Join Sustainable West Seattle in restoring the Puget Sound
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The Problem:
Puget Sound is sick. Polluted runoff from sealed surfaces like paved streets, sidewalks and rooftops is the number one source of toxics entering Puget Sound each year. This toxic mix threatens human health, the economic vitality of the region, and the survivability of the Sound’s most emblematic species: salmon and orcas.
The Solution:
The good news is that as our local community members can adopt behaviors that will reverse the damage to Puget Sound and restore it to health. Our citizens are the stewards of the same streets, sidewalks and rooftops that convey 14 million pounds of pollutants into Puget Sound each year. Pollutants include motor oil, pesticides, fertilizers, grease, paint, heavy metals, and bacteria.
Join US
As a member of the Stormwater Outreach Group, you can help Sustainable West Seattle teach hundreds of our neighbors about simple actions they can take to become stewards of Puget Sound.
We have developed a 45-minute presentation that we are taking to local community centers to teach people about the problem of polluted runoff, and what they can do to solve it. If you’d like to help advance this outreach effort, contact Cate White at cate@sustainablewestseattle.org
Six Simple Actions
There are simple actions people can take to become stewards of Puget Sound. Among the most important are:
- Keeping water on-site with rain barrels, rain gardens, and porous surfaces,
- Practicing natural yard care,
- Picking up pet waste,
- Walking, biking, or riding public transit instead of driving,
- Planting and protecting native evergreens, and
- Using car wash facilities instead of washing cars on driveways.
Learn more about these six steps to becoming a responsible steward of Puget Sound.
To GET INVOLVED with SWS’s Stormwater Program, email: cate@sustainablewestseattle.org