Greenspace Blog Office of Sustainability & the Environment

Greenspace

City of Seattle Blog

Washington Launches Statewide Partnership for Tree Equity, Aiming to Expand Canopy Cover and Promote Healthier Communities 

by

OSE Director Jessyn Farrell helps mulch trees at Roxhill Park. 
 

On Thursday, April 13, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and OSE Director Jessyn Farrell joined the Department of Natural Resources and American Forests at Roxhill Park to launch the Washington Tree Equity Collaborative, a statewide partnership to achieve Tree Equity across Washington State by expanding and fortifying neighborhood tree canopy cover.  

The Washington Tree Equity Collaborative aims to enhance urban forestry programs over the next three years, with a focus on increasing tree canopy equity and engaging cities, community organizations, and stakeholders. The collaborative supports projects that boost tree canopy and urban forest health in currently low-canopy neighborhoods, benefiting communities by providing cooling during heatwaves and promoting better human health outcomes. The Collaborative comes after the final 2021 Tree Canopy Assessment revealed the city lost 255 acres of tree canopy since 2016 (an absolute decrease of .5% and 1.7% relative decline), an amount roughly equal to the size of Green Lake. 

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and OSE Director Jessyn Farrell at the Tree Equity Collaborative event.

Local urban and community forestry advocates gathered to hear statements from Mayor Harrell and Director Farrell, along with American Forest President and CEO Jad Daley, Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, and Duwamish Alive Coalition Community Engagement Team Member Willard Brown. 

“Trees are critical to our health, climate and quality of life in Seattle, and our most recent Tree Canopy Cover Assessment shows that we have more work to do to protect and grow our tree canopy,” Mayor Harrell said. “Following the data and leading with equity, we’re advancing efforts to reverse this decline and address inequities in canopy distribution impacting frontline communities. Growing canopy cover takes time, but our urgency today reflects a healthier, greener Emerald City tomorrow, which is why I am proud to partner with the Department of Natural Resources, American Forests and leadership from other cities to support our urban forests.” 

Seattle is among the first Washington cities to join the collaborative, and Mayor Harrell signed a pledge that will commit the city to: 

  • Over the next five years, plant 8,000 trees on both public and private properties; plant 40,000 trees in parks and natural areas; and perform maintenance on 40,000 trees. 
  • By the end of 2023, implement a policy to require three trees to be planted for every healthy, site-appropriate tree removed from city property. The same policy will require two trees to be planted for every tree that dies or is deemed hazardous or invasive. 
  • By the end of 2024, develop a Tree Canopy Equity and Resilience Plan for achieving Seattle’s tree canopy goals. 
Washington State Tree Equity. Learn more at treeequityscore.org 

Under the agreement, the DNR will look to American Forests’ Tree Equity Score tool to coordinate and enhance urban and community forestry in an equitable way in Washington. The tool reveals that nearly 85% of urbanized neighborhoods in the state lack sufficient tree cover, leaving over 2 million residents with less than half the required tree canopy for their neighborhoods. 

Welcoming OSE’s 2022 New Hires

by

OSE is thrilled to have added seven new talented staff members in 2022, including our Director, Jessyn Farrell! We are excited to have these new members on board and look forward to working together to bring our city toward a more sustainable, equitable, and carbon-neutral future. Take a moment to get to know them by reading their bios presented below in alphabetical order:

David Benedict, Communications Intern

After spending a decade brewing beer in Seattle’s craft beer industry, the pandemic inspired David to pursue a career change and return to school. In March 2022, he left his job at Seapine Brewing to focus on developing his skills and explore new career opportunities. In November 2022, David accepted the Communications Internship at OSE and is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to OSE’s efforts and values of climate justice while learning from the OSE team.

Growing up in South Carolina and finishing undergrad in Tennessee, David has lived in Seattle since 2011 and considers the PNW home. Along with OSE’s internship, he is finishing school, working on freelance writing and editing projects, and working part-time at a craft beer establishment in White Center. In his free time, David enjoys playing music, seeing live music, playing outside, and attending too many baseball games in the summer.

Role at OSE: David is responsible for assisting in the creation and management of content for OSE’s communications, including social media, newsletters, and the Greenspace Blog.  He also helps with administrative tasks that support OSE’s teams and assists with various communications needs to promote OSE’s milestones and policy engagements. 

Allison Campbell, Transportation Electrification Specialist  

Allison grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she spent her youth hiking, singing, and doing musical theater. She earned her B.S. in Vocal Performance at Middle Tennessee State University, and after graduating, she moved to South Korea and taught English. She then spent three years in Taiwan, where she continued teaching English and sang in a jazz band. While living abroad, she also studied permaculture at an organic farm in Thailand and volunteered on farms in Taiwan and Kenya.  

She has since worked for various nonprofit organizations to support outdoor education programs in BIPOC and low-income communities in the California Bay Area and Western Washington, including a Montessori school and several Washington state prisons. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from Evergreen where she focused on Environmental Justice. Before joining OSE, she interned at Tacoma Power where she spearheaded the Energy Research & Development group’s equity efforts and managed low-income transportation electrification programs, including an EV charging pilot for multi-family housing.  

