This household-based project involved installing CFLs and educating individuals about conserving electricity through the use of efficient light bulbs, showerheads and faucet aerators.  ECOSS continued its tradition of multi-cultural outreach by providing this free service in Amharic, English, Spanish, Tigrigna, Vietnamese and 10 other languages!  These trained staff members visited more than 7,500 homes throughout the two year program, and helped educate community members understand ways to “green” their homes and basic water conservation tactics

How many people does it take to screw in 100,000 light bulbs? The team, left to right: Osman, Benito, Ramiro, Satish, Jin, Sophorn, Jackie, Moges

The effects are huge, especially when adding up results of all partners in the program, in addition to ECOSS.  Just ask Seattle City Light who will receive a savings of 13 million kWh for this year alone, enough to serve over 1400 Seattle area homes! This will save participants in the program a combined total of $1.2 million per year on their light bills. A few other impressive numbers include over 10,400 efficient showerheads delivered and over 360,000 energy efficient light bulbs installed from Shoreline south through Burien within more than 20,000 homes in Seattle City Light territory throughout the course of this program.

The report of this successful project boils down to a fairly simple idea: to bring the green movement to the homes of the citizens of Seattle.  However, the efforts and commitment of ECOSS’s staff members should be applauded.  This was no easy task, and the apparent environmental and economic repercussions balance the educational message that saving energy means saving money and uniting our community.

If you or anybody you knows lives, manages, or owns in an apartment building that Seattle City Light provides service to and wants to help save money and save energy with the multi-family program, call ECOSS at 206-767-7004 or email john@ecoss.org.

Chase volunteer hard at work!

What do you get when a non-profit, a bank and a government agency join forces?  A lot done in a very short time!  On Friday, September 16, ECOSS teamed up with JP Morgan Chase Bank Corporation and Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to help spruce up the South Park business district as part of King County’s United Way Day of Caring (UW DOC) – and what a sprucing it got!  For five hours, 24 desk jockey volunteers from Chase, alongside SDOT and ECOSS employees, sweated, toiled and grinned their way to replanting the tree wells along 14^th Avenue South.

South Park resident and landscape architect, Meredith Hall, had dreamed of installing drought resistant plants along the street for more than a year.  Collaboration with ECOSS and UW DOC program, her vision finally came to fruition.

Because the trees are part of the SDOT right of way, ECOSS needed permission to do the planting. Working closely with SDOT personnel, a plan of action developed that created a safe working environment for the volunteers, as well as access for watering, and plant and mulch delivery. SDOT will continue to water the plants through the fall until the rains come, to ensure that the plants get well-established.

Logistically, we also needed a location for the volunteers to meet, space to house plants and compost, and water for the plants once installed. South Park Discount Foods donated their parking lot for the day for our meeting location. Ms. Nguyen at Bias & Sewing Co. allowed us to house plants overnight.  Compost was staged at SP Plus Transportation and Loretta’s. SDOT provided a 200 gallon tanker truck of water, but that only covered about 20 tree pits. So several businesses stepped up to provide water, including SP Plus Transportation, Napoli’s, and South Park Groceries.

A Chase volunteer gets ready to plant!

In addition to getting the plants installed, it was our hope that the project would connect some Seattleites who didn’t know of South Park’s existence to the neighborhood and its businesses. To this end, Chase bank provided Napoli’s pizza for lunch, and ECOSS provided some wonderful cookies from Pasteleria y Panaderia La Ideal.  Chase volunteers also lifted a few brews after the event at Loretta’s, and have vowed to return for a weekly lunch, as well as happy hour.

ECOSS and the South Park community would like to extend a huge “THANK YOU” to SDOT, the local businesses, and most especially the Chase employees who volunteered their work day to spruce up South Park!

A plot on 14th street before the Day of Caring...

Beautified!

Chase volunteers outside of South Park Discount Foods

ECOSS Executive Director Kevin Burrell and Associate Director Elizabeth Loudon thank the Chase volunteers and lend a hand!

Purchase locally grown veggies, fruit and herbs. We now have lettuce, sour cherries, garlic, radishes, green onions, kale, flowers, herbs, and more for sale.

If you plan to attend, have a particular interest to suggest, or wish to volunteer your expertise, please let us know so we’ll be ready for you. The more the merrier!

Market Day Schedule:
2-3pm Greens Cuisine
An original salad or dish is prepared and shared.
3-4pm City Kids
We sing songs, play games, read books, plant stuff.
4-5pm Garden Culture
Grownups get to learn something new about gardening.

