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City of Seattle Blog

Recognizing Earth Day This Year

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This month marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Typically, people all over world come together on April 22 in celebration, action, and activism on behalf of improving and protecting our natural resources and making the world a better place. Earth Day will feel very different this year. But the underlying motivation that connects us on Earth Day—improving the lives of people and the planet—is stronger than ever. 

Twenty million people across the globe came together to celebrate the first Earth Day in 1970, the year after we got our first glimpse of our home from outer space. That vision changed the way many people thought about this beautiful planet we all share and launched the beginning of many environmental accomplishments. The Environmental Protection Agency was created later that same year, and Earth Day is also largely credited with marshalling public support for the Clean Air Act, the Water Quality Improvement Act, the Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws. Another fun fact: Seattle resident Denis Hayes was one of the original founders of Earth Day! You can learn more about the history of Earth Day here.

Earth Day is an excellent example of the power of grassroots support and organizing. As we are now moving into the second month of the COVID-19 response many of us are thinking about what our city will look like when we emerge from this crisis. We have an immense opportunity to tap into the same collective energy and focus that made Earth Day so successful and use it to transform our community for the better. Working together, we can grow and amplify the community support and goodwill that has risen during this crisis while addressing the deep and systemic racial inequities that resulted in so many of our neighbors being so vulnerable at this time.

During this “Earth Month”, we invite all Seattleites to take action to protect and improve our environment. There are countless things you can be doing as an individual or as a family—even during this time of physical isolation—that will have notable impact. We’ll be sharing suggestions throughout this month how we can continue to work together for the good of our community.  

We are also challenging ourselves to think through how we can use this disruption to commit to the systematic change needed in order to reduce the profound racial and environmental inequities that still exist in our communities and invite you to do the same. We welcome your thoughts on how we create a new path forward.

Emergency Food Vouchers to Support Those in Need During COVID-19

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The City of Seattle is taking steps to help residents who may be experiencing financial hardship due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The City is contributing $5 million to provide emergency food vouchers to approximately 6,250 families in need. See below for answers to frequently asked questions. 

For translated materials, please view:
Spanish / Español
Amharic / አማርኛ
Korean / 한국어
Somali / af Soomaali
Chinese (Traditional) / 繁體中文
Vietnamese / Tiếng Việt
Tigrinya / ትግርኛ

Frequently Asked Questions: 

Who is eligible to receive vouchers? 
The Office of Sustainability and Environment is coordinating directly with other City departments to identify those who may be most in need. People who receive these vouchers are currently enrolled in City-supported child care and food assistance programs.  

What if I am not currently enrolled in City-supported child care and food assistance programs?
If you are not currently enrolled in City-supported childcare and food assistance programs and still need support, you can access other food benefits. For example, meals are being served in a daily basis at different public schools and local foodbanks are still serving their constituents in different ways.  For more information on these and other services visit www.seattle.gov/covid-19.

Does SNAP/EBT/Basic Food (food stamp) participation mean I will receive these benefits?
Participating in SNAP (or receiving food stamps) does not mean you will automatically receive Emergency Food Vouchers. Presently, we are serving 6,250 families who are enrolled in some City-supported child care and City-supported food assistance programs. If we get more funding to expand the program more widely, more information will become available at www.seattle.gov/covid-19.

How long will these vouchers be available? 
There will be two mailings of vouchers, with the first batch available for use until April 30, 2020, and the second batch available for use until May 31, 2020. The total amount will be $800 in vouchers over 8 weeks. 

How do the vouchers work? 
Customers can use these vouchers (up to 20 vouchers in one transaction) just as they would cash at any Washington Safeway store. Customers will present these vouchers to the cashier at check out and need to enter their Safeway Club Card number in order for the voucher discount to be applied to the transaction. Vouchers are not able to be used for transactions in self check-out lanes. No change is given for purchases less than the voucher value. Vouchers are non-transferable and void if copied. Lost or stolen vouchers cannot be replaced. 

