Environmental Sustainability

Snohomish County is home to some of the most beautiful natural environment in the country. Our rivers, streams, mountains, Puget Sound, forests, and coastlines are second to none. Protecting these natural resources is a priority of Snohomish County government. 

Councilmember Nehring is committed to preserving the beauty of Snohomish County's environment and promoting environmental sustainability. Read below to learn more about some of these initiatives.

In the 2022 budget, Councilmembers Nehring and Mead pushed for investments to move the county's vehicle fleet to electric vehicles where feasible. As a result, the County Council appropriated $2.2 million to replace existing vehicles and equipment with electric vehicles.

This is an ongoing process to evaluate the costs of replacement, savings over the life of the vehicles, and infrastructure costs to implement fleet electrification.

Clean Energy Resolution

The County Council and County Executive adopted Councilmember Nehring's Resolution 19-006, Committing to a Goal of 100% Clean Energy by 2045. 

The resolution states that the County will attempt to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2030 and an overall goal of clean energy by 2045. The resolution also identifies the intent of the county to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, increase its use of clean energy, limit greenhouse gas emissions, and develop a new Clean Energy Plan for County government. 

Recycling
Kayak Clean Up

Snohomish County has also committed to waste reduction efforts through Councilmember Nehring's Resolution 19-015. Through this resolution, the Council identified initiatives to reduce waste throughout county operations including the Zero Waste Initiative at the Evergreen State Fair, increasing recycling and composting in County facilities, and encouraging the use of reusable water bottles. 

In 2014, the Evergreen State Fair launched its Zero Waste Fair Initiative. The initiative is aimed at reducing the waste created by the 350,000 visitors to the annual fair. The effort includes the deployment of 3-stream waste stations in lieu of traditional garbage cans. These waste stations include bins to separate waste into compost/food waste, recycling, and garbage/landfill. The stations also include educational signage to help inform visitors on what can go into each bin.

In the first year of the Zero Waste Initiative, approximately 40 tons of waste was diverted from landfills and since then, over 50 tons of waste is annually diverted during the fair. 

SnoCo Tap Initiative

In 2019, Councilmember Nehring partnered with Zero Waste Washington to promote the "SnoCo Tap" campaign. The SnoCo Tap campaign is an effort to encourage the use of refillable water bottles rather than plastic water bottles. The campaign also helps to educate the public about where they can conveniently refill their water bottles at public locations and private businesses.