Directions:
600 S Director St.
Seattle, WA 98108

Directions in Google Maps

Look for our table under the big trees.
If you have trouble finding us out there, please feel free to call:
Amanda 206-963-9428
Christina 206-307-4860

ECOSS, The Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center and EnterpriseSeattle are partnering to create a workshop that is aimed at industrial businesses to help incorporate sustainability into their business plans. This workshop will help evaluate, design, and implement sustainable practices within your business operations. We’ll hear from experts and industry leaders on how to create, update or revamp your business plan to stay competitive and proactive. To register for this FREE Sept. 20th 2011 workshop click here.

Visit our website to learn more. To learn more about the impact your business has on the environment fill out a CO2 impact worksheet and sign a CO2 reduction pledge.

P.S. Check out ECOSS staff member Bill Pease in a Seattle Times article on Seattle’s South Park: http://bit.ly/r0nIUo

Who should attend? What topics will be covered?

The workshop will provide important information and resources geared to help Washington State Industrial General Stormwater Permit holders effectively implement their permits. The target audience is decision makers and field staff from businesses and municipalities who oversee and implement the permit. Attendees who are new to the field as well as seasoned stormwater practitioners will both benefit from attending this highly interactive workshop.

Key topics include: Washington stormwater regulations for industrial facilities; recent permit changes; SWPPP & SPECP development; effective sampling, monitoring, reporting and lab QA/QC; Best Management Practices (BMP’s); and case studies highlighting key strategies for industrial facilities.

Workshop Format

The workshops will go from 9-4:30, with an hour break for lunch:

Interactive classroom component the first day. On the second day, participants get the opportunity to go out in the field for hands-on instruction.

Click here to sign up or contact us at alex(at)ecoss.org.

Future Workshops

Yakima: September

Olympia/Tocoma: October

Everett: November

Seattle: December

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in North Seattle/Shoreline/Richmond Beach area, and spent summers in the San Juan Islands.  My parents still live in the same house I was raised in, and we still have our summer place on Lopez Sound – two amazing homes to grow up in!

What were you doing before you came to ECOSS?

I was the Executive Director of a small non-profit called the Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force that performed salmon habitat restoration and watershed education in the Stillaguamish and Snohomish River basins.

What do you do day-to-day at work?

I have a diverse day-to-day schedule:  I outreach to small and medium sized businesses to provide stormwater pollution prevention and education through one-on-one site visits or group presentations; I assist the ECOSS Fund Development Manager with membership drive and event development; I am the point person for ECOSS for the Duwamish River Festival in August; and I am the go-to person for information on noxious weeds.

What has been your favorite/most rewarding project at ECOSS?

With only a month under my belt, that is difficult to say, but I have enjoyed filling in as needed to support different activities and projects, as I like diversity in my work and enjoy team work.

If you could change one thing about Seattle, what would it be?

A better mass transit system – I have travelled around the world, and our system just doesn’t make the grade compared to other countries and other large cities around the US.

Favorite spot in South Park:

I have three:

1. Duwamish Waterway Park – I love the outdoors!
2. South Park Neighborhood Center – such a sense of community!
3. Café Via Vade – their vanilla chai lattes are the bomb!

What do I like to do outside of the office?

Spend time with friends and family, bike, hike, visit the San Juan Islands, travel, and photograph the amazing natural world we live in.

Biggest goal for 2011:

To enjoy my new job, live life fully, spend more time with friends and family, and travel!

Stephen Reilly

What were you doing before you came to ECOSS? I have worked for Non-profits since moving to Seattle in 1997 as a Community Organizer, Youth Program Developer, Project Manager and Grant Writer.

What do you do day-to-day at work?  As the Fund Development Manager it is my responsibility to raise money for ECOSS through charitable donations, membership fees, grants and contracts.

What has been your favorite/most rewarding project at ECOSS? My Favorite project to date has been working with our East African outreach staff on developing a program that will train and educate childcare providers in the Amheric and Somali communities about toxic hazards.

If you could change one thing about Seattle, what would it be?  Never having won a World Series title.

Favorite spot in South Park:  Delta Marine during a launch party.

What do I like to do outside of the office?  I like to spend time with my family, grow food and fish.

Biggest goal for 2011:  Finish remodeling my basement, and raise a lot of funds to support the great work that ECOSS does in the community.