What products are covered? 
These vouchers can be used to purchase any item at Safeway except for tobacco, alcohol, lottery tickets, or fuel.  

How is this funded? 
The City of Seattle has committed $5 million to support this program, which will provide 8 weeks of groceries for 6,250 families in need. Our goal is to raise an additional $15 million, so that the program can meet the grocery needs of 25,000 families. Assuming 4 people per family, this will provide two months of groceries for 100,000 Seattle residents. 

Can I contribute to support this program? 
Thank you for wanting to support this program! We are currently working with businesses and the philanthropic community to secure additional funding for this program. The United Way of King County has also set up a Community Relief Fund that will rapidly deploy resources to community-based organizations at the frontlines of the Coronavirus outbreak in the Puget Sound region. This fund can accept donations of any amount.

What if I’ve received vouchers but don’t want them? 
If you believe you’ve received these vouchers in error, or do not want to receive additional vouchers, please email SeaFoodVoucher@seattle.gov or call 206-684-CITY (2489) to opt-out.   

What if I am too sick or need to be quarantined and can’t shop? 
Emergency Food Vouchers can only be used for in-store purchases. If you are an emergency food voucher recipient who is quarantined or unable to get to a grocery store due to COVID-related concerns, please call 206-684-CITY to request grocery delivery services. 

More information about additional community, county, and state resources for residents impacted by COVID-19 is available here: http://www.seattle.gov/covid-19. If you still have questions, please call 206-684-CITY. 

Six Reasons to Make the Switch and Ditch Your Dirty Oil!

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If you are still using oil to heat your home, there has never been a better time to make the switch to the ‘clean heat’ of a heat pump. The City of Seattle is offering a rebate up to $1,500 to switch to an eligible energy-efficient heat pump system! Here are six reasons why now is the best time to make the switch:

  • Heating oil is dirty. Burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change and air pollution. In addition, underground oil tanks leak over time and can contaminate soil and groundwater, contributing to pollution of our water system and the Puget Sound.
  • Heating oil is expensive. Additionally, people who use oil to heat their homes most often have to pay for a full heating season’s worth of oil all at one time. Heat pumps cut your overall heating costs by about 50%!
  • Heat pumps are adaptable to year-round comfort, which includes air-conditioning! Since you need to heat your home in the winter anyway, why not invest in a system that provides air-conditioning too? No more muggy nights this summer!
  • Seattle’s electricity is local and cleanly sourced. Did you know that Seattle City Light provides carbon neutral electricity?
  • The off-season is the best time to install a heat pump. The heating season is the busiest season for contractors – by installing a heat pump in the off-season you have more time to get additional bids and to coordinate your project – plus you’ll be well prepared when next winter arrives.
  • Additional rebates! Once you’ve switched to clean electricity to heat and cool your home, you might be eligible for Seattle City Light’s insulation and window rebates!

For more information about the City of Seattle’s Oil Conversion Rebate Program visit www.NoMoreOilHeat.com or contact Christine Bunch, Christine.bunch@seattle.gov, 206-615-1633

Environmental Justice Leadership Spotlight: Melissa Watkinson

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A citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and descendant of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Melissa Watkinson partnered with the Urban Indian Health Institute during her first year on the Environmental Justice Committee, serving as Co-Chair her following years as a community liaison. She currently works at Washington Sea Grant as a social scientist.

What motivates you in your work in the environmental justice sphere?

I grew up here in Washington State, in both Yakima and Puyallup, and with family who are members of the Upper Skagit Tribe. Marine foods, like salmon and crab, have always been vital to my family when we gather. Over the last decade or so, when we go to harvest these foods, they’ve become harder to obtain. When I moved to Seattle after high school and began building my community in the area, I started learning how other people and communities are affected by environmental injustices. Even when I was living in Seattle, being surrounded by water, accessing the environment and traditional foods was not always easy. Going off this, working on addressing the environmental changes that I have observed affecting my community and the Native community overall became a big motivation to me.

