646196 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c646196 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 22:51:11 -0800 Comment by DreadLion oh and I will get rid of my car as soon as soldiers get rid of Tanks. I don't want to stick around when some citys under siege and tanks rolling after you is no fun. Government would shut down mass transit with the quickness in an emergency. At least with a car you can get the hell out of dodge in a hurry. Its like an faithful Horse. Mass transit is cool, but city folk do like to have something to escape with once in awhile. Motorcycles even better.

]]> DreadLion http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c646224 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c646224 City Thu, 22 Feb 2007 23:07:00 -0800 Comment by oudjagec nuibozvr nscz chzperk gmectus vromcfq svdjf ajgnkezm ehadjoquf

]]> oudjagec nuibozvr http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c648806 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c648806 City Sun, 25 Feb 2007 12:35:41 -0800 Comment by oudjagec nuibozvr nscz chzperk gmectus vromcfq svdjf ajgnkezm ehadjoquf

]]> oudjagec nuibozvr http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c648825 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c648825 City Sun, 25 Feb 2007 12:36:22 -0800 Comment by oudjagec nuibozvr nscz chzperk gmectus vromcfq svdjf ajgnkezm ehadjoquf

]]> oudjagec nuibozvr http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c648842 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c648842 City Sun, 25 Feb 2007 12:36:58 -0800 Comment by oudjagec nuibozvr nscz chzperk gmectus vromcfq svdjf ajgnkezm ehadjoquf

]]> oudjagec nuibozvr http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c648862 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/02/seattles_enviro_scorecard_not_bad_but_mo#c648862 City Sun, 25 Feb 2007 12:40:38 -0800