Allison recently fell in love with improv and will talk about it to anyone who will listen. She also loves her cat Tuna, true crime, and anything Brene Brown does. 

Role at OSE: Allison coordinates and tracks city-wide transportation emissions reduction goals, and is leading planning efforts to equitably electrify TNCs (Transportation Network Companies), for-hire, taxis, and car share vehicles by 2030. She also sits on OSE’s Change Team. 

Sara Cubillos, Climate Justice Advisor  

Sara is re-joining the Office of Sustainability and Environment after spending the last 4 years focused on embedding equity in drainage and wastewater Infrastructure planning at Seattle Public Utilities. She led the Visioning Phase of Shape Our Water, a long-range infrastructure plan for Seattle’s Water Resilience. Prior to Seattle Public Utilities, she was the Equity & Environment Program Coordinator at Office of Sustainability & Environment and supported the creation of the Equity & Environment Agenda. Her work at the city has focused on co-creating with communities who have been historically underrepresented especially in environmental investments and decision making. Sara also sits on the Board of Community Roots Housing, a local affordable housing developer. Outside of work you can catch Sara, her wife, Carolyn, and their dog Jax on long city walks going to all the local coffee shops and parks.   

Role at OSE: Sara will be leading Seattle’s Green New Deal work including –  collaborating with the Green New Deal Oversight Board, stewarding Green New Deal municipal investments, and working to advance the goals of the Green New Deal with multiple city departments. 

Jonathan Derkacht, Program Associate: Data & Finance

Prior to his time at OSE, Jonathan worked at the State of Washington’s Developmental Disabilities Administration serving in both finance and contracting positions. In his free time, Jonathan enjoys working out, the outdoors and on Sundays, you can always find him around the television watching Seahawks football games!   

Role at OSE: Jonathan is working in collaboration with the EJ Fund in developing systems and practices for the expansion of the team and helps streamline contracting and finance processes. Prior to this assignment, he assisted in a data and contracting role with the Fresh Bucks/Food Team at OSE.  

Jessyn Farrell, Director

Jessyn Farrell, J.D., is a leader in building public consensus on difficult issues related to the environment, housing, transportation, and the economy. A long-time environmental advocate, Jessyn served as a state legislator from the 46th District where she passed ground-breaking legislation on oil-by-rail safety, affordable housing near transit centers, education supports for low-income and homeless youth, protections for pregnant workers and restrictions to cell phone use while driving. As Executive Director of Transportation Choices, she led advocacy efforts resulting in billions of dollars in regional light rail investments. Jessyn is currently the Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment for the City of Seattle, where she leads the City’s work to advance climate and environmental justice, reduce carbon pollution and build healthy, resilient communities. She has three kids, a dog, and is working on her first book. 

Role at OSE: Jessyn is the Director of the Office of Sustainability & Environment and is leading OSE and the City’s efforts to come together as One Seattle to advance climate justice and build healthy and resilient communities. 

Gurdeep Gill, Food Systems Design Fellow

Gurdeep (she/her/hers) is a second-generation Punjabi American. She is passionate about addressing inequities in our food system and empowering youth. During undergrad, Gurdeep had the opportunity to work with k-12 students in Seattle Public Schools to create space for students to have philosophical dialogue with one another. Through this experience, she heard how aware and wise youth are and learned the importance of listening to and centering youth voices, especially BIPOC youth. She committed to understanding our food system after connecting what youth had said about being unable to afford food and her own family’s experience of food insecurity. In previous roles, Gurdeep has supported the first Community-led Climate Justice policy section of King County’s 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan, collaborated with CBOs to build their capacity at Baker Consulting, and supported Community-led food pantries in the South End during COVID-19. In her free time, she loves to paddleboard, hike, make pottery, play board games with friends, and go on walks.

Role at OSE: Gurdeep collaborates with community partners, youth, school staff, and the food policy and programs team to improve school meals at Seattle Public Schools so that they are culturally relevant, appetizing, sustainable, and source food from local BIPOC farmers. Gurdeep also engages with the community by going to Seattle Schools to talk with students about their fruits/vegetable/meal preferences, evaluate our Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program (FFVP), and share the info with Culinary Services to inform the menu. She also supports our School Meals and Food Education Work Group, comprised of community partners, SPS staff, and government staff, to improve school food experience for low-income and BIPOC youth.

Tracey Whitten, Transportation Electrification Program Manager

Tracey’s superpower is bringing people together toward a common cause and is excited to bring her skill set to our collaborative, interdepartmental Transportation Electrification effort! Tracey began her career as an organizer with labor unions, both the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of Teachers, leading and supporting campaigns focused on improving equity for childcare workers, improving working conditions for educators, and supporting progressive campaigns to improve our communities.  

Tracey then brought her skills to the world of tech where she became a sought-after program manager in technology companies and start-ups, focusing on how to spur early adoption of new products. 

