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Environment
The Redmond community is passionate about the environment and committed to actions that preserve our natural resources and maintain our high quality of life. Redmond residents, “want to live, learn, work and play in a clean and green environment."
Learn About Redmond’s Environment
The City dedicates 7% of the City budget to ensure that Redmond is a place where all can thrive in a clean and green environment. Programs include:
- Protection of environmental water quality (surface, storm and groundwater)
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- Urban watershed and stream restoration
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- Recycling and composting
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The City’s environmental initiatives of Water, Air & Energy, and Land include a diversity of policies, programs and projects. Keep scrolling to learn what the City is doing and what you can do to make a positive impact.
Water
- 1,000-ft of logs in streams installed annually
- More than 90 City monitoring wells measured twice a year
- 1,360 gallons of hazardous materials removed and properly disposed of by businesses
- Groundwater is 5 to 15 ft below the ground in Downtown
- Redmond water bodies = > 50 miles of streams; two major creeks; Sammamish River; & Lake Sammamish
- Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas – April 2019 update to groundwater protection areas and new map
- Temporary construction dewatering operating policy revisions and stakeholder outreach
- Mackey Creek and Bear Creek stream restoration
- Evans Creek relocation
- Redmond Paired Watershed Study
- Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (B-IBI) sampling, or bug sampling
- Stormwater Technical Notebook update and stakeholder outreach
- Source Control
- Environmental Water Quality Protection/IDDE Program (Complaints, Concerns, Spills, Investigation, and Compliance)
- Private Drainage Inspection Program
- Surface Water Monitoring Program
- Wellhead Protection Program
- Business Pollution Prevention Technical Assistance
- Groundwater Protection inspections
- Dispose of chemicals properly - nothing but rain down the drain
- Scoop and dispose properly of your pet’s waste
- Fix car leaks – Even a small leak can have a big impact - fixcarleaks.org
- Use natural yard care – Chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides can make their way into our groundwater - growsmartgrowsafe.org
- Safely dispose of hazardous waste – Products such as motor oil, cleaning solvents or pesticides should never be dumped on the ground - hazwastehelp.org
- Identify environmental water quality concerns and report them to the Spill Hotline at 425-556-2868
- Understand that indoor sewer drains go to wastewater treatment facilities and outdoor drains go to lakes, rivers, and streams
- Volunteer at fall planting events - https://forterra.org/subpage/green-redmond-partnership
- Store hazardous materials in secondary containment and cover
- Stage spill kits at all hazardous materials storage areas and loading/unloading areas
- Have a spill plan - Train employees what to do and who to call in the event of a spill
- Clean up spills immediately and report to the Spill Hotline 425-556-2868
- Minimize the use of toxic cleaning solvents and switching to safer alternatives
Make sure to check out the "Keep Redmond Clean and Green" page for more details.
- Total community GHG emissions for 2017 was 685,000 tons eCO2
- City operates 3 plug-in hybrids, 2 all-electric Leafs and 21 propane bi-fuel vehicles
- Government GHG emissions for 2017 was 5,060 tons eCO2
- Recycling events
- Conversion of sport field lighting to LED
- Retrofitting City facilities to energy efficient lighting
- Energy improvements at Redmond Pool
- Green fleet program
- Go Redmond commute program
- Energy conservation program
- Participation in PSE’s Green Direct Program
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions tracking for both government operations and the community-at-large
- Energy consumption tracking (both electricity and natural gas) for city facilities and the community-at-large
- Electric vehicle charging stations deployment
- Replace driving trips with biking, walking, ridesharing, teleworking or taking the bus. Combine errands to reduce trips - GoRedmond.com
- Buy local - ExperienceRedmond.com
- Replace light bulbs with LED bulbs
- Use reusable water bottles
- Recycle and compost
- Get rebates from Puget Sound Energy for purchasing Energy Star products and implementing energy efficiency improvements
- Drive an electric or hybrid vehicle
- Participate in PSE’s Green Power Program
- Install solar panels on your roof
- Organize a community solar project
Air & Energy
Land
- Current Redmond residential waste diversion rate is 67%
- Current Redmond commercial/business waste diversion rate is 36%
- Current Redmond multi-family waste diversion rate is 30%
- Code updates for tree preservation
- Restoration of forested parkland
- Canopy additions (1 acre in 2017-18; 4 acres in 2019-20)
- Educate and provide tools and incentives for residents and businesses to recycle and compost, and reduce waste
- Tree canopy program
- Management of City street trees (nearly 8,000)
- Green Redmond Partnership
- Care of public landscapes
- Volunteer with the Green Redmond Partnership - GreenRedmond.org
- Plant trees
- Use reusable bottles and coffee cups
- Use rechargeable batteries
- Buy items with recycled content
- Set up recycle bins in your office and/or home
- Compost all food scraps in your organics/yard waste cart
- Recycle ink and toner cartridges
- Reduce food waste by buying only the food you need - creating a meal plan can help
- Take expired and unwanted medicine to a King County medicine return location - KingCountySecureMedicineReturn.org
- Properly dispose of hazardous waste at a King County hazardous waste collection facility or event - www.HazWasteHelp.org