Thank you.

Another year, another event. But for us, this year was particularly special. Our friends at Herban Feast once again granted us use of their beautiful space, complimented with great food and drinks, tempting auction items, and live music that served as a perfect backdrop to endless opportunities for networking and reconnecting. But that’s not even the best of it. Richard Conlin generously stepped up as our guest speaker and spoke eloquently and passionately about ECOSS. Jim Borgen, our perennial emcee, served us once again, adding humor and poignant personal anecdotes about his involvement with ECOSS over the years. And the video! ECOSS, in tandem with the good folks at More Dust than Digital, worked tirelessly to produce a simple, honest video to capture who we are and what we do – and you responded! We raised more money during our Big Ask for ECOSS than we have in years.

When the last dollar was pulled out of the raffle envelope and after all pennies were counted from the tip jar, we ended up raising nearly $50,000 in support of ECOSS. We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you.

Please maintain the momentum of the event and forward the ECOSS video to friends and colleagues. We look forward to seeing many new faces at next year’s event. Watch it online now.

Relive some of the best moments by browsing the photographic documentation of the event on our Flickr page.

We would love your feedback about the event! Please take a few minutes to fill out our very short survey.

You will receive follow up information in the next week if you purchased an item or made a donation at the event. If you have any questions please feel free to call Elise at 206.767.0432 or email elise@ecoss.org.

We love South Park Arts!

South Park Arts is hosting it’s 5th Annual Winter Sale, Art Under $100, in the Old Firehouse (where ECOSS’ offices are!) on December 5th, from 4 – 10pm. I was pretty excited to see the lineup of artists – a lot of familiar faces will be there selling their art. According to their Facebook page, there will be wine, hors d’oeuvres, live music, and an art raffle every 30 minutes! Please bring cash or check.

Support local artists! See you there!

-Elise

We’re famous!

I’m working on our event recap so I can accurately portray how incredible our 16th Annual Benefit really was. I don’t want to give anything away quite yet, but I would like nothing more than to share this little part of it with as many people as possible. Our sincerest thanks to our friends at More Dust than Digital for capturing just what exactly we do in our little South Park office…

This is why there have been fewer blog posts lately…

This is it, folks. It is almost here! In just two days, the ECOSS board and staff will be joined by hundreds of our members and supporters for an evening of fun and networking, all in support of ECOSS . We are less than 20 tickets away from selling out, and if you don’t buy ‘em now we can’t guarantee you can get in at the door. If you’re interested in supporting ECOSS, we’re telling you- this is the most fun way you can do it! If you haven’t heard, included in the ticket price ($65 for ECOSS members and South Park residents and $75 for the general public) is an amazing offering of the best local food from Herban Feast, local beer and wine, live entertainment, and a few other surprises… Buy your tickets TODAY!

The details of the event are as follows:
Date/Time: October 29th from 5:30-9:30pm
Location: Herban Feast, located at 3200 1st Avenue South in Seattle’s SoDo district
Click here for a map to the venue
Attire: Business Casual
For a list of auction items please click here
More details and the low-down on how to buy tickets are on our Special Events page

If you have any questions or concerns, or if you would like to buy tickets over the phone please contact me at elise@ecoss.org or call 206.767.0432.

See you on Thursday!

– Elise and the staff at ECOSS

South Park’s own “River City Skate Park” is about to ROLL!

(Taken from the Georgetown listserv)

Hey there South Park, Georgetown and all,

Please come out for the Cleanup event at River City Skate Park on November 1 from 10am to 2:00 pm. The Skate Park is the one we’ve all been waiting for on Cloverdale adjacent to the 99 underpass. The project stewards have been working behind the scenes for many moons to get a skate park in South Park, now they need us to help break ground for construction. We are going to cut the brush, clean up the edges, and clear the weeds from around the trees. We need to whip the site into shape before the big machines show up in earnest.

Dress warmly, bring water and snacks, gloves, and tools for cutting brush (weed eaters, clippers, etc.) We will have the tools and gloves from the Neighborhood Center, coffee from All City and snacks provided by ECOSS. Please RSVP if you can bring weed eaters, brush cutting tools, or wheelbarrows so we know in advance if we need to find more of these tools. Send responses to: signalradio@…

Many, many thanks!

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Hey there South Park, Georgetown y todos,

Por favor acudan al evento de limpieza de la “River City Skate Park” de noviembre 1 de 10 am a 2:00 pm. El Skate Park es lo que todos hemos estado esperando. Situado en Cloverdale y 99. Los gestores del proyecto han estado trabajando durante muchas lunas para conseguir un parque de patinaje en South Park, ahora tenemos que ayudar a romper terreno para la construcción. Vamos a cortar la maleza, limpiar los bordes, y claro las malas hierbas de alrededor de los árboles. Es necesario que el látigo del lugar en forma antes de las grandes máquinas por venir.