Tracey served as a Commissioner with the Seattle Women’s Commission for six years, focusing on gender pay disparity, and volunteered as Vice President of Washington Bus. She has a B.A. in Organizational Communication with a focus on Legal Studies from the University of Central Florida and she lives in the Ravenna neighborhood of Seattle, with her husband Chris and their two children. 

Role at OSE: As OSE’s Transportation Electrification Program Manager, Tracey is focused on collaborating with internal departments and external stakeholders on a variety of strategies to decrease greenhouse gases while centering racial equity. Some of these strategies include pilot demonstration projects, designing incentive programs, and driving collaboration on the City’s overall electrification strategy. 

Seattle’s Fresh Bucks Program Releases 2022 Impact Report, Serving 12,000 Households and Expanding Small Retailer Network 

by

Seattle’s Fresh Bucks program, administered by the Office of Sustainability and Environment, released its 2022 Impact Report.   

Fresh Bucks partners with a network of local partners to serve 12,000 Seattle households, redeeming $4.6 million in fruit and vegetable benefits.  

Enrolled Fresh Bucks participants receive $40 in benefits in their Fresh Bucks account each month. Customers can spend their benefits on fruits and vegetables using their Fresh Bucks Card or app at participating farmers markets, farm stands, and grocery stores, six of which are BIPOC-owned. In 2022, the program welcomed two new small businesses into the retail network, Central Co-Op and the program’s first grocery delivery provider, Local Yokels. 

“Healthy communities are at the center of our vision for a strong, vibrant One Seattle, and we are committed to ensuring that every family has access to high-quality, nutritious, and culturally relevant foods. As pandemic-era food assistance benefits end and inflation remains high, programs like Fresh Bucks are critical for providing tangible support to vulnerable communities most impacted by food insecurity. By partnering with healthcare clinics, non-profits, local retailers, and farmers markets, we are strengthening local food systems and helping neighbors find fresh foods that taste good – and support their overall health.” – Mayor Bruce Harrell, City of Seattle

Fresh Bucks partners with 41 retail partners and 19 local organizations who implement the program and reach community members most impacted by food insecurity.

“With grocery prices continuing to rise, the need for food assistance is higher than ever. Fresh Bucks fills a critical need, providing healthy food to 12,000 households, 83% of which report being food insecure, including people with low-incomes, communities of color, immigrant, and refugee communities. We know there are many more families in need, and I look forward to working with Mayor Bruce Harrell and City Council to find ways to reach more Seattle families with Fresh Bucks. – Jessyn Farrell, Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment.  – Jessyn Farrell, Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment  

To learn more about how Fresh Bucks and its partners met the needs of program participants last year, see the 2022 Fresh Bucks Impact Report.   

Fresh Bucks is funded by the City of Seattle General Fund and revenue from the Sweetened Beverage Tax.  For general information on the program, please visit SeattleFreshBucks.org or call 206-256-5438.   

Watch: Digging in to the Tree Canopy Cover Assessment

by

The City of Seattle released the final 2021 Tree Canopy Assessment showing Seattle’s 2021 tree canopy cover is 28.1%, down from 28.6% in 2016. Seattle’s goal is to achieve 30 percent citywide canopy cover by 2037, distributed equitably, as well as to improve tree health and resilience to climate change.

Watch this video interview between OSE Director Jessyn Farrell and Urban Forestry Patti Bakker as they talk key findings and recommendations from the report, and what they mean for maintaining a healthy and robust urban forest in Seattle.

The Duwamish Valley Program 2022 Annual Update is Here!

by

“Implementing a One Seattle Approach in the Duwamish Valley.”  

$1.75 Million for 8th Avenue South and Street End Park Development.

If 2022 reminded us of anything, it’s that centering community leadership is imperative for successful, long-term environmental justice work in the Duwamish Valley. For example, the King Tide flooding in late December 2022 demonstrated the power of community to distribute resources as first responders and to lead government to manage the devastating impacts of environmental injustice and climate change. We are grateful to community leaders and our partners at Seattle Public Utilities, the Office of Emergency Management, the Human Services Department, and the Office of Housing (among many others) for providing relief and assistance to families and businesses in South Park as they recover from the floods. 

At the same time, these flood events underscore an important shift in our work. As we continue to hold fast to community priorities, we are moving from short-term responsive planning to long-term proactive implementation. 

$9 million in funding secured for direct investment in Georgetown & South Park

The last few years have seen increases in investments in the Duwamish Valley. Many of these investments help fulfill our mid-term objectives in the Duwamish Valley Action Plan. In 2022 alone, the Duwamish Valley Program secured nearly $9 million of investments from our partners across the Duwamish Valley Action Team (DAT), which represents 18 City departments. City staff from these departments lead this work, drawing on existing community partnerships, and building new ones. Many of these investments we outline here in our Annual Update. 

50 Mini-Grants to local businesses for COVID-related expenses, with 38% using primary language other than English and 74% Women/BIPOC owned.

