For many in our region, King County is a great place to live, learn, work and play. Yet we have deep and persistent inequities – especially by race and place – that in many cases are getting worse and threaten our collective prosperity. Launched by King County Executive Ron Sims in 2008 and formalized by Executive Dow Constantine and the Metropolitan King County Council via ordinance in 2010, Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) is an integrated part of the County's work, and is supported by the ESJ Office since it was established in early 2015.

King County's green building policy has included equity and social justice as an important factor for successful sustainable development. It is essential to achieve a triple bottom line in sustainability. King County has developed a menu of equity and social justice efforts that can be integrated in capital projects. These strategies are applicable to all capital projects, regardless of which green building rating system is used.

• All projects must utilize and fulfill the ESJ Credits Download PDF 350 K
• Review the ESJ Credits Comprehensive Guidelines Download PDF 300 K to ensure compliance

King County is Leading with racial justice

King County is prioritizing racial justice as part of our government work overall and implementation of our Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Strategic Plan. We are intentionally leading with racial justice to confront the historical and racial inequities that continue to exist in our community and our organization. These racial inequities affect all of us and our ability to live well and thrive. Learn more about our commitment to racial justice.