Use ropa abrigada, llevar agua para beber, guantes y herramientas para la eliminación. Tenemos algunas herramientas y guantes, café y aperitivos. Por favor, confirme si puede llevar comedores de hierba extra, desbrozadoras, o carritos.
Enviar respuestas a: signalradio@…

Muchas, muchas gracias!

-Lora Suggs

Note: ECOSS proudly supported River City Skate Park by donating all the proceeds of our Spring Member and Donor Appreciation party to the cause. Go South Park!

Moving beyond sustainability: The Interface story

This morning on my way to work I was, as per usual, listening to KUOW. The guest was Ray Anderson, author of Confessions of a Radical Industrialist and retired CEO and founder of Interface, a commercial carpet company.

In 1995, he described his vision to his company: to be both sustainable and profitable. He asserted that the path to sustainability lies in rethinking the entire industrial system. Under a new system, ecological awareness would be a requirement, based on the belief “to take nothing from the Earth that can’t be replaced by the earth.”

In order to do this, Anderson set measurable goals (like cutting greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel consumption, waste, and water use) and led his business by the mission “doing well by doing good.” He has reduced his businesses waste by over a third over the last fifteen years. In fact, since 2003, Interface has “manufactured and sold over 83 million square yards of carpet with no net global-warming effect.” Through the company’s Mission Zero project, they are striving for a zero environmental footprint by 2020.

Many Seattle business owners called in, bemoaning the effects of the tanking economy on their green business efforts, begging the question: are sustainability and capitalism mutually exclusive?

ECOSS thinks not! With our no-closed-door policy, our free and confidential services are available to business owners and individuals who aim to incorporate sustainable practices in their business models or in their homes. We can help you reduce waste and consumption with the bottom line in mind.

-Elise

South Park Farmer’s Market needs your feedback

Taken from the South Park listserv:

Hello South Parkians! The Folks who put on the South Park Market on Wheels this year are looking for community feedback. We would like your input so we can make it even bigger and better next year. Please let us know what you liked, what you wished you would have seen, how you felt about the 10-3 time ect. and in general how we can better serve the community. You can email the listserv if you want to stir the discussion or just email me personally at silentlydreaming@hotmail.com. I will record all comments and bring them to our next meeting. Also we will need volunteers in the not too distant future to help us with the planning for next year, so if you interested in helping us out send me your contact info. Thanks so much, and thank you to all of you who came and supported us!

Brownfields Redevelopment Conference – October 14th

October 14, Tacoma, WA (with a pre-conference Project Funding Workshop on Oct. 13)
Brownfields Redevelopment Conference. Presented by Northwest Environmental Business Council, U.S. EPA Region 10 Brownfields Team, and Washington Department of Ecology, this conference brings together the diverse parties that need to work in concert to transform contaminated properties into economic success stories – with an agenda that emphasizes the manner in which multiple disciplines need to be integrated into a project from start to finish. The theme of “Building Sustainable Communities” responds to the growing interest by communities to rethink development models in ways that reflect sustainability principles and reduce their carbon footprints. This creates a new context for developers and increases the importance of public/private partnerships. At the same time, the conference explores how these goals must align with the economic realities of the property development marketplace. For more information visit www.nebc.org. Sponsor and Exhibit opportunities are also available.

I can’t believe it’s almost October!

Port of Seattle’s Duwamish River 101 – Wednesday, September 23rd

The Port’s educational series kicks off this month, and ECOSS and partner organizations will be on board to help answer questions. It’s a great way to learn more about the Superfund site in our backyard and what’s being done to clean it up. And who doesn’t love a free, almost-three-hour tour?

• Wednesday, September 23
• Check-in: 3:45 p.m.
• Program: 4:00 – 6:30 p.m
• Location: Bell Harbor Marina, Pier 66
• Partners: Environmental Protection Agency, Duwamish River Clean Up Coalition, Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, Muckleshoot Tribe
• Capacity: 200

Come see the Duwamish industrial area where more than 80,000 people work for an annual payroll of $2.5 billion. This waterway is not just essential for jobs, but provides critical habitat for fish and wildlife. Government, community and business efforts have combined to make the waterway flow cleaner into Elliott Bay. You’ll board a floating classroom to learn about marine industrial commerce, the legacy of past industrial activities, fish and wildlife habitat restoration, and Superfund cleanup plans.

Register for the series or download the flyer here.