To learn more about all the great work that the Duwamish Valley Program and our partner departments have accomplished in 2022, check out our Annual Update report! As you will see, the Duwamish Valley Program has continued to adapt to a dynamic landscape of community priorities and ensure that we honor our mandate to advance environmental justice and equitable development in the Duwamish Valley. 

100 + youth participated in programming, capacity building, and leadership development.
Photo of Grant Gutierrez, the new Duwamish Valley Program Coordinator

As our work has grown, we have added staff to support our work. In Fall 2022, the Duwamish Valley Program welcomed Grant Gutierrez as the Duwamish Valley Program Coordinator. In this new role, Grant will help lead community engagement and ensure our accountability to community priorities while implementing certain projects that advance the Duwamish Valley Action Plan.  You’ll likely see Grant out in the community at events and at community meetings in South Park and Georgetown. Please join us in welcoming Grant to the Duwamish Valley family! 

Growing our staff capacity was essential to help us focus on an exciting new initiative: the Duwamish Valley Resilience District. The Resilience District grows from the Action Plan’s long-term strategy to develop and implement a geographic strategy to mitigate and adapt to flood risk and other climate change impacts (page 83). It is a holistic approach to climate change adaptation that includes priorities like affordable housing, alongside mitigating flood risks and sea-level rise adaptation, to bolster the ability of community to thrive in place. The Resilience District reflects the spirit of the Mayor’s One Seattle approach to help us fulfill many of the commitments in the Duwamish Valley Action Plan in strong collaboration with departments across the city, community organizations and industrial business leaders. This work will be led by the Resilience District Advisory Group, which has just been selected! There will be many more opportunities for community to shape this work. Stay tuned! 

Thank you all for your continued partnership. Be sure to check out the website for the full 2022 updates, and stay tuned for more to come from our team and beyond.  

Seattle Releases 2021 Tree Canopy Assessment Showing Slow Decline in Canopy Cover Between 2016 and 2021

by

A view of Seattle’s tree canopy with the city skyline and the Olympic Mountains.

Seattle, WA – The City of Seattle today released the final 2021 Tree Canopy Assessment showing the city has lost 255 acres of tree canopy since 2016 (an absolute decrease of .5% and 1.7% relative decline), an amount roughly equal to the size of Green Lake. Seattle’s 2021 tree canopy cover is 28.1%, down from 28.6% in 2016. Seattle’s goal is to achieve 30 percent citywide canopy cover by 2037, distributed equitably, as well as to improve tree health and resilience to climate change.

“Critical for ensuring Seattle’s standing as a truly emerald and evergreen city, trees provide essential benefits to our communities from heat mitigation to air quality improvement and overall wellbeing. This decline in canopy cover means we need to do more to plant, preserve, and protect trees to meet our goals for Seattle’s canopy, climate, and communities,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “The information in this report is informing our upcoming efforts to drive improvements — including new strategies to plant more trees and maintain our existing canopy, all while prioritizing equity in neighborhoods who face the worst impacts of climate change.”

Additional findings from the report include:

  • Canopy loss is not happening equitably. Neighborhoods impacted by racial and economic injustice started with less canopy and lost more than the citywide average. Compared to neighborhoods with greater advantages,[1] these neighborhoods had 31% less canopy in 2021, an increase in disparity from 2016 (when they had 27% less). While there were some canopy gains in environmental justice priority areas attributed to forest restoration programs, the losses outpaced the gains.
  • Tree canopy cover is critical for lowering temperatures and reducing heat island effects in our warming climate. Trees are a key component of our climate preparedness and resilience strategies as they protect us from extreme heat and improve air quality. The report finds that, on a hot day, neighborhoods[2] with 25% canopy cover were 1 degree cooler than neighborhoods with no canopy.  Industrial areas and major transportation corridors have lower canopy and warmer temperatures. These conditions were also found in some neighborhoods, such as in the Chinatown-International District and in the south end of Rainier Valley.
  • All Management Units (areas based on land use types) lost canopy, with Parks Natural Areas and Neighborhood Residential areas seeing the greatest net losses. Combined, losses in these two Management Units comprise 78% of the total canopy loss during the assessment period.
    • Parks Natural Areas make up only 5% of the city’s land but due to their concentrated canopy, they contribute 14% of the city’s canopy. Forty-three percent of the canopy loss during the assessment period was in these areas, an amount equal to 111 acres. These areas require active management to ensure long-term forest health and resilience, and losses here may be due to aging deciduous trees coming down naturally or being selectively removed to allow for growth of evergreen trees.
    • Neighborhood Residential areas make up 39% of the city’s land, and with roughly 1/3 of that area covered by canopy, they contribute nearly half of the City’s canopy (47%).  Roughly a third (34%) of the canopy loss during the assessment period was in these areas, an amount equal to 87 acres. Most trees on residential land were likely lost due to reasons other than development, although the small percent of residential land that underwent development during the study period experienced higher canopy losses.

