The “Pin Your Pledge” wall by Amazon invited participants to commit to sustainability and climate solutions. (Bloomberg Live photo)
The Bloomberg Green Festival brought a big climate-solutions agenda, big names and big energy to Seattle.
“The festival was buzzing,” says Marc Berger, DH’s Executive VP in the Puget Sound and part of the DH team that helped Bloomberg put on the summertime event.
“It felt right for that to be happening in Seattle — for sure, this was a reflection of Seattle’s leadership in the climate space.”
Now that the buzz has quieted, what’s next? The work facing Seattle is to keep building on that big energy.
The four-day climate conference focused on technology and innovation along with the climate economy, greener living and green policy. Big-name local companies including Amazon, Alaska Airlines and Providence provided support.
Speakers and performers included Stacey Abrams, Sue Bird, the environmentalist drag queen Pattie Gonia, and more than 100 others focused on climate solutions. Participants built relationships and learned about innovative green technologies, renewable energy and sustainable business practices.
This year’s event was the first. But we’re excited about the possibilities ahead. Bloomberg Green in Seattle could establish itself as an annual event to bring people and ideas together, doing for climate solutions what SXSW in Austin does in the tech and culture space.
Many climate solutions are already underway in Seattle — a major draw for Bloomberg as it sited the inaugural event:
- The sustainability-forward Climate Pledge Arena demonstrates how large venues can be part of the solution.
- Seattle startups are leading with breakthroughs in energy science.
- Gov. Jay Inslee’s climate agenda focuses on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning Washington toward a clean energy economy.
“The Bloomberg Green Festival reflected that momentum – that image of Seattle as a climate leader and a hub of climate innovation,” Marc says.
There’s more opportunity to engage more people, companies and organizations — for the good of the city and region as well as the planet. That takes leadership from all sides.
“We’re energized to make sure the festival wasn’t a moment in time,” Marc says. “Let’s make sure it’s a seed for ongoing activity and activism, following Bloomberg’s lead and building off the innovation in our region.”