City of Olympia

Congratulations to the City of Olympia, the Thurston Green Municipality of the Year!

About

As the Capitol City of Washington State, Olympia is a bustling hub that offers residents and visitors an incredible place to live, work, and play. With its beautiful parks, marinas, and festivals, as well as a mix of local and national businesses, diverse music and culture, and exciting entertainment options, there's always something new to explore and enjoy in Olympia.

But even as we celebrate our vibrant community, we also recognize and honor the indigenous people who have stewarded this land since time immemorial. The Steh-Chass Band of Indigenous people of the Squaxin Island Tribe have a rich history and culture that has shaped our community, and we are committed to working in partnership with them to create a more equitable and sustainable future for all.

How has COVID-19 changed your organization’s sustainability efforts?

As a result of COVID-19, the City's sustainability efforts have undergone significant changes. With many employees transitioning to remote work since March 2020, the number of individuals driving to work and during work has decreased substantially. This, in turn, has led to a reduction in the energy used to power City buildings and vehicles.

Fortunately, the City was able to facilitate this transition smoothly thanks to updates to our telework policy. This policy now allows every employee to work from home, provided their job duties can be completed remotely. In a post-pandemic world, the City remains committed to encouraging staff to telework whenever possible.

Where have you been the most successful in your green business practices? What have been the biggest challenges?

The City of Olympia isn't content to simply talk about sustainability - they're putting their money where their mouth is by championing sustainable procurement practices. From purchasing recycled copy paper to investing in electric vehicles, the City is taking a proactive approach to promoting a more sustainable future.

But their efforts don't stop there. The City has also been retrofitting their facilities to meet highefficiency energy standards and installing solar panels to reduce their carbon footprint even further. By doing so, they're not only promoting fiscal responsibility, but also supporting local economic growth, preserving natural resources, and meeting their social responsibilities.

As a member of the Washington State Purchasing Cooperative and other national government purchasing cooperatives, the City of Olympia is also leveraging their purchasing power to influence sustainable purchasing solutions on a larger scale.

The City of Olympia has made significant strides in its commitment to sustainability by using the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) to report on the City's commitments under the Global Covenant of Mayors

(GCOM), Cities Race to Resilience, and Cities Race to Zero. To measure our emissions community-wide and for city operations, we follow the US Community Protocol.

Despite these successes, there are still significant challenges to overcome. With a large and diverse workforce spread out across various buildings and locations, it's not always easy to get everyone on board with green business practices. While some are already committed to sustainability, others need to be taught, encouraged, and reminded to adopt these practices consistently.

Tell us more about your buying & selling green practices. As part of its ongoing sustainability efforts, the City has been steadily integrating digital signatures and electronic approvals into its various business processes. This has allowed for contracts, invoices, reports, and City Council records to be reviewed and approved electronically, greatly reducing the need for physical paper documents.

Over time, the City has made significant strides towards paperless operations, with more and more processes being conducted entirely digitally each year. These efforts have led to tangible reductions in both paper use and carbon emissions, helping the City to make significant progress towards its sustainability goals.