Greg Nickels

As Mayor of the City of Seattle, Greg Nickels has earned a national reputation for innovative leadership in many areas, particularly energy and the environment. On February 16, 2005, the Kyoto Protocol took effect in the 141 countries that ratified it, but not in the U.S. That day, Mayor Nickels challenged mayors across the country to join Seattle in taking local action to reduce global warming pollution. More than 800 mayors representing over 78 million Americans have accepted the challenge. One in four Americans now lives in a city committed to protecting our climate by reducing their greenhouse gas pollution. Rolling Stone called him the "Pied Piper" of mayors for his work to protect our climate and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded Mayor Nickels its 2006 Climate Protection Award. His many public service accomplishments include working to make government more efficient by reforming the city's transportation, protecting children from tobacco advertising, and preserving more green space. Mayor Nickels is in line to become President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2009.