Underwater Theater

It is imperative to know how to protect Puget Sound from stormwater pollution, but it is also necessary to know what we are protecting.  Stormwater Theater will feature local underwater videos that show both what we are protecting AND what we are protecting it from.

The fight against Tox-Ick goes to the AIR!

Alaska Air that is.Tox-Ick.org is combining forces with Alaska Airlines award winning Green Team to offer our “Don’t Feed the Monster – Seven Simple Actions to help stop the flow of polluted runoff into Puget Sound” presentation as a brown-bag lunch for their employees and guests.This presentation from Tox-Ick.org, is made possible by a King County Wastewater Treatment Division Green Grant for business outreach  in the Duwamish River Basin and will take place on January 31, 2013To schedule a brown-bag lunch presentation for your business and learn more about the “Seven Simple Solutions”,  visit www.Tox-Ick.org or email Laura@tox-ick.org

Watch Sage Taber Talk About High School Rain Garden

Sage Taber and the Earth Service Corps at West Seattle High School led a ground-breaking effort to install a rain garden at their school.

(View on vimeo: Watch Sage tell the story)

Sage was originally inspired to do something about stormwater pollution after learning about the importance of the issue at an event held by Seattle’s Restore Our Waters.  She became a woman on a mission and determined to install a rain garden at her school f
or the twofold purposes of 1) mitigating pollution and 2) creating an educational feature at the school that could help future students learn how to reduce stormwater pollution.

Many people rallied to help Sage achieve her vision.  Members of the school’s Earth Service Corps, the Seattle School District, Sustainable West Seattle, Sustainable Seattle, Stewardship Partners, and Friends of the Cedar River Watershed (FCRW) all worked together to bring the idea to fruition.

Kudos to all – and to Laura James for creating the video documenting the hard work.

 

 

Sustainable West Seattle puts challenge to community

Sustainable West Seattle puts challenge to community  

$1,000 donation to Pathfinder K-8 School’s Earth Project at stake

WEST SEATTLE — Help Pathfinder K-8 School win $1,000 toward a rainwater harvesting system for its Earth Project!

Sustainable West Seattle will be giving its “Don’t Feed the Tox-Ick Monster” presentation at Pathfinder K-8 School Monday, Oct. 10 from 7-8 p.m. and is challenging Pathfinder to bring a crowd.

The challenge: If 40 or more adults show up to learn about protecting Puget Sound, then Sustainable West Seattle will donate $1,000 toward the school’s Earth Project. To help encourage turnout even further, free pizza will be provided. Pathfinder K-8 School is located at 1901 SW Genesee St.

Pathfinder K-8 School’s Earth Project aims to “empower students to discover their connections to the Earth, themselves, and one another” and is a collaboration between Pathfinder and the Nature Consortium — a nonprofit organization also based in West Seattle.

The School Garden is the most significant part of the Earth Project and has become an integral component of many of Pathfinder’s classrooms.  The garden affords opportunities to teach students about natural resources and healthy food. The rainwater harvesting system will help teachers educate students about the importance of conservation and the water cycle.

“This is a great opportunity to advance the school’s efforts to teach students about healthy foods and ecology,” said Bill Reiswig, parent of a Pathfinder student and a founder of Sustainable West Seattle. “All people have to do is show up for an hour and the school will get a gift toward a rainwater harvesting system. We’re trying hard to get the word out so that 40-plus adult community members show up.”

All West Seattle community members are invited to attend the hour-long event and enjoy free pizza. Sustainable West Seattle’s presentation will focus on actions each of us can commit to that help protect and restore Puget Sound. Audience members will learn about things like natural yard care, water retention systems, community volunteer opportunities, and more.  To learn more about the project, visit tox-ick.org.

About Sustainable West Seattle
Sustainable West Seattle is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that educates and advocates for urban sustainability in our local community.

SOURCES: http://www.tox-ick.org         http://www.sustainablewestseattle.org

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Contact: Cate White
cate@sustainablewestseattle.org  |  (646) 957-6225

Videos Capture Puget Sound’s Tox-ick Monster

Witness the beauty of the sea life in Puget Sound and the destructiveness of toxic runoff.  This four-minute video, directed and produced by local filmmaker Eric Becker in coordination with People for Puget Sound, features local diver, Laura James and her encounters with toxic runoff.

Toxic Runoff, Combined Sewer Overflow Pipes in Puget Sound
http://vimeo.com/20473194

If you have more time, Laura’s 16 minute video of underwater footage collected over 1 ½ years will help reconnect you to the magnificent world below the surface of Elliott Bay.

Your Help Is Needed for Duwamish River Festival – Aug. 27

The Duwamish River Festival 2011 is coming soon – Saturday, August 27th and volunteers are really needed.