“The data show we are further away now than we were five years ago from our goal of 30% canopy coverage,” said Jessyn Farrell, Director of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment. “To reverse this backward slide and achieve our vision of an equitably distributed urban forest in Seattle, our strategies must better align development and tree preservation and include innovative and equity-driven actions in planning, maintenance, planting, and engagement. In short, a healthy, thriving Seattle needs more housing and more trees and we can absolutely do both.”

A shaded street winds through the cover of the City’s tree canopy.

Recommendations provided in the report include:

  • Expand and deepen partnerships to plant new trees on both private and public property—focusing specifically on environmental justice priority areas—and plan for and fund their care.
  • Prioritize protecting and caring for existing trees as one of the most effective ways to ensure future tree canopy.
  • Incorporate current and expected future climate change impacts into our planting and maintenance practices.
  • Implement a strong regulatory framework that aligns our goals for tree preservation with housing production and development needs for our growing City.

“The reasons for tree canopy loss are complex and not due to one single cause, and our solutions must also be multi-faceted,” said Patti Bakker, Urban Forestry Advisor with Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment. “Climate change, aging trees, making way for other uses such as infrastructure, development projects and other needs in residential yards, increasing budget and maintenance costs and more, all contribute to changes in our tree canopy. We will continue to work to improve the stability and coverage of our tree canopy so the benefits of our trees can be felt by all.”

Seattle’s tree canopy includes trees in public spaces like parks, forested natural areas and rights-of-way; private lands like neighborhoods and spaces like universities and the Arboretum. The assessment was conducted by the University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab and combined light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data and aerial imagery to measure the layer of leaves, branches, and stems to determine the change in our urban forest over time.

The City will continue to conduct detailed analyses with the data sets resulting from this assessment to develop a Tree Canopy Equity & Resilience Plan, which will serve as the citywide plan for how we will equitably reach our canopy cover goals, and to continue to update our urban forestry management work.  The City is working to make the data sets available to the public.

[1] Neighborhoods are based on categories in the Office of Planning and Community Development’s 2019 Race and Social Equity Index.
[2] Neighborhoods, in this case, refer to an analysis unit roughly the size of several city blocks.

Two Positions Available: Apply by 2/17 to Join the Urban Forestry Commission 

by

Commission meetings are held twice a month on the first and third Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Meeting participation options include joining remotely via Webex application (with access via either phone or computer) or in-person at the Seattle Municipal Tower.  

The City of Seattle’s tree canopy completes the city skyline.

The City of Seattle is now accepting applications for two positions on the Urban Forestry Commission, a 13-member body established to advise the Mayor and City Council around policy and regulations related to protecting, maintaining, and preserving trees and vegetation in the City of Seattle. There are two open positions: 

  • Position #1 – Wildlife Biologist 
  • Position #2 – Urban Ecologist (or similar) 
  • Commission positions ask for a time commitment of roughly 8-10 hours per month. In addition to meeting one of the positions above, applicants must also understand the impact racism and race-based disparities have on communities of color and have an interest in working to eliminate these disparities and advance equity. Applicants should also have an interest in collaborating with other community members to develop recommendations for tree canopy care and protection, while centering the communities most burdened by lack of access to tree canopy and its related benefits, and demonstrated ability to develop collaborative, productive, and respectful relationships with people from diverse educational, social, cultural, and racial backgrounds. 

How to Apply:

If you are interested in collaborating with a team of community leaders working on improving the care and management of Seattle’s tree canopy for the benefit of the community while centering communities most impacted by health and educational injustices, please apply by February 17. For information on the open positions and to access the application, please visit our website. 

For more information, please contact Patti Bakker, Urban Forestry Commission Liaison, at patricia.bakker@seattle.gov. 

About the Commission:

The Urban Forestry Commission was established in 2009 by Ordinance 123052 to advise the Mayor and City Council concerning the establishment of policy and regulations governing the protection, management, and conservation of trees and vegetation in the City of Seattle. Commission meetings are held twice a month on the first and third Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Meeting participation options include joining remotely via Webex application (with access via either phone or computer) or in-person at the Seattle Municipal Tower. Commission members must live or work in Seattle and generally must commit approximately eight to ten hours per month to Commission business and serve without compensation. Additional information about the Urban Forestry Commission can be found at http://www.seattle.gov/urbanforestrycommission. 

The thirteen-member UFC consists of a wildlife biologist; an urban ecologist; a representative of a local, state, or federal natural resource agency or an accredited university; a hydrologist; a certified arborist; a representative of a non-profit or non-governmental organization; a representative of the development community or a representative from a non-city utility; an economist, financial analyst, or Washington State license real estate broker; a Get Engaged young adult; an environmental justice representative; a public health representative; and a community/neighborhood representative. 

Fresh Bucks expands to Lee’s Produce Market, a family-owned small business in the Delridge neighborhood

by

Lee's Produce Market Announcement
Fresh Bucks is expanding to Lee’s Produce Market, a family-owned and family-run business that has been a local shopping destination for over 30 years.  

