Three years into my first term on the Port of Seattle Commission I wrote a story in the Stranger to give its readers a glimpse of the Port’s many facets. My goal was to increase a broader audience’s appreciation of the Port and the influence of the Commission to set policy. As a marine scientist writing in an alternative publication, I likened the Port to a giant octopus with its tentacles stretching through our region’s economy and environment.
While I caught a bit of flack from my colleagues for that analogy, I meant the comparison to be quite positive. Like the octopus, the Port is smart and stealthy.
My wide-ranging schedule last Wednesday illustrates the multifaceted organization I was “hired” to help guide.
My day started with a conference call of the Recreate Responsibly Coalition, a statewide group committed to providing sustainable access to the great outdoors. Major cuts in the federal budget are making this a particularly challenging season for natural resource managers. The Port is working to support groups engaged with outdoor recreation and travel through the development of eco-tourism programs. That’s why we recently funded a project to promote sustainable travel to Snoqualmie Falls.
After the call, I drove to Terminal 46 in SoDo for a press conference The Northwest Seaport Alliance hosted to celebrate the first deployment of our new electric drayage and medium-haul trucks. Designed and built by Washington’s own PACCAR, the new trucks are an important step toward cutting pollution in near-port communities and helping the Port of Seattle’s tenants reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Before leaving, I spent a few minutes speaking with an engineer from PACCAR about the capabilities and advanced technology in the new trucks. You can watch the 3-minute video on the Port’s YouTube channel.
From there, I drove up to the Pacific Science Center to meet with their executive team to explore the possibility of partnering with their workforce training initiatives, a central part of the Port’s mission.
They gave me a tour of the Science Center’s Maker & Innovation Lab, a place where kids learn new skills through hands-on tinkering with all kinds of materials. This experiential learning is a step towards developing what the Norwegians call “smart hands” and that could lead to employment in the maritime or aviation industries.
My last event of the day involved fostering our relationship with the federal government, which is increasingly important these days. I attended an early evening reception, hosted by the Coast Guard and the organizers of Seafair, aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Eagle. It’s a beautiful, 295-foot tall, three-masted barque. Built in 1936, the U.S. military took it as a “war prize” from Germany at the close of World War II. Now it’s used as a training vessel for cadets and to elevate the profile of the agency’s responsibilities.
As fellow members of Seattle’s maritime ecosystem, we share a commitment to maintaining our strategic positions along Elliott Bay and creating good-paying jobs on our working waterfront.
While my schedule may seem like a string of unrelated events, it wasn’t. Like I said, the Port has many arms and every day we’re making a positive impact somewhere.
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