What does environmental leadership look like to you?

Environmental leadership is embodied in a person or group of people who work towards creating space and bringing new voices into policy-making arenas, so that environmental work is not only supporting the dominant culture in a society, but recognizing the reality of environmental racism and that those most impacted need to be able to participate and lead in decision-making.

How has your background prepared you for a leadership role within EJC?

Initially, when I started my education, I focused on international affairs and human rights. After I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, my grandmother passed away, and the one thing I remember her telling me regarding my undergrad career was that “our people need help, too.” Although it was difficult to confront the hardships and inequities that some of my family has faced over the years, as a consequence of what I now know is a result of inter-generational trauma, I decided to work with and on behalf of Native peoples. When I went to graduate school, I started working with one of our coastal tribes here in Washington state, focusing on the impacts of climate change affecting that community. Through that process, I learned a lot about how the histories of colonization and settler colonialism have affected tribes’ abilities to cope with environmental changes, including displacement caused by sea level rise, lack of funding and historic assimilation policies affecting the ability to develop infrastructure, or the ability to adapt to the loss of salmon and other traditional foods. This really drove my work in environmental justice, and being active with the Seattle urban Native community, I wanted to be able to bring a Native perspective to the EJC. I don’t believe, nor do I expect, that I represent all people within the community, but I work to ensure that I bring a perspective that reflects other Native voices.

Can you share a highlight from your work with the EJC in the past couple years?

One of the priorities I hoped to address, in addition to elevating voices and priorities of other EJC members, is the recognition of Indigenous peoples in Seattle, along with working to increase access to traditional and first foods. The EJC worked with Carina del Rosario, a Seattle-based visual artist, who developed a community-led project focused on addressing those issues. She worked closely with the Muckleshoot Cultural Committee, who led the Muckleshoot TEKnology Expo back in May. The intention was to bring in City department leaders and the Mayor’s office, along with City Council members to learn about the importance of acknowledging tribes and first food access throughout the Seattle area. It initiated difficult, but critical conversations within the City and the Mayor’s office, and the EJC is continuing its work to learn and acknowledge how to support the multiple Indigenous peoples and area Tribes in environmental justice work in the greater Seattle area.

What are you looking forward to in your next year’s work outside of the EJC?

I am now an alumni member of the EJC, and we are currently wrapping up a recruitment process for new EJC members, so I’m excited about the opportunity to create new space for different voices to be leading on the Committee. This will broaden the collective perspectives of the EJC, ultimately influencing policy within the City of Seattle. As it grows, the EJC continues to deepen its connection across communities of color in Seattle, keeping the momentum that the committee has gathered thus far. I’m excited to see how the EJC’s work will continue to shape city policy in upcoming years!

This article is part of the series: “EJC Spotlight”- highlighting the backgrounds and work of current and former Environmental Justice Committee (EJC) members. Since 2017, the EJC has striven to uplift those most impacted by environmental inequities and center community needs in the City’s environmental efforts while building partnerships between community organizations and local government. This interview series is being conducted by Karen Bosshart, a UW Program on the Environment student and current intern at OSE.

Seeking Youth Climate Leaders!

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If you are a young person who is passionate about working on climate change and climate justice, consider applying for the Mayor’s Youth Climate Council. Applications are now open. Deadline to apply is Thursday, January 30, 4 pm.

Climate change is the single biggest threat to our future, and young people all over the world, including in Seattle, are leading the response. To honor that leadership, the Mayor Durkan is creating an opportunity for young leaders to continue building their own capacity as advocates, shape new ideas for policies and programs to stem the climate crisis, and offer feedback on existing City policies and programs.

The Council will actively collaborate with other City Committees, Boards, and Commissions that are advancing environmental justice and will serve as a model for partnership between young leaders and climate mayors throughout the country. 