Photo by Sally Phnouk

Last Friday on a warm, breezy May afternoon, Marra Farm, South Park’s community-run farm, saw some hustle and bustle with kids painting, planting flowers, stuffing scarecrows and running around playing games. Healthy Foods for South Park, the partnership of our very own ECOSS, Solid Ground’s Lettuce Link, and the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, hosted a mural painting event at Marra Farm in South Park. The event was a success, with over 80 people, students and families from South Park, showing up for the festivities.

We have had the event in the works since March when we went to Concord for our healthy foods art contest.  Only 20 pieces of art were chosen for the mural design, however, we have displayed the students’ artwork at the South Park bridge opening Cinco de Mayo event. We also plan to display all the artwork at Market Night, May 26^th at Concord and various pieces at the South Park library. Check them out as you walk by on the corner of Cloverdale and 8^th Ave.

Some highlights from the mural event include planting flowers into old shoes, stuffing

Finished Mural

scarecrows with old t-shirts and the best part of all, munching down on some healthy snacks, guest appearance by a bag of yellow baby carrots. We had a group of woman called the Service Girls volunteer to supervise the painting chaos. They excelled at maintaining peace and order, and, above all, keeping the paints organized. Not an easy task with over 20 kids painting at the same time! One member of their team actually helped fund raise for the shipping container the previous year, having her service at the farm come full circle! Other help we had included an interested sustainable agriculture student from all the way up near Lynwood, and AppleCorps members, a program of Solid Ground that collaborates with schools, community groups and local organizations to educate children about nutrition and physical activity.

Follow this link to view photos of the mural event. http://www.flickr.com/photos/phnouksally/sets/72157626789376540/

On our end, the Healthy Foods for South Park crew, the event was a chance to meet the community and start a conversation about healthy foods with interested community members, brainstorming ideas on how to improve the current food conditions in the neighborhood. We will be at Market Night at Concord International Elementary School Thursday, May 26^th. If you plan to attend the event, come talk to us! We love to hear what people in the neighborhood have to say about healthy food, access to it and ideas to increase its visibility.

Photo by Sally Phnouk

For questions about the mural event or our Healthy Foods for South Park project, contact Kate at kate(at)ecoss.org . Thanks!

Healthy Foods for South Park is a project led by ECOSS in partnership with Solid Ground and the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice. The goal is to promote access to healthy food in the South Park community and raising awareness about food and health. This project was made possible with funding from the Department of Health and Human Services and Public Health – Seattle & King County.

Kate Thibault of ECOSS, Leah Grupp-Williams of the Eat Better Feel Better nutrition program, and Amelia Swinton of Solid Ground went into every classroom of Concord International Elementary School (K-5) and asked students  “What does healthy eating look like?” Each student drew and then painted their idea of what healthy eating meant to them.

On April 26^th, we had a judging event where community and school representatives chose the images they thought would best suit the healthy foods theme in a mural.

The most popular designs have been chosen, but have yet to be released. We are waiting to release the winners until we create a design to incorporate as many of the paintings as possible, thus listing which students are involved in the design.  Altogether 250 beautiful pieces of art were collected—we want to thank every student who participated.

The mural painting event will be coming up on May 20^th 3:30 – 6:30, and is open to the public. Please join us and give a hand to making South Park a more beautiful and healthier community!

In the meantime, a selection of the student artwork is on display in South Park’s retail district, on the corner of 14^th and Cloverdale, at 8601 14^th Ave. S, along with other art. This storefront art installation is sponsored by South Park Arts and ECOSS.

Attend Seattle Go Green 2011!

GoGreen ’11 Seattle is a one day sustainability conference on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 built to motivate, inspire, and educate business owners to “go green” and become more sustainable. As an action-oriented, non-typical conference, GoGreen ’11 Seattle teaches tactical steps on how to “green” your business and provides actionable next steps to sustainability for business owners and decision makers. Attendees will learn from live success stories and participate in panel discussions geared to provide solid takeaways to make any size of business the most sustainable that it can be. The GoGreen Conference will feature over 50 business leader speakers and 15 different sessions on how to build sustainability into your business.

Stop by the Seattle Climate Partnership and ECOSS booth to take what you’ve learned into action.

DATE:       Wednesday, April 20 2011 | 8:30am-5:00pm
PLACE:     The Conference Center (LEED Certified) | 8th and Pike Street, 3rd Floor
WHO:       Business owners and leaders. Anyone who can make decisions about sustainable practices in a business.
REGISTER:    Go Green Conference or call 206.459.0595

ECOSS members received $25 off to attend, use discount code: ECOSS when registering.