What can I do locally to combat  Global Warming?  Actually, a lot. In Washington State, Greenhouse gases  come primary from how much we drive, and our energy use.

Both of which are decided by the decisions we make with new buildings.

King County Executive Rom Sims proposes that new constrution in King County reduce its emisions by up to 15%.  According to an article in the Seattle Times,

"In an age of global warming, we all have to do our part to reduce the carbon released into the atmosphere and we need to prepare for the impacts we already know are coming," Sims said.

[If approved by the County Council, the ordiance] would apply to large apartment projects, residential subdivisions and commercial projects such as shopping centers and large stores. Most single-family homes, short plats and small stores wouldn't be affected.

Developers could meet the new standards through a combination of measures, including improved insulation, energy-saving appliances, greener building materials, better access to buses and facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Several cities, including Dallas, San Francisco and Baltimore, have adopted carbon-restricting regulations, said Sims' strategic planning director, Jim Lopez.

This proposal is an example of the sorts of things local government can do to reduce greenhouse gases.  With buildings having a useful lifespan of 50-75 years, how we build and where we build can have huge impacts on climate change.

Another global warming bill proposed in the legislature, Transit-Oriented Communities, make sure that development is in sync with investments we are making in transit.

Updated: the Stranger has a great writeup on Futurewise's transit-oriented communities bill here.