Our schedule for the Winter 2012 is:

• February 5 – drop by – it’s s’posed to be Sunny!!
• February 19 (demo day)
• March 4
• March 18 (demo day)

The second tabling each month is where we host demonstrations using tools from the Tool Library.   We also have the new West Seattle Walking Trails map and more Central District maps.

We’re here to help you with your questions about being more sustainable, about being a bit more green, and we’re here to take your left-over or under-used tools for the West Seattle Tool Library.

We also have the latest information on the many projects SWS members are involved with, including Permaculture and the Sustainable Film Series.  Concerned about earthquakes?  We have information on Emergency Preparedness here in West Seattle, as well as other community info from partners like CoolMom.

We’re tabling at the Farmers Market and working with the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance folks to keep a non-profit and green presence in the Market area.

If anyone is interested in tabling, drop by and leave your name and contact information and we’ll be happy to schedule you for a shift.  This is a great way to meet your fellow West Seattleites and a great way to make a better acquaintance with the farmers and producers who help keep the West Seattle Farmers Market such a great place to shop healthy and local.

Urban soil samples were collected and analyzed for dioxin/furans and cPAHs in the following six Seattle neighborhoods:

• South Park
• Georgetown
• West Seattle
• Capitol Hill
• Ballard
• Ravenna

The neighborhoods selected were intended to represent the range of historical conditions likely to be found in Seattle residential areas. Neighborhoods were selected based on presumed differences in land use history (industrial, non-industrial) and factors affecting deposition or accumulation.

The immediate take-away from this report is that residents of West Seattle have the least-toxic (dioxin and PAH) soils of these neighborhoods.  See abstract graphic from report below:

The kids may still be running through the sprinkler, but for us parents, back-to-school time is here, and along with it that nagging issue of school lunches. What can you put in that lunchbox that’s healthy, gentle on the environment and — importantly — that your child will actually eat?

The Environmental Working Group wants to help you feel good, not frustrated, about school lunches. So EWG staffers, including our in-house nutritionist, put together these tips to help you start the school year on the right foot for your child’s health and the environment — in just five easy steps.

Click here to learn more about each of these smart, doable tips for healthy, low-impact school lunches.

Stewart Wechsler discusses the uses of plants during Sustainable West Seattle event.

We’re very late (hey, we’re all volunteers!) posting a big thank you to Stewart Wechsler for leading our Urban Foraging Walk through Lincoln Park on July 18.

The event was one of our best-attended of the year and was an incredibly educational event. Those that attended will never walk through Lincoln Park, or any northwest forest setting for that matter, without looking at the surrounding plant life in a whole new way.

Stewart is an ecological consultant, nature guide and botanist who has placed a special focus on maintaining the beauty and native texture of this magical park. Stewart offers education programs, nature walks and has led many local kids on memorable field trips.

To invite Stewart to speak at your local school or organization or for advice on site-appropriate native plants that enhance our local diversity, call him at 206-932-7225. Stewart, thanks again!!

The Delridge Produce Cooperative also now has their own domain name - www.delridgeproducecoop.com. Please visit the site to view the DPC calendar, see what they’re up to, and view the produce prices by logging into the ordering database.

Delridge Coop has been rotating volunteer duties to call farmers, pick up produce, and sort orders, but still needs more Buyer’s Club members to join and help out. The more members we have, the easier the work – and the work is worth it. They’ve been averaging prices that are half as much as those one would pay for the same produce at the Farmers’ Market, so they’re buying organic produce for less than you’d pay for conventional produce at the grocery store. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to get involved in DPC, there have never been more benefits.

For those who don’t want to volunteer for the Buyer’s Club, the Coop is working on a plan to start selling produce to non-Buyer’s-Club-members along Delridge Way SW very soon (within the month of August). The prices for this produce will be higher than those for Buyer’s Club members, but still less expensive than Farmer’s Market prices!

This will be DPC’s first public produce stand selling locally-grown food, and it will be open to everyone. If you wish to get Buyer’s Club prices but are do not wish to be part of the Buyer’s Club, we still need volunteers to run DPC’s stand and to help work out a plan to bring it to fruition.