Lee’s Produce Market is a convenient option for neighbors in the Delridge, White Center and surrounding neighborhoods to purchase fresh, canned, and frozen fruits and vegetables at affordable prices. The store was sought out as a Fresh Bucks partner after customers requested the retailer be added to the Fresh Bucks retail network. Lee’s Produce is a woman-, minority-, immigrant-owned business that has served the surrounding neighborhoods for decades.  

“Fresh Bucks is responsive to community and creating a presence in this neighborhood has been a priority for us. We are thrilled to add another locally owned, BIPOC small business where Fresh Bucks customers can shop for more affordable healthy foods.“

Jessyn Farrell, OSE Director

The addition of Lee’s Produce Market increases access to culturally relevant fruits and vegetables. Fresh Bucks customers can use their benefits to buy a selection or fresh produce commonly found in Asian and Latin cuisines, such as papayas, yuca, tamarind, and prickly pear.  

“My family has been running this store for decades, and we are proud to be a part of this community and now, to be part of the Fresh Bucks community too. We are open seven days a week and look forward to serving our neighbors who are a part of the Fresh Bucks program.”  

Linda Oczkewecz, Lee’s Produce Market

Nearly 12,000 Seattle neighbors are enrolled in Fresh Bucks and receive $40 a month to purchase fruits and vegetables at participating  farmers markets, farm stands, and grocery stores. Customers can shop at  farmers markets, seven small, independent grocers, and all Seattle Safeway locations. At independently-owned grocers like Lee’s Produce, customers have a variety of options including frozen, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables in addition to fresh produce.  

Lee’s Produce, located at 9435 Delridge Way SW, is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Mondays-Saturdays, and from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sundays. 

For more information about Fresh Bucks, visit www.seattlefreshbucks.org.  

City of Seattle’s Environmental Justice Fund Awards $750,000 in Grants for 13 Projects Led by and Benefiting Those Most Impacted by Climate Change

by

The City of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) is pleased to announce $750,000 will be awarded through the Environmental Justice Fund (EJ Fund) to 13 community-led projects designed to benefit those most impacted by environmental and climate inequities, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, youth, and elders.

“From December flooding to July heatwaves, it’s communities on the frontline that are experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change. Advancing solutions in direct partnership with communities means driving equitable, forward-thinking climate action and real resiliency improvements informed by those most impacted. The City’s support for these 13 organizations is another step toward building a healthy, sustainable future for all residents, and by expanding the Environmental Justice Fund to nearly $2 million for 2023 and 2024, we can further invest in taking on environmental and climate inequities.”

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell

The Environmental Justice Fund was developed in 2017 as part of the City’s Equity & Environment agenda to provide grants to community-led projects that improve environmental conditions, respond to impacts of climate change and get us closer to achieving environmental justice. Since its launch, the EJ Fund has awarded four grant cycles totaling over $1.8 Million to 28 community-based organizations, whose projects are led by or are in partnership with communities of color impacted by environmental injustices.

“The Environmental Justice Fund is a vital tool to support community-focused projects that are focused on alleviating past and future environmental issues that arise in our communities. This funding will allow us to hire a new position, of Land Restoration Coordinator, to support Indigenous youth programming and support land restoration efforts.”

Mike Tulee, Executive Director of United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, a newly awarded Environmental Justice Fund grantee

Overall, OSE received 54 proposals totaling nearly $3.8M. Proposals focused on a range of climate and environmental justice topics including climate resilience planning, environmental outreach and education, youth leadership, and organizational capacity building.

“Communities most impacted by the climate crisis play a critical leadership role in designing creative and transformative solutions that are informed by lived experience and rooted in ancestral and cultural practice. Through the Environmental Justice Fund, we are proud to invest in growing the capacity of community groups and organizations to lead, collaborate, educate, and tell stories that can broaden and strengthen strategies for environmental justice.”

Lylianna Allala, Climate Justice Director at the City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment

The proposal review process is community centered, a cornerstone of the Fund. Select members of the Environmental Justice Committee and the Green New Deal Oversight Board served on the six-member Community Review Team. Over three months, the Review Team collectively dedicated over 240+ hours to reviewing proposals, meeting with eligible grantees to gain a deeper understanding of the proposed projects, and deliberating funding recommendations.

“As a representative of a community directly impacted by racial, economic, and environmental injustices serving on the Green New Deal Oversight Board, I was thrilled to be part of the Environmental Justice Fund Review Team and was amazed by the volume and breadth of these proposals. There is a vast array of community-led environmental justice projects here in Seattle that need support and funding. I am glad that we have an opportunity to continue making investments and commitments to community to meet the challenge of the climate crisis.”

Hibo Sahal, one of the reviewers from the Green New Deal Oversight Board

Five organizations (Beacon Hill Council, Black Farmers Collective, El Centro de la Raza, Sound Generations, and Wa Na Wari) are past recipients of the EJ Fund. Funding these proposals deepens the relationship and investment in their work and within their communities.

