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Sammamish Commission plans bigger outreach for 2026, schedules Puget Sound Energy and EnergySmart Eastside briefings
Summary
Sammamish City’s Sustainability Commission reviewed 2025 outreach results, set an event and newsletter calendar for 2026 (including farmer’s market, Earth Day and July 4), and arranged presentations from Puget Sound Energy (March) and EnergySmart Eastside (program report and volunteer signups).
The Sammamish City Sustainability Commission on Jan. 6 reviewed last year’s outreach and sketched an active 2026 engagement calendar, including a planned Puget Sound Energy presentation in March and deeper collaboration with the regional Energy Smart Eastside program.
Rose (city sustainability staff) told commissioners that the city recorded about 1,700 direct resident interactions across nearly 19 events in 2025 and published 32 social posts. “This is the sustainability work plan for the biennium,” Rose said, explaining the mix of completed deliverables (the 2025 Sustainable Sammamish guide) and ongoing programs such as EnergySmart Eastside and recycling events run with Issaquah partners.
Why it matters: commissioners said clearer metrics will help target city efforts. One commissioner asked whether the city can estimate how many of the roughly 22,000 Sammamish households have heat pumps; Rose said the city bases adoption reporting on building permits and will invite Puget Sound Energy to discuss what data it can provide. Rose also said a full EnergySmart Eastside program report and a volunteer information session (Feb. 4) will be shared with the commission.
Details and outreach tactics: staff highlighted that recycling events are held in partnership with Issaquah and Olympic Environmental Resources and noted limits to tracking attendee residence at shared events. The commission discussed quick, event‑appropriate engagement tools — for example, a two‑tier “sustainability wheel” with basic and advanced prompts — and urged using newsletters and targeted pre‑event messaging to improve turnout and understanding of recycling rules.
Digital accessibility and social reach: staff flagged new ADA accessibility requirements for videos and PDFs that could affect social Reels; communications manager Angie is coordinating compliance. Rose pointed to a jump in impressions in 2025 and said engagement rates remain flat, suggesting outreach should emphasize in‑person tabling at high‑traffic events and clearer calls to action.
Next steps: Puget Sound Energy will be invited to present in March about GreenPower and whether neighborhood‑level usage or adoption summaries are feasible. EnergySmart Eastside will deliver a program report and has openings for trained volunteers to serve as energy advisors. The commission will continue to refine the event calendar and the sustainable Sammamish guide ahead of Earth Day and summer events.
The commission approved the December minutes earlier in the meeting and adjourned at about 7:59 p.m.
