Edmonds Sustainable Building Panel

Yvonne Kraus, Project Manager, was invited to participate in a panel about green building best practices, organized by the City of Edmonds. She spoke about the various sustainability strategies other cities in the region have undertaken.

My Edmonds News covered the meeting:

The final panelist was Yvonne Kraus, a project manager with O’Brien and Company, which developed a sustainability strategy for the City of Shoreline and an economic sustainability strategy for the City of Kirkland. Kraus presented several city projects she has worked on, with budgets ranging from $20,000 to $100,000. In Shoreline, which had the largest budget, the company developed an Environmental Sustainability Strategy emphasizing green community infrastructure and green building. In Ellensburg, where the city owns its utility, the focus was on energy, specifically clean and cheap energy to support business development. Kirkland’s idea, “Green and Local Economic Development” encourages shopping closer to home. Sammamish chose to prioritize Habitat Protection and a Healthy Community, with a sustainability plan that focused on what they could control while suggesting other ways to encourage community involvement. Even small steps with a small budget for a small community can provide results, by setting realistic goals and keeping it fun, Kraus said.

Read the full article.

Learn more about the following sustainability strategies:

• City of Kirkland
• City of Shoreline