Participants will be selected through an application and interview process and will meet 8 times per calendar year. Expected time commitment is approximately 5 hours per month. Members will serve 2-year terms unless they cease to reside within Seattle city limits. Meetings will consist of student-led discussions and speakers on important topics.

More information about the requirements and expectations are detailed in the application form.

The application is online, but you can download a PDF to review the questions beforehand. We can only accept online applications for these positions. For questions, please contact Paul Quinonez-Figueroa, 206.256.6199

Seattle awards $250,000 for environmental justice projects

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The Environmental Justice Fund will support seven projects in 2020

Contact:  Ximena Fonseca-Morales, Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment, 206.386.1130

The Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment, through the Environmental Justice Fund, awarded $250,000 to seven community-based projects to improve environmental conditions and respond to impacts of climate change. Funding of up to $40,000 was awarded to projects that will be led by and benefit those most impacted by environmental and climate issues, including communities of color, immigrants, refugees, and Indigenous people.

“Seattle will continue to be a national leader in fighting climate change, and we must ensure true opportunity for communities that have disproportionally shouldered the weight of environmental injustice,” said Mayor Jenny A. Durkan. “The communities hit the hardest by climate change are most often our historically underserved communities of color, and as we develop and implement new policies, we must continue to evaluate the race and social justice impacts. The City’s Environmental Justice Fund is an incredible example of giving community the tools they need to create lasting, impactful change.”

The Seattle Environmental Justice Fund was launched in 2018 as one of the key strategies to advancing the goals of Seattle’s Equity & Environment Agenda. Like the Equity & Environment Agenda, the Environmental Justice Fund was created with the understanding that the most effective environmental and climate solutions come from the community itself.

“Seattle’s frontline communities have been—and continue to be—disproportionately impacted by environmental and climate injustice,” said Jessica Finn Coven, Director of the Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment. “I’m inspired the by resiliency of these communities and pleased that the City can support critical community priorities like capacity building and education with these funds.”

Project proposals were reviewed by a team of five community members, some of whom also serve on Seattle’s Environmental Justice Committee. 

“These grants are powerful levers for change,” said Victoria Santos, Co-Executive Director of Young Women Empowered (Y-WE). “We were awarded funding last year and our Y-WE Nature Connections program has engaged youth and adults in environmental justice and healthy food activities that grow community while supporting young women’s leadership. I’m very happy to see grassroots community groups continue to benefit from this vital resource.”

Proposed projects represent a wide spectrum of ideas and activities, including arts, community education, food access, green jobs, mitigation, multi-generational activities, youth leadership and more.

The organizations receiving funding and their projects are:

Black Farmers Collective – $40,000
Through this project, community members from ethnic communities in Seattle will be educated about urban (food-garden) soil contamination and engaged in finding solutions to address it. Community members’ recommendations will be used to heal the soil at Yes Farm.

Delridge Neighborhood Development Association – $25,626
This community engagement and awareness project focuses on Delridge Wetland Park. The project will include community workshops and volunteer habitat restoration events. Community engagement efforts will focus on neighborhood youth.

Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition – $40,000
Through a series of community workshops, the Coalition will teach skills in embodied art and storytelling to build resiliency and place-based preservation in the Duwamish Valley. The project aims to engage neighbors of South Park, Georgetown, Beacon Hill and White Center with a special focus on service workers, teachers, nurses, gardeners, seniors, and the Duwamish people. The project will culminate in the creation of a community archive of stories to be used for anti-displacement organizing.

El Centro de la Raza – $35,624
As part of a two-year partnership, El Centro de la Raza and the United States Environmental Protection Agency co-developed the Beacon Hill Air & Noise Pollution Community Action Plan (CAP). Funding from the Environmental Justice Fund will enable further implementation of the CAP and facilitate additional community response in addressing the ongoing negative environmental and health impacts affecting Beacon Hill residents.

InterIm CDA – $40,000
Youth from InterIm’s WILD Project will visually document the personal histories of lower-income residents and their physical and social environments within the context of social justice, community development and sustainability. The product of this work will be showcased at public venues.

