PAGELER ELECTED TO INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE
Seattle City Council member will serve as only U.S. representative
SEATTLE — Seattle City Councilmember Margaret Pageler has been elected to the Executive Committee of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a worldwide group of municipal leaders who discuss and promote environmental measures. Pageler is the only representative on the 21-member executive committee from the United States, and one of three members from North America.
“Many of our city’s most noteworthy environmental accomplishments are attributable to Councilmember Pageler and her ability to get the support for her initiatives from both her Council colleagues and the citizens of Seattle,” said Mayor Greg Nickels in a statement nominating Pageler to the position.
The City Council’s senior member, Pageler is current chair of the Water & Health Committee, which oversees Seattle Public Utilities. She previously served as chair of the committee that oversaw City Light. Pageler has led efforts to monitor and reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions and led water conservation efforts that have reduced the City’s water use to 1970 levels, despite 20 percent population growth. She credits fellow Council members Heidi Wills and Richard Conlin in particular for their efforts to move Seattle’s environmental work forward.
Pageler was born in China and raised both in China and Taiwan. She has represented Seattle in several international forums on environmental issues, including a recent presentation she gave on municipal utility systems at the Third World Water Forum in Osaka, Japan. She is a member of the Board of Public Health – Seattle, King County, the Regional Water Quality Committee, the Puget Sound Regional Council Growth Policy Committee and is past chair of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
ICLEI was established in 1990 to create a strong role for local governments in the worldwide movement for sustainable development and promotion of environment-friendly programs. More than 445 cities, town and counties participate in ICLEI.
“It would be great for cities if our national governments would provide leadership in environmental policy, but that is not the case, in the U.S. or elsewhere,” said Pageler. “In fact, most leading-edge conservation, environmental protection and forward-thinking programs are being developed at the local level and shared through organizations like ICLEI.”
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