Peak Sustainability Group

Are you passionate about sustainability or working in the field? Don’t miss our upcoming Sustainability Social Hour—a casual, quarterly networking event where folks in and around Whatcom County passionate about sustainability gather to connect, share ideas, and enjoy a local beer garden. This free event is all-ages and dog-friendly, so feel free to bring your family and furry friends! This event is co-hosted by Sustainable Connections , RE Sources, and Peak Sustainability Group #Sustainability #Networking #Climate #Environment #Jobs #BellinghamEvents #Whatcom #Skagit #IslandCounty #GreenCommunity #SupportLocal

Peak is represented by our co-owners, David and Allison Roberts at the AWC's Annual Conference in Vancouver, WA this week. They've gone on several tours and learned about the revitalization and funding of cities, and the City of Vancouver, Washington's efforts in #sustainabletransportation. It's wonderful to be back to conferences where we can attend in person and have conversations with colleagues about their mutual concerns, challenges, and solutions!? #WAcities2024 #WashingtonCities #municipalinnovations #sustainablecommunities

This could be a big step towards unlocking funding for projects that make communities more resilient in the face of extreme heat and smoke events.?? This would be especially welcome in Washington state, where prior to the 2021 heat dome, just "53 percent of households...used some form of air conditioning," one of the lowest rates in the country, second only to Alaska. (https://lnkd.in/gPbh4XcJ). Communities reliant on open windows for cooling are especially vulnerable to health hazards when extreme heat and wildfire smoke events coincide. #climatefunding #extremeheat #heatdome #wildfiresmoke #naturaldisasters #climatechange #climateresilience #climateadaptation

How does a country address the relocation of people who can no longer live in lowland areas or the islands of their ancestors? An entire island will be rendered unlivable because permanent flooding of their homes from rising sea levels. It's not the last, but it is the first. See what Panama is doing to relocate them to new residences. While this addresses the human need for safe shelter, what will this mean for their way of life, community cohesion, and future economic prospects? https://lnkd.in/gkpg2CNf

Trees are sending "a silent distress signal... A warning written in wood." Trees don't lie when the chronology of their tree rings shows the impact of drought due to changes in climate. The rings show the effects of weather conditions each year, but the rings over time point to changes in climate. It's a fascinating study area similar to those done with ice cores that also point to our planet's changing climate over time - especially since the Industrial Revolution.

Join us and our friends at Sustainable Connections and RE Sources for our next Bellingham Sustainability Social Hour event on Tuesday, June 18th, from 5-7pm. #networking #sustainability #climateaction #sustainabilityprofessionals

How can clean, quiet wind energy be harnessed and incorporated into our infrastructure and natural landscape without massive wind turbines? New York-based designer, Joe Doucet, tackled that challenge with a new concept: a Wind Fence. This fence uses modular vertical wind turbines to capture wind energy. The key is to maximize energy production on-site, not in a non-centralized manner. When eight helical blades operating simultaneously are precisely arranged, the 14-foot long Wind Fence generates about 2,200 kilowatts of energy annually. The Wind Fence doesn't try to match the energy output of a single 400 or 500-foot tall wind turbine. The Wind Fence applies a concept known as distributed energy generation. It's similar to incorporating solar panels onto a rooftop. But it mitigates the huge expense and energy loss of centralized generating systems that require swaths of land devoted to huge transmission lines. Instead, energy generation is close to where it's needed. Solutions like this one are more resilient too. Just imagine how hotels, corporate buildings, real estate firms, and institutional building owners could incorporate this into their design with renewable energy generation in mind as well as pleasing aesthetics and public optics. https://lnkd.in/dgjuHQGR

?? Of this $40 million, $1,317,042 will be coming to the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County to support electrification of homes and businesses! ? It's great to see this Climate Commitment Act funding coming to our community and many others across the state to help folks protect against extreme temperatures and reduce emissions, especially as summer approaches. ?? At Peak, we've helped communities, businesses, and other organizations chart their course to a more sustainable future, and identify funding sources like this to make it happen. ? How ready is your organization for climate change and sustainability? Get your questions answered by selecting "Get Started" on our website! #electrification #climatechange #climatefunding #climatecommitmentact

Happy National Maritime Day! We're excited to see this PNNL resource for Port Electrification come out, supported by several Ports on the Salish Sea, including our local Ports of Bellingham, Anacortes, and Seattle! Electrifying ports is a big undertaking, but as this handbook highlights, one that can bring environmental, economic, and resiliency benefits. #cleanports #electrification

ICYMI: We have a general funding round open to support the planning, design, and construction of clean energy projects across Washington. Approximately $34 million in grant funding is available for eligible project types and applicants. Project areas include: ? Electric grid modernization and innovation ? Innovative large-scale and dual-scale solar ? Solar energy retrofits for public buildings ? Clean energy project siting and permitting ? Building, industry, aviation, and maritime decarbonization ? Clean energy projects that leverage private and federal funding ?? Join a pre-application conference this Thursday, May 16 at 3 p.m. Register: https://bit.ly/3yipHWB Grant applications are due Friday, June 14. Get full details: https://bit.ly/3UDRJ6o