John Creighton on Volunteering with the Boy Scouts of America

Discussions about the Boy Scouts tend to revolve around the benefits young boys receive from the lessons they learn in the scouts. As an article in Wired makes clear, those benefits are hard to deny. Boys who participate in Scouts learn a significant amount about environmentalism, and they have the opportunity to explore the environment in real and tactile ways. Scouts also develop a pattern of service and volunteerism that could help benefit their communities when they reach adulthood. Additionally, they develop life-saving skills involving first aid and outdoorsmanship, and these skills could help these boys save a life in an emergency. While boys can definitely benefit from the Scouts, the adults who volunteer with the organization also benefit in ways large and small. John Creighton is one of these volunteers.

For many years, John Creighton was a board member of the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America. As a board member, he helped set policy for the Scouts in Seattle, and he worked hard to ensure that matters of funding and access were handled promptly. It was work he enjoyed, and through his volunteer work, he became one of an estimated one million adults in the United States who volunteer with the Scouts each year.

Adults who volunteer in this way, John Creighton Seattle says, have the opportunity to help young people in the community to succeed, young people who go on to become our next generation of leaders. Scouts need adult mentors who can take them on outings, provide them with lessons and supervise over their meetings. Scouts also need mentors: Adults who are successful in their communities and who still take time to give back to those who need their help in order to succeed. By volunteering, adults have the opportunity to work as good role models for young men, and that's something all adults can get behind. 

Port Commissioner John Creighton Explains the Role

As Port Commissioner, John Creighton is a public figure in Seattle, and he must run for election in order to obtain the job. As a result, people might be familiar with his name, and they might even be familiar with his face. However, it's also quite likely that people don't really understand what a port is, and what a commissioner is asked to do in order to help improve the port. This quick article may help to alleviate some confusion.

The Port of Pasco describes a port as a, " … municipal corporation, organized under state law and authorized by a majority vote of the residents in the proposed district ... The District can be as large as an entire county or as small as a city or town; its boundaries are defined when it is formed." A port, in other words, is an independent government agency that has specific borders that are defined by state law and voted upon by local communities. Under Washington State law, port districts also are governed by elected boards of commissioners.  Describing the governing structure makes a port just a bit easier to understand, but John Creighton says a quick peek at the operations of a typical port might make the distinction even more clear. The 75 public port districts in Washington State operate cargo terminals, cruise terminals, railroad and barge depots, grain silos, marinas, conference centers, tourism and recreational facilities among other operations [note: see www.washigtonports.org]  

A portcommissioner, John Creighton says, is a member of a board that's asked to oversee policymaking and budgeting for a port. It's an elected position, and at the Port of Seattle, those positions last for four years. Each commissioner has a vital role to play in setting policies for the Port of Seattle. 

Per John Creighton, Port of Seattle Green Initiative is Good for Business

It's commonly said that the environmental movement pits the needs of business against the opinions of the consumer, and in this battle, the business is bound to lose. This statement has become so omnipresent that the group Free Market America created a video to coincide with Earth Day 2012, and this video included the astonishing statement that the environmental agenda in this country has, "become an economic suicide pact." Given this rising tide of anti-environmentalism, it might be surprising to learn that Port Commissioner John Creighton wants the Seattle Port to embrace a strict set of environmental standards in the coming years. John Creighton also uses an interesting argument to sell the idea to those who might be inclined to disagree.

According to John Creighton, Seattle's pristine beauty is at risk if the Port does not work hard to implement clean air and water standards. It's a fact that in the past, ports were incredible polluters, and port officials would be remiss if they did not work to ensure that their operations stay in line with state and federal requirements regarding pollution and emissions. However, John Creighton also points to multiple studies that indicate consumer preference for items that are "green." For example, a recent study conducted by Doubleclick Performics found that when faced with a choice between products that are green and products that are not, 83 percent would choose the environmentally friendly option, and they'd be willing to pay up to 5 percent more for that product. It's clear, from studies like this, that consumers prefer to protect the environment, even if that means paying a bit more.

A port that is environmentally friendly might well boost profits, as consumers learn more about their green choices and they begin to examine the supply chains their products follow from the warehouse to the store shelves. Port Commissioner John Creighton wants Seattle to reap those benefits. 

Per John Creighton, Port of Seattle Green Initiative is Good for Business

It's commonly said that the environmental movement pits the needs of business against the opinions of the consumer, and in this battle, the business is bound to lose. This statement has become so omnipresent that the group Free Market America created a video to coincide with Earth Day 2012, and this video included the astonishing statement that the environmental agenda in this country has, "become an economic suicide pact." Given this rising tide of anti-environmentalism, it might be surprising to learn that Port Commissioner John Creighton wants the Seattle Port to embrace a strict set of environmental standards in the coming years. John Creighton also uses an interesting argument to sell the idea to those who might be inclined to disagree.

