Sure cities exploit natural resources. Duh. But if you took all the metropolitan areas in the world and put them on a scale of offenses per capita, you would find some cities way at the bottom of the list and others near the top.

Cities and Nature must coexist. Seattle has the opportunity to prove to the world that this is possible. Are we better than many other cities? Probably. Do we need to do more? Probably. Is it going to happen overnight. Nope.

To say it is impossible does not move anyone to action. Metronatural was simply a marketing campaign to help educate meeting planners outside the Seattle market about the diversity of experiences that await the people they send here.

In its first week it generated over $15 million in free advertising by appearing on virtually every major metropolitan newspaper's front page worldwide. It was also noted on SNL. I'd say the word Metronatural has done what it was designed to do.

Go take a bus somewhere. Save the planet. Or better yet, save the people... the planet will be here long after we are gone.