Make this event more meaningful to you and help us make it more successful, efficient and smooth. Sing up and volunteer for the Festival day.

There is a wide array of volunteer opportunities and most of the shifts are short (2 hours) but feel free to sign up for more than one shift (you shall receive a prize if you do!).

Check out the different ways you can help and sign up using this link  to Volunteer Link’s website (you have to sign up for a free account as part of the process) http://bit.ly/oPRYVd. Continue reading

6th Annual Duwamish River Festival – SWS Will Be There!

down to the Duwamish Waterway Park, 7900 10th Avenue South in South Park, Saturday, August 27 for the 6th Annual Duwamish River Festival.

Sustainable West Seattle is one of the participants and we’ll be helping set up the festival from 9:00 am that morning and will be tabling and helping out when the Festival kicks into gear at noon through 6:00 pm.

Sign up for the Walk, Bike and Paddle events on Brown Paper Tickers.  This is a special 9:00 am event which begins at Seacrest Park in West Seattle’s Alki neighborhood.  You can walk, bike, kayak or standup paddle from Seacrest down the Duwamish Waterway to the Waterway Park.

The festival is free and will include live music, free lunch, kids activities, interactive booths,kayak and boat rides and more! Arrive in Seattle style and walk, bike, or paddle to the annual festival. Walk/bike/paddle participants receive an event shirt, a refillable water bottle, and a map at the start. Buttons will also be given at the Walk/Bike/Paddle finish line.

The Duwamish River Festival has been a summer favorite event in South Seattle since 2005, attracting hundreds of people each year.

Seattle’s Duwamish River is listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Superfund Site – one of our nation’s most toxic rivers.  The Duwamish River Festival is one way that the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/TAG ensures that River communities can learn about and comment on the River cleanup.

This year’s festival will feature updates on the Duwamish River Superfund cleanup, children’s art activities, kayak and boat tours of the river, local live entertainment and artwork, boat rides, free food, environmental health information, Bert the Salmon, healthy yard care, and more. Attendance is expected to be between 750-1,000 people throughout the day.

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Learn Local Watershed & Ecosystem Basics This Saturday

Join the Rain Water Walking Tour to learn local watershed and ecosystem basics.  People for Puget Sound is hosting this walk, which begins at the Home Depot parking lot –  7345 Delridge Way SW, at 10:00 am on Saturday, August 13.  The walk is co-sponsored by Sustainable West Seattle, Stewardship Partners, and the City of Seattle.

At the beginning of the tour you will learn about the ecology of the Longfellow Creek watershed, traditional polluted runoff management methods, and the effect of polluted runoff on local fish habitat.

The tour will then follow the legacy trail along Longfellow Creek, up 150 stairs, to the High Point neighborhood to view sustainable development solutions to polluted runoff. An optional discussion will conclude the event from 1:00 to 2:00 pm  at the High Point Community Center.

  • Learn about polluted runoff as the single biggest unaddressed source of pollution of Puget Sound
  • Learn about solution to help reducing the runoffs
  • Advocate to friends and networks to do the same
  • Become citizen activists campaigning for clean water

The tour is free and family friendly. Please wear comfortable shoes. This is an interactive walking tour. There are only 30 spots available so RSVP to Emily Fales at EMfales@uw.edu.  For more information call Franziska McKay at 206-382-7007, extension 161.

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Help Create California Avenue Rain Garden Saturday

Join Sustainable Seattle and Alleycat Acres in digging the first rain garden in the Russell Foundation-funded Sustainable Rain project.  Come help create a rain garden in West Seattle this Saturday, July 30, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at 5902 SW California Avenue SW, near corner of SW Juneau St.

Come help create this garden at a business/residence, protect the Puget Sound, and support sustainable businesses. Come for as long as you can, meet great folks, and learn about rain gardens.

Bring shovel (if you have), gloves, and water to drink. Bring kids if you can supervise them.

For more information, contact Amy Waterman,Project Lead,  amy@sustainableseattle.org, by phone at 206-719-0534.  Check out the Sustainable Seattle Stewardship Develpment at  http://www.sustainableseattle.org/programs/stewardshipdevelopment.[mappress mapid=”407″]

 

Walking Tour of Rain Water Solutions in High Point Area

People for Puget Sound, a non-profit group working to protect and restore the health of Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits through education and action, Has organized a rain water tour in West Delridge and Highpoint neighborhoods.

The tour will meet at Home Depot located at 7345 Delridge Way SW (between Orchard St & S Sylvan Way) Seattle, at 10:00 am Saturday, August 13.

The tour will follow the legacy trail along Longfellow Creek, through the local greenspace, and up the 150 stairs to the High Point neighborhood to view sustainable development solutions to storm water runoff. An optional discussion will conclude the event.

If you are interested in participating please contact People for Puget Sound intern, Emily Fales at emfales@uw.edu.

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