According to John Creighton, Seattle's pristine beauty is at risk if the Port does not work hard to implement clean air and water standards. It's a fact that in the past, ports were incredible polluters, and port officials would be remiss if they did not work to ensure that their operations stay in line with state and federal requirements regarding pollution and emissions. However, John Creighton also points to multiple studies that indicate consumer preference for items that are "green." For example, a recent study conducted by Doubleclick Performics found that when faced with a choice between products that are green and products that are not, 83 percent would choose the environmentally friendly option, and they'd be willing to pay up to 5 percent more for that product. It's clear, from studies like this, that consumers prefer to protect the environment, even if that means paying a bit more.

A port that is environmentally friendly might well boost profits, as consumers learn more about their green choices and they begin to examine the supply chains their products follow from the warehouse to the store shelves. Port Commissioner John Creighton wants Seattle to reap those benefits. 

John Creighton: Seattle Can Have the Greenest Port in North America

In 2011, due to the hard work Port Commissioner John Creighton and his colleagues had performed, the Seattle Port was provided with the Environmental Achievement Award from the Pacific Northwest International Section of the Air and Waste Management Association. This award recognized the Port's progress in implementing a variety of clean air and water standards, helping to ensure that the environment around the Port remained as clean and safe as it could possibly be. While this award was gratifying, for John Creighton, the Port has the capacity to do more. In fact, he believes the Port of Seattle can lead the way in showing how a port can be both sustainable and profitable. 

In the Port of Seattle Century Agenda, a list of goals the Port is attempting to accomplish within the next several years, Port Commissioner John Creighton and his colleagues suggest that the Port could reduce air pollutant emissions by 50 percent from 2005 levels, and that carbon emissions could also be reduced by 50 percent from 2005 levels. The Port also hopes to enhance 40 additional acres of habitat around the Port. These are ambitious goals, considering that the Port is already well within compliance levels for pollution set by the United States EPA. However, the commissioners believe that protecting the environment is vitally important, and that published standards may not go far enough to ensure the future well being of the air we breathe and the water we drink. By putting forward an ambitious goal, Port Commissioner John Creighton and his colleagues hope to ensure that the environment will be available for their children and grandchildren to enjoy.

Port Commissioner John Creighton is running for reelection in 2013, and he hopes he'll be allowed to continue his groundbreaking work on environmental protections and controls. He believes it's the best path forward for Seattle, and he'd like to be part of the team that makes this belief a reality. 

Port Commissioner John Creighton on Century Agenda Goals

If asked, Port Commissioner John Creighton could provide an entire speech about why he'd like to be reelected to his seat in 2013. He could site his effectiveness in office, his ability to bridge the gap between a diverse group of stakeholders, his work making sure the Port listened to and worked closely with the communities that surround the Port and his deeply held conviction that performing work in public office provides its own rewards. John Creighton might also provide one other reason for his campaign, and his hopes for reelection. The Port has put together a serious set of goals for the coming years, and John Creighton wants to ensure that they come to fruition.

According to the Port of Seattle website, the commission would like to add 100,000 jobs to the Port of Seattle, bringing the total number of jobs the Port provides to a whopping 300,000. Raising employment in this way means increasing air cargo volume, growing seaport container volume and increasing the economic value of maritime work. In addition, the commission would like to advance Seattle as a tourism destination, allowing more dollars to flow into the economy on a regular basis.

This is an ambitious agenda, and it's likely that commissioners will need to work closely together to ensure that all milestones and goals are met on a regular basis. They'll need to build strong links to the business community, and they'll need to ensure that residents of King County understand what they want to accomplish, and why it matters. Since John Creighton is well respected by both the business community and labor, the environmental community and neighborhood advocates, he is in an excellent position to handle these tasks. He also believes in the promise of Seattle, and would find it personally satisfying to see the influence of the city grow. 

Port Commissioner John Creighton on the Importance of Tourism to Seattle

It's easy to downplay the role that tourism plays in the economy of Seattle. After all, the city is best known for its bustling port, and it has achieved worldwide fame as the home of major businesses such as Amazon and Starbucks. It's not surprising that people think of Seattle as a place where companies come to set up shop, not a place where tourists spend their hard-earned money. In reality, according to Port Commissioner John Creighton, Seattle is heavily dependent on the tourism industry, and without those tourist dollars, the Port wouldn't be able to achieve the ambitious goals that it would like to meet in the coming years.

According to statistics published by the Seattle Convention and Visitor's Bureau, tourism ranks fourth in gross domestic product produced in Washington. In addition, the tourism industry supports almost 160,000 jobs, and in a tough economy, those jobs would be difficult to replicate or do without. Each tourist who comes to the city spends money on hotels, on food, on entertainment and on souvenirs. Each tourist also goes back home with stories of how amazing Seattle is and how terrific the trip was. It's easy to see why these tourists should be respected, coddled and encouraged to come back again. With each visit, these tourists have the opportunity to make Seattle's future just a bit brighter.

According to a Port of Seattle press release, the Port Commission approved a $50,000 investment in the Washington Tourism Alliance, a nonprofit established by the local tourism industry to promote Washington as the ultimate travel and vacation destination. With this investment, the Port hopes to help the Alliance to bring more tourists to the area. The funds these tourists bring with them can be used to create more jobs in Seattle, and help the city to meet its goals for sustainability and innovation. Find out more about the organization here.