The organizations receiving funding and their projects are:

Beacon Hill Council – $75,000
The project focuses on engaging BIPOC communities to identify culturally and linguistically competent organizations with facilities in Beacon Hill that can serve as community climate resiliency centers. Beacon Hill Council seeks to educate and engage immigrant and refugee BIPOC communities on climate impacts and to understand where they might seek climate refuge in Beacon Hill. The project will also engage culturally and linguistically competent organizations to explore being a community climate resiliency center and ensure they receive technical assistance for conversion planning and cost estimation.

Black Farmers Collective – $65,000
The grant would support the organization to build organizational structure for the long-term sustainability of their work to support Black farmers and the broader community. Funds would support the farm crew’s time and leadership development opportunities as well as adding a part-time administrative staffer to manage operations. This added staff capacity will provide Black Farmers Collective the ability to create security and stability within their staff to build the groundwork towards self-determination, food sovereignty, and Black liberation.

El Centro de la Raza – $60,000
Beacon Hill residents, many of whom are immigrants, refugees, and identify as BIPOC, experience respiratory health issues due to air pollution from roads, aircraft, and oil-heated homes. For this reason, El Centro de la Raza aims to conduct outreach and education to Beacon Hill residents, primarily BIPOC, immigrants and refugees, about the environmental and health impacts of oil-heating and to connect them to resources that can support future conversions from oil heat to electricity. This effort aligns with one of the City priorities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from residential buildings and to improve community health.

Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (ECOSS) – $55,000
ECOSS aims to engage the Latinx immigrant/refugee communities, including immigrants form Central America, South America, Mexico, and those identifying as Indigenous, to co-create outdoor experiences that meet their needs and interests. Through this process, ECOSS will develop leadership opportunities and provide storytelling opportunities for participants to amplify their voices and experiences as they feel empowered to reconnect with nature.

FEED Seven Generations – $75,000
The grant would support the organization’s Native youth-led project. The project would include developing educational enrichment courses for school-age youth and conducting a youth needs assessment focusing on the culturally significant and traditional foods to enhance health and wellness of the community, youth, and families and strengthen local native food systems.

Rainier Avenue Radio – $60,000
This project aims to create awareness about environmental justice issues through various media including long form videos, audio vignettes, and community meetings to highlight the disparate ways in which communities are impacted by environmental issues. Rainier Avenue Radio will create a platform for community members to share their experiences and build awareness about environmental justice.

Restaurant 2 Garden – $48,815
The “Restaurant 2 Garden” project is a decentralized, hyperlocal system that transforms local restaurant food waste into high quality and safe compost for elder AAPI gardeners to grow culturally appropriate foods. The project is based out of the Danny Woo Community Garden (DWCG) in the Chinatown-International District (C-ID). The project will serve the diverse residents of the CID who face a myriad of environmental risks such as food insecurity, lack of green space, poor air quality, higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, and depression. 

Somali Community Services of Seattle – $61,870
The grant would support project Diyaari to serve Seattle’s Somali community (immigrants, refugees, and family members) most of whom live in Rainier Beach. The organization will focus on sharing information about how to prevent, manage, and recover from harm caused by climate change-related disasters. Additionally, the organization will provide individual assistance for their community members focused on disaster preparation planning and implementation.

Sound Generations – $66,000
This project will support Sound Generations to expand their programming for East African elders from NE Seattle and Rainier Beach who attend the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands. Elders will participate in farm and wetland maintenance, they will share in community meals, and participate in civic and social engagement opportunities focused on various topics including climate change impacts on health and farming activities. The programming aims to build awareness about environmental and climate justice while building community cohesion for a community that often experiences isolation.

South Seattle Emerald – $60,000
South Seattle Emerald (SSE)’s mission is to amplify the authentic voices of South Seattle-for, by, and to the community through restorative journalism that seeks to facilitate community healing and wholeness. Funding will support SSE to grow their capacity by contracting more freelance reporters who will specifically cover community-centered and community-rooted environmental justice stories.

United Indians of All Tribes Foundation – $74,500
The grant will support capacity building by funding a newly developed position at UIATF called the Bernie Whitebear Land Restoration Coordinator. This position will serve two strategic priorities of the Foundation including the expansion of critical partnership between UIATF and Na’ah Illahee Fund, a Native-led organization currently providing land restoration technical assistance to UIATF’s Traditional Medicine Program Manager, and investment in land-based programming and infrastructure to sustain access to traditional plant knowledge for urban Indigenous youth.

Wa Na Wari – $40,000
Wa Na Wari’s BLOOM was created to be a fun, hands-on, outdoor environmental justice, and food sovereignty program. Their work helps future generations of youth and young adults to learn the science and culture of healing arts principles in urban food/environmental systems and their meaningful connection with Indigenous Knowledge systems and their own cultural backgrounds including ancestral knowledge. Funding would add organizational capacity through a paid program manager role who would lead BLOOM efforts including soil remediation and a youth summer fellowship program.

Wing Luke Memorial Foundation – $33,815
The Wing Luke Museum will develop and implement a community-based process to plan and design public space activation and arts integration at the site of the historic Eng Family Homestead (recently purchased from the original owners by the Wing Luke Museum) and adjacent Canton Alley in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID). The public space activation includes an outdoor yard and garden at the historic Eng Family Homestead and extension of Canton Alley south to Lane Street and connecting with the Donnie Chin International Children’s Park. This project will specifically focus on community engagement for the planning and design of the outdoor space for the community.

