Washington Ports & PUDs Symbiosis Study Tour to Denmark
September 27 - October 3, 2026
Ports as a Powerhouse for Regional Development
The Center for Sustainable Infrastructure, the Washington Public Ports Association and the Washington Public Utilities District Association are partnering to bring leaders from Washington's Ports, PUDs, and top Washington State Legislators to Denmark this Fall to see Industrial Symbiosis in action! Thank you to our sponsors at the Scan Design Foundation for their generous support!
Industrial symbiosis, pioneered in Denmark, is a ground-breaking approach to infrastructure and economic development, where one sector’s wastes - energy, water, and materials - become valuable resources for other businesses.
This Ports and PUDs tour is inspired by our successful 2025 Washington Ports Symbiosis tour, which demonstrated that ports make ideal IS park hosts and highlighted frequent collaborations between Danish ports and multi-utilities. Delegates will meet the industry leaders, project developers, and port officials who are utilizing Industrial Symbiosis to benefit the economic value, competitiveness and sustainability of Danish Industry.
While multi-utilities are common in Denmark, they are less so in the US. PUDs are uniquely positioned to bridge utility silos to maximize resource sharing and efficiency. PUDs provide one or more community services; in Washington, PUDs can provide electricity, water, sewer, and telecommunications services, and they are authorized to produce and distribute renewable hydrogen and thermal energy.
Ports are charged by the state with promoting economic development in their communities, and many manage industrial parks that host an array of business activities. IS offers an innovative approach to managing those industrial assets, and makes Ports and PUDs natural partners in this work.
A group of ~25 politically and geographically diverse WA legislators, Port Commissioners/Directors, and PUD Directors/Managers will participate in the tour. In partnership with the WPPA and the WPUDA, CSI will strategically recruit a balanced, bipartisan delegation of 8 Washington state legislators, along with up to 7 Port and 7 PUD leaders. We will strive to match Ports, PUDs, and legislators from the same communities to ensure shared investment in implementing IS projects and infrastructure improvements.
A key goal of this year's study tour is to educate and inspire our delegates to translate their Danish learnings into action back at their home districts, reshaping many millions of dollars of capital investment to realize the economic and sustainability benefits of industrial symbiosis.
About the Study Tour
Alumni Testimonials
Our 2026 Washington Delegation to Denmark will be made up of a bipartisan cohort of elected officials from the State of Washington, leaders and commissioners from Washington's public ports and public utility districts, and a small number of select business leaders and solutions providers with relevant connections to the subject material.
The study tour tuition of $5,800 includes 6 nights of housing in excellent single-occupancy hotel rooms, all breakfasts, lunches, and most dinners, transportation within Denmark, all entry fees, and all programming and coordination for the tour duration.
Delegates are responsible for their roundtrip airfare to Copenhagen. We recommend the SAS nonstop route from Seattle to Copenhagen, available Friday September 25th with arrival in Copenhagen Saturday morning and returning to Seattle on Saturday, October 3rd.
We are able to assist with arranging additional hotel nights at our starting and finishing hotels at a discounted rate. Please inquire for more information.
