A week of connection and collaboration across the Pacific Northwest helps shape Seattle’s Climate Action Plan 

What happens when community members, organizations, and climate leaders from across the Pacific Northwest come together for a week of collaboration? New connections, shared ideas, and momentum for the climate work ahead! 

Our team at the Office of Sustainability and Environment co-hosted several PNW Climate Week events this year as part of updating Seattle’s Climate Action Plan, a blueprint for how we will reduce pollution, prepare for climate impacts, and build a healthier city for everyone.  

Throughout the week, we brought together changemakers to talk about climate solutions and strengthen regional collaboration to tackle the work ahead. “Climate change knows no city limits, and neither can our solutions,” OSE Director Lylianna Allala said. The ideas, conversations, and relationships built throughout the week will help shape the Climate Action Plan.  

Our headliner event was the Seattle Regional Partners Forum, a 100-person-plus convening of partners from diverse sectors to help shape the Climate Action Plan. PNW Climate Week was like our climate World Cup, and it marked the end of our Climate Action Plan survey with more than 1,200 responses! Thank you to everyone who participated for your time and ideas. 

Director Allala helped kick off the week on July 13 at the opening ceremony at Seattle City Hall alongside Seattle Mayor Katie B. Wilson, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, and dozens of other leaders and partners. Dive in by reading more below! 

Building Seattle’s Climate Action Plan Together 

For the Climate Action Plan Regional Partners Forum, we brought together partners from academia, business, health, philanthropy, regional and Tribal governments, and community organizations at the University of Washington’s (UW) wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House, a space dedicated to supporting Native students and honoring Coast Salish peoples and the broader Native community. 

Director Allala welcomed participants, saying, “This work is deeply intersectional, cutting across technical emissions reduction and public health efforts, to boots-on-the-ground community building and planting, and so much more. Our work is stronger when it connects to yours.”  

Through presentations from UW’s Climate Impacts Group and UW Medicine, a gallery walk, discussions, and more, participants explored topics that will guide Seattle’s Climate Action Plan. These conversations covered a range of climate priorities, including climate-ready buildings, clean transportation, reliable clean energy, resilience, ecosystems and water systems, waste reduction, food systems, careers, public health, and mor

Through interactive workshops, small groups discussed two climate topics at once, emphasizing how expertise in one field can benefit another. For example, people at the food and transportation table came from a variety of backgrounds, and together, they identified how public health and food access linked these two topics, which sparked climate action ideas.   

As part of PNW Climate Week, we hosted a Regional Partners Forum at @UW's Intellectual House where we brought together 100 leaders from across the region to collaborate on Seattle's Climate Action Plan update. 📢Take the survey https://t.co/1iCyflNFq3 pic.twitter.com/9G1iNSl8l6

— Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment (@SeattleOSE) July 16, 2026

These insights will help guide the next phase of Seattle’s Climate Action Plan, and we look forward to continuing to build partnerships to help put it into action. 

Over the course of the day, many people told us that they felt inspired after connecting with so many others working on climate solutions. They shared that working on climate challenges in their day-to-day work often feels disheartening, but coming together helped them see how their work intersects with others and how energized people are to make progress together.  

We are grateful to everyone who shared their time, expertise, and perspectives, including Tribal leaders, City Council and Mayoral staff, our colleagues across City departments, and our partners across communities and sectors. We also want to thank the interdepartmental Climate Action Work Group, with special thanks to our Climate Action Plan Manager Narita Ghumman, Climate Justice Director Sara Cubillos, Climate Data & Policy Manager Ani Krishnan, and many more team members. 

A Week of Collaboration and Leadership 

Earlier in the week, Mayor Wilson highlighted how climate action advances her vision for a livable, affordable, and thriving Seattle. She shared that climate solutions create neighborhoods with cleaner air, more accessible green spaces, efficient and climate-ready homes, and good jobs that strengthen the local economy.  

“Climate solutions are affordability solutions,” Mayor Wilson said. “Climate action touches all of these areas of life. Updating our Climate Action Plan will give us a roadmap to help implement this vision.” 

Mayor Wilson introduced Governor Ferguson, who highlighted the importance of regional collaboration and Washington’s work toward a cleaner future through the Climate Commitment Act and hybrid electric ferries. He also celebrated Seattle for its amazing natural spaces, vibrant communities, commitment to climate action… and for being a great World Cup host city!  

The opening ceremony featured climate solutions already underway. Our buildings and energy director, Sandra Mallory, joined a panel on regional climate leadership. She shared how Seattle’s Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS) law is reducing emissions while expanding workforce opportunities.  

OSE’s Building Decarbonization Grants program is currently accepting applications,  offering up to $4 million to support owners of community-serving buildings to reduce emissions. Policies and programs like these help advance the goals of the Climate Action Plan, which emphasizes climate solutions at all scales.  

At the closing event, Director Allala introduced U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal. Reflecting on the hurdles to making climate progress at the federal level, she emphasized the power of organizing through convenings like PNW Climate Week. “Strength emerges during our greatest times of crisis,” Representative Jayapal said.  

Climate Action Takes All of Us 

There were more than 100 events in Seattle for PNW Climate Week, and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), Seattle City Light, Construction and Inspections, Office of Economic Development (OED), and other departments participated in many. Seattle REconomy, SPU, OED, the Lake City Business Alliance, and community celebrated the opening of Reuse Commons Lake City, a new hub for reuse and repair. 

As we close out this bustling week of climate activity, we look forward to carrying the ideas, relationships, and momentum from PNW Climate Week into Seattle’s Climate Action Plan update. Stay updated by signing up for our newsletter!  

Many thanks to PNW Climate Week volunteers, staff, and president Jason Huff!