If you have experience with fundraising, produce market management, business, feasibility studies, marketing, or working with underserved populations, please call us at 206-271-1880, or  email at delridgeproducecoop@gmail.com, send a message on Facebook, or show up to one of DPC’s meetings – :00 every Tuesday at 7pm at the Delridge Community Center.  The next Buyer’s Club meeting is on August 9th at 7:00 pm at the Delridge Community Center and the pickup for that order is 12-12:30 pm August 14th. The online ordering system should be fully operational at that point, so if you don’t have comments on operations, feel free to skip the meeting and order online.

CHoSS welcomes new and past participants – both tree owners and volunteers!  There are several dates to sign up for but help is most needed in late August and early September with our unusually long spring affecting ripening cycles.  To volunteer your tree:  http://gleanit.org/treedonorform.htmland/or  or to volunteer, please email melissa@gleanit.org or sign up via the volunteer form here:  http://gleanit.org/project_harvest.html.  Most gleaning work parties are held in the early evenings and on Sunday afternoons for your convenience.  See you in the field!

Oxbow Farms in Carnation is such a place.  Their mission is to educate people on the importance of environmental stewardship and healthy food and to reconnect them to the land and our local sustainable food supply and to inspire all of us to take action in our daily lives and our communities.

At the heart of Oxbow Center is our 20-acre organic farm bordering an oxbow lake. This horseshoe shaped lake provides critical habitat for salmon and other wildlife. The lake is fed by the Snoqualmie River, which also brings rich Cascade glacial till to our soil. These energizing minerals are the roots of the valley’s food web and they course through the produce grown on our farm.

Since 2003 Oxboe has been partnering with Wild Fish Conservancy to offer environmental classes to school kids. In 2010 Oxbow established our non-profit with the main purpose of expanding our education programs to include seasonal classes on organic agriculture and environmental conservation.

Oxbow sells their produce at local farmers markets May to October, to local restaurants and through community supported agriculture. Their CSA provides members with a weekly share of produce from June through October and is the backbone of our farm.

If you’re interested, check out their website www.oxbow.org/ and go exploring to find about the Oxbow CSA, their farm, their educational programs and the cost to students.  If cost is an issue, Oxbow has sponsorship and scholarship programs.  There is also a summer camp available for kids.

The Committee’s recommendations will be forwarded to Parks and Recreation Acting Superintendent Christopher Williams, who will forward his recommendations to the Mayor and City Council. Seattle City Council is expected to approve project funding recommendations in March 2011. The project list is below.

The Parks and Green Spaces Citizens Oversight Committee developed the criteria for evaluating projects with guidance from the Levy Ordinance, and has gone through an extensive public process to recommend funding to the final projects located throughout the city.

Seattle voters approved the $146 million Parks and Green Spaces Levy in 2008. It includes a $15 million Opportunity Fund for community initiated development projects and land acquisition opportunities.

Highland Park Spray Park, Norhtacres Spray Park and 14th Avenue NW Park Boulevard are three additional community-initiated projects that will receive funding from other Levy sources. An estimated $1.5 million in 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy acquisition funds will be reallocated to the 14th Avenue NW Park Boulevard project. The goal is to convert two blocks on 14th Avenue NW (currently street right of way) from existing roadway and parking median into a community park with green infrastructure and safety improvements for pedestrians and cyclists. The community has prioritized this development project in lieu of acquiring additional property.

The two spray park conversion projects will receive a total of $905,000 in additional funding. This will allow for full water re-circulating systems which will provide better play experience and greater water conservation.

For more information please contact Susanne Rockwell at Susanne.rockwell@seattle.gov or 206-684-0902 visit the web at http://seattle.gov/parks/levy/opportunity.htm

First Round Opportunity Fund

2010 Levy Oversight Committee – Recommendations

(Project information is in the form of 1)District, 2)Project Name, 3)Budget Allocation, 4)Notes

CE - 19th & Madison Neighborhood Park - $473,000 -The intent of this project is to create a beautiful, tranquil green oasis in an urban setting, including a sensory garden and a community gathering space on what is currently a vacant lot.

CE - James Court Woonerf - $500,000 - The goal is to convert an existing street and sidewalk into a green, pervious space which invites and accommodates uses by people on foot instead of only cars. It would be adjacent to the newly acquired12th Ave Park which is in the planning stage.

CE - John Street Enhancement Project - $260,000 - This proposal enhances the new park and P-patch by adding a bioswale, planting area and providing better pedestrian connections.

