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Resilient Communities

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Climate change impacts are already happening in Shoreline. Like other cities in the Puget Sound region, Shoreline is experiencing:

Hotter temperatures and more frequent extreme heat events that last longer
More frequent and severe wildfires and wildfire smoke events
More localized flooding from short, intense precipitation events

An infographic using green icons on a blue background to show that Shoreline is experiencing climate change impacts like hotter temperatures, more fires and smoke, and extreme rain and flooding.

Climate change highlights and amplifies existing social and racial injustices. Our frontline communities experience these climate change impacts most severely and often have less access to resources and services to prepare and adapt to them.

Building off of our 2020 Climate Change Impacts & Resilience Study, the Climate Action Plan focuses on addressing the impacts of urban heat, wildfire smoke, and flooding on vulnerable community members. The Plan outlines a series of actions to increase our ability to adapt to current and future climate change impacts, prepare for climate emergencies, and increase awareness of what a changing climate means for our city.

Shoreline's Resilient Communities Programs

Climate Change Impacts & Resilience Study

In 2020, we assessed the vulnerability of Shoreline’s community, environment, and infrastructure to various climate change impacts. Vulnerability describes whether and how systems and people are affected by climate impacts and how well they can adapt to climate impacts. Understanding what, and who, is most vulnerable in helps us to prioritize people and systems that are most at risk from climate change.

We used our findings when we developed our 2022 Climate Action Plan to ensure we created and prioritized actions that address the greatest climate risks and key vulnerabilities. We also created an interactive website to visually show how our local and regional climate has changed historically and how it is projected to change in the future in terms of temperature, precipitation, flooding, and sea level rise.

Interested in learning more? Explore how climate change impacts our:

Prepare for Climate Emergencies

We created an annex to the County's Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Our supplement to the County's plan provides long-term strategies for reducing the impacts of disasters in Shoreline such as earthquakes, floods, fires and landslides. Disasters take a heavy toll on communities by destroying life, property, critical infrastructure and natural systems. They can also disrupt local economies, sometimes permanently. Shorelines Hazard Mitigation Annex represents our commitment to creating and maintaining a resilient community if disaster strikes.

We are also working with the cities of Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell and Woodinville to fund a North King County Severe Weather Shelter to serve our unhoused populations overnight in severe cold or snow.

Fund Community Projects

To increase Shoreline's resilience to climate change, we fund community-based climate projects through our Environmental Mini-Grant program. We have updated the focus of the program to prioritize supporting efforts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare our community for change impacts through education, art, and more.

Do you have an idea for a community project, but need funding to make it happen? Learn more about our Environmental Mini-Grant program and guidelines today! Your project could get up to $5,000!

Students learning about climate change impacts on our local waterways as part of a project funded by the Environmental Mini-Grant program.

Update the Surface Water Master Plan

We are currently updating our Surface Water Master Plan — a strategic plan that will guide our Surface Water Utility projects and programs to ensure less flooding, healthier streams, lakes, and Puget Sound, habitat for salmon, and more. We are working with Shoreline community members to understand your priorities and concerns related to:

Flooding issues
Large pools of rainwater in roads and neighborhoods that impacts residents
Protecting natural waterways
Planting trees and creating greenspace
Community programs that help protect our environment

You can learn more about about our work and then tell us how we can make Shoreline a better place to live, work, and play in the Surface Water Utility Report 2024: Master Plan Update.

What You Can Do

Prepare for Climate Impacts

One of the best defenses against natural disasters and extreme weather events is to be ready for them before they happen. Working together, we can build a disaster-resistant community and lessen the impacts of extreme weather events caused by climate change.

Know How Climate Affects You

Learn more about how climate change may affect where you live so you know what steps to take to reduce risks to your home, health, and neighborhood. Check out these resources to get you started:

What is climate change?
Climate change impacts in King County
Climate impacts on water, ecosystems, forests, coasts and oceans and human health and society

The University of Washington's Climate Impacts Group published several interactive websites to illustrate the effects of climate on five major topics in the Northwest:

Be Ready for Extreme Weather

Ensure your household is prepared for extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and flooding events, as they can cause power outages, flooding, and other hazards. Learn how to:

Protect yourself on smoky days
Prepare for hot weather
Stay safe during and after a flood
Respond to a power outage
Help your children know what to do and how to take care of themselves during disasters using humor-filled coloring and activity books

Make an emergency kit and family plan for managing those disruptions.

Volunteer During Emergencies

Get involved with the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program to help our community during emergencies. If a disaster occurs in Shoreline, our firefighters and police officers will immediately be overwhelmed with requests for help. They may not be able to meet the needs of all residents during the hours and perhaps days following a disaster.

The CERT provides you with the skills you need to serve safely and effectively as part of a first response team in your own neighborhood. CERT teams save lives and protect property that otherwise would be lost following a disaster.

Learn more about joining the Community Emergency Response Team.

Community emergency response team members in front of a bright red fire truck.

Some members of the Community Emergency Response Team in 2018.

Support Our Community

From increasing awareness of climate change to supporting local businesses to foster a connected, vibrant community, you can contribute to a resilient Shoreline in many ways!

Apply for an Environmental Mini-Grant

Each year we fund community-based climate projects through our Environmental Mini-Grant program.

Do you have an idea for a project that helps our community and the environment? Apply for a Mini-Grant! Your project could get up to $5,000! Learn more about our Environmental Mini-Grant program and guidelines today!

Students taking water samples on a field trip at Boeing Creek

Elementary school students learn about the importance of water quality and the impacts of climate change in a project funded by Environmental Mini-Grant program.

Join a Community Garden & Buy Local Foods

Community Gardens

Gardens are havens for diverse bird, insect, and plant life. They also provide a source of food for residents. Shoreline’s Twin Ponds Park and Sunset School Community Gardens offer opportunities for you to get your hands in the soil to support habitats and our community. Planting strips are another area where residents can plant vegetables and other plants. Learn more about these opportunities on our Community Gardens webpage.

Garden beds at the Twin Ponds Community Garden.

Shoreline Farmers Market

To reduce your carbon footprint and support a connected, vibrant community, consider buying food from a local farmers market. Open during the summer months, the Shoreline Farmers Market offers a variety of fresh Washington produce and organic meats. It also provide community programs such as interactive videos and in person activities to teach our younger generations the value of farmers markets. View the Shoreline Farmers seasonal schedule at ShorelineFarmersMarket.org.

Green Your Business

The EnviroStars green business program recognizes and assists businesses with all aspects of sustainable operations, including recycling and waste reduction, energy and water conservation, transportation options and hazardous waste. EnviroStars is open to businesses of any type or size and is especially designed to help small businesses and businesses owned by people of color and women. Recognized businesses are listed in a Green Business Directory and can gain additional recognition benefits by completing more actions.

Explore simple steps to green your business and learn more at EnviroStars.org.

Say Yes to Natural Yard Care

Go natural! You can create a beautiful landscape that is easier to care for and healthier for your family, pets, the Shoreline community, and Puget Sound by:

Go to NaturalYardCare.org for more info and instructional videos on each of these steps.

If you ever need natural solutions to your garden problems, the Garden Hotline offers individualized solutions that are practical, safe, effective, and natural. Their services are FREE to home gardeners and landscape professionals throughout Seattle and King County. They can help you reduce waste, conserve water and resources, and minimize chemical use while creating a vibrant landscape. The Garden Hotline staff also research, write articles in many languages and teach classes. Go to GardenHotline.org to learn more.