Next Steps and Additional Analysis of the 2021 Tree Canopy Cover Assessment 

by

Trees are a critical part of Seattle’s infrastructure that provide essential benefits to our environment, health, and well-being. Trees manage stormwater, provide shade and reduce heat, improve our health, and provide habitat for our wildlife. Healthy tree canopy also contributes to the character and beauty of our city while helping counter climate pollution, promote climate justice, and create healthy and sustainable communities.  

Seattle’s goals are to achieve 30 percent citywide canopy cover by 2037; improve tree health and resilience; and increase equitable distribution of trees. These goals will support healthy communities that are more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Preliminary findings of the 2021 Canopy Cover Assessment show the city has seen a net loss of 255 acres of tree canopy, an amount roughly equal to the size of Green Lake, since 2016. Many factors contribute to this canopy loss. 

Seattle’s Urban Forestry team has been reviewing the data to better understand where and how these changes occurred and what proactive investments can help reverse the trend in the future. Key findings shared in January’s Urban Forestry Commission meeting include:  

Tree canopy cover is not equitably distributed across our City

The 2021 Canopy Cover Assessment shows there are inequities in Seattle’s tree canopy, with low-income and BIPOC communities that are already experiencing disproportionate climate, health, and economic impacts having the least amount of canopy cover at the baseline (2016) assessment, and losing more canopy since. There is a high correlation between areas of low canopy cover and areas of health inequities, lower air quality, and higher heat indexes, including parts of Beacon Hill, Georgetown and South Park.  

Neighborhoods in the two highest levels of disadvantage in the Office of Planning and Community Development’s Race and Social Equity (RSE) Composite Index had 16% lower canopy than the areas in the two lowest categories of disadvantage in 2016. By 2021, the gap between canopy in the highest disadvantage areas and lowest categories of disadvantage expanded to 20%.  

*The race and social equity composite index, produced by the Office of Planning and Community Development, includes data on race, language, origin, socioeconomic disadvantage, and health disadvantage. It is used as a tool for City planning, program, and investment priorities.

Development and healthy tree canopy coverage can coexist  

During the time of the study, 2016 – 2021, Seattle’s population grew 8.5%, adding approximately 58,000 people and more than 47,500 housing units. In neighborhood residential zones, tree canopy declined 1.2% (87 acres). Most of the 87 acres of net canopy loss in neighborhood residential zones were in parcels that did not have new development projects completed during the study period.  However, canopy was lost at a greater rate on parcels where development happened. 

Tree canopy expansion and development of new housing are both critical elements of the City’s efforts to address climate change, create affordability, and build livable, resilient, and thriving communities. These areas will need creative planning, a strong regulatory framework, and community partnerships to sustain and grow canopy.  

Our trees are experiencing added strain due to climate change

As our climate changes, Seattle is experiencing more instances of extreme heat, insects and pest outbreaks, droughts, and flooding events. Our aging, mostly second growth forest trees are especially vulnerable to these conditions and are increasingly coming down on their own or requiring removal. As part of our forest management strategies and succession planning, these trees are also sometimes removed to allow for establishment of conifer trees, which take longer to grow and contribute to the canopy.  

At the same time, climate change is making the need for trees even more important. Additional analysis of King County Heat Watch data paired with the 2021 Canopy Cover showed that at a micro-scale a 5% increase in canopy resulted in 2 degrees cooler temperature (see hexagon map below). Based on these numbers, increasing canopy in low-canopy neighborhoods is critical to our long-term heat preparedness strategy. 

Higher tree canopy leads to lower temperatures. Industrial and transportation corridors typically have lower canopy, yielding higher temperatures.

Trees in Parks and natural areas are under strain and regrowth is steady but slow  

Our forested parks and natural areas saw higher net loss than other areas of the city – over 100 acres of net canopy lost, a 5.1% decline. While canopy loss in these areas happened at a similar rate as other areas of the city, growth happened more slowly. Since the Park District was established in 2015 and greatly increased funding for the Green Seattle Partnership program, Seattle Parks and Recreation has planted a greater number of seedlings annually, including tens of thousands of seedlings, mostly native conifers, during the 2016-2021 assessment period. These small trees grow slowly, and gains from this new canopy will take more time to show up in our canopy. 

Next Steps for the Canopy Cover Assessment 

The city is slowly losing ground on its goal to achieve 30 percent citywide canopy cover by 2037, but understanding this canopy change data will help develop strategies to grow and maintain our urban forest and build a Seattle that is sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient.  

Over the next few weeks, the City will continue to refine analyses and conduct additional stakeholder engagement. In February 2023, the city will release the complete report which will provide final, comprehensive analysis by land management unit and include recommendations to help identify strategies to stop the current backslide and advance equity focused planting and maintenance to grow a healthy, equitable, sustainable and resilient urban forest.