CE - McGilvra Place Green Infrastructure - $364,000 - The project proposes closure of 15th Ave between E Madison St and E Pike St and modifications to the existing park for the creation of bioretention cells and rain gardens to accept runoff from the Cascadia Center’s new building to the east.

CW - Lower Kinnear Park Enhancement Plan - $750,000 - The project goal is to create enhancements that improve trails and signage, restore the native vegetation and make connections to other trails in the Seattle Parks system.

NE - Naturalizing Northgate - $500,000 - This project will refine and complete all remaining channel work in this park, thereby creating a healthier watershed with more controlled flow and plentiful native plants.

NE - University Heights, South Lot Park, Playground Gardens - $747,000 - The project goal is to produce a cost effective operation of a playground, open space, performance area, gardens and a plaza area for the public.

NW - Park Enhancements for Bitter Lake Reservoir - $287,000 - The project goal is to create additional open space and park-like atmosphere enhancements around the reservoir.

NW - The Troll’s Knoll - $685,000 - The goal is to create a model design of a sustainable park space. Proposed sustainable design features include the use of recycled materials, native plants, minimal earth movement, tree retention, storm water management, solar panels and wind turbines.

SE - Jimi Hendrix Park Development - $500,000 - The goal of this project is to complete the development of the park, bringing to life an open green space that is welcoming and provides an unique experience which clearly defines its namesake.

SE - John Muir Elementary PG Improvements - $270,000 - Construction of a new play area to replace existing one, including rain gardens, permeable surfaces and planting beds, native plant restoration.

SE - Lewis Park Reforestation - $260,000 - The project goal is to restore the steep slope area of the urban forest, increase the native plants and tree restoration.

SE - Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands - $500,000 - The goal of the project is to establish a unique green infrastructure development project transforming the Atlantic City Nursery into a working organic urban farm and demonstration wetlands restoration site.

SE - Santos Rodriguez Memorial Park - $350,000 - The project goal is to revitalize and make more effective use of the available space and to increase public awareness and access to the park.

SW - Puget Ridge Edible Park - $520,000 - The vision of Sustainable Puget Ridge is to create an urban community farm which is a neighborhood meeting place, a community food garden and a test site for environmentally conscientious sustainability.

The total funding for this round is $6,966,000.

Wondering what to do with the leftover fryer oil and kitchen grease after the big holiday feast? Don’t pour it down the drain – grease sticks to the inside of sewer pipes and can build up to such a point that it blocks the entire pipe, leading to expensive and unpleasant clean-ups.

The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks has partnered with General Biodiesel to provide residents with a safe, environmentally-friendly way to dispose of used cooking oil and grease so it can be recycled instead of ending up in landfills or drains.

During the holiday season, General Biodiesel will provide several convenient drop-off locations throughout King County where people can bring their unwanted cooking fats and grease. Locations are open 24/7, and there is no minimum amount. For a complete list of drop-off locations, visit http://generalbiodiesel.com/index.php/news/.

To ensure safe and secure transport and disposal of your fats and grease, King County and General Biodiesel suggest putting the cooled material from fryers, pots or pans in a sealed container.

At the disposal tank, slowly pour the grease into the collection container to avoid splatter and mess. Be sure to close the community collection tank lid when you’re finished. Take your own containers home and leave nothing behind but the oil you deposited.

• The King County Solid Waste Division (SWD) provides garbage transfer, disposal and recycling services for residents and businesses in all of King County, except for Seattle and Milton. SWD also provides household hazardous waste disposal options and recycling education programs for its residents. Learn more at http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/index.asp.
• General Biodiesel is a Seattle-based renewable energy firm that aggregates, refines and transforms regionally generated feedstock into sustainable fuel. The company tagline of Generating Positive Energy™ reflects both what they produce and their commitment to making a meaningful and measurable contribution to the environment, people and communities they serve.

Big storm last night, eh?

These type of storms aren’t that unusual in West Seattle, but they’re rare enough that we sometimes forget how powerful they can be.

So while you’re picking up branches and clearing storm drains, it’s also a good time to think about emergency preparation.

• Could you stay warm with no power in your house?
• Do you have enough food and water on-hand for a few days?
• Do you have a family disaster plan?
• How about an emergency supply kit?

There is some great advice about getting prepared on Seattle’s SNAP site (Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare).

Use this storm as a reminder and be prepared for the next one!