Key Tech Labs – $36,625
The Farmbot Greenhouse project brings youth leaders, community members and local businesses together to build and upgrade community gardens to become automated gardens that can seed, water and weed themselves. Project activities include sessions teaching community members – with an emphasis on youth – how to build an agricultural robot, how to construct smart greenhouses and how to maintain the gardens.

Somali Family Safety Task Force – $32,125
Participants in Somali Family Safety Task Force’s Girls Guide youth development program will be educated about environmental justice issues – with a focus on asthma-related air quality issues – and trained to engage their families and elders.

To learn more about the Environmental Justice Fund, contact Ximena Fonseca-Morales, Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment, 206-386-1130.

City of Seattle and King Conservation District Announce Funding for Environmental Justice and Food Access Projects

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Seven organizations to receive a total of $483,000 through the King Conservation District-Seattle Community Partnership Grant Program

The City of Seattle and King Conservation District are proud to announce funding for projects advancing environmental justice, food access, and natural resource monitoring work around Seattle. With grants ranging from $58,844 to $75,000, seven community organizations were awarded grants for projects slated to launch in 2020. A total amount of $483,000 was awarded this year!

Since 1995, King Conservation District and the City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment have worked together to fund projects supporting environmental health within our city limits. To reflect Seattle’s commitment to environmental justice, all project proposals are also required to address the goals of the Seattle Equity & Environment Agenda alongside natural resource priorities. This year, many projects awarded funding are focused on specific areas of food access in different Seattle regions. Each of the below projects is notable for taking an intersectional approach to environmental wellness and healthy food access.

Here are the seven organizations receiving funding, and a brief introduction to their proposed projects:

YouthCare: YouthGrow Garden Program

This program engages homeless youth by providing them a space to learn employment skills and earn science credits, while increasing healthy food access and building support for a more sustainable food system.

EarthCorps: Yes Farm Manager

Funding will allow EarthCorps to hire a farm manager for the Yes Farm, a community redevelopment project in Yesler Terrace, increasing food access for low-income residents and environmental career exposure for youth of color.

Rainier Beach Action Coalition: Food Justice Fellowship

A new youth leadership program, this fellowship is aimed at preparing young professionals of color to enter the Food Justice movement by providing youth leaders with professional development and leadership opportunities.

Food Empowerment Education Sustainability Team (FEEST): Youth-led Healthy Food in Seattle Schools

FEEST works to increase access to fresh local foods in Seattle Public Schools by building leadership skills in youth of color, who will learn food education and advocacy through community dinners and an intensive development program.

Duwamish Tribal Services: “Duwamish Ridge to River” Linked Trail System with Associated Water Quality Monitoring (Puget Creek)

This project will involve the development of a remediation study and mitigation strategy to clean up and improve a contaminated section of hiking trails in Puget Creek, connecting the area’s creek, wetland, and ravine systems.

InterIm Community Development Association: Youth Development Support for Environmental Justice

InterIm’s WILD Program uses experiential environmental justice education to serve Asian and Pacific Islander immigrant and refugee youth, who will develop green career and land stewardship skills by participating in activities like trail restoration, environmental advocacy, parks visits, and developing their own natural resource improvement projects.

Young Women Empowered: Y-WE Nature Connections

Y-WE is developing a healthy food initiative aimed at serving communities of color in South Seattle, providing community-focused training and supporting healthy food production, sustainability career skills, and amplifying cultural narratives.

These projects will begin development in 2020. Stay tuned for the next application round! Questions? Contact Jessica Saavedra with King Conservation District at jessica.saavedra@kingcd.org.

Seattle’s Fresh Bucks Program Finds Sweet South Park Partnership in Frutería Sandoval

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While the Trump Administration is rolling back food benefits for millions, Seattle’s Fresh Bucks program, aimed at improving access to healthy food for families with lower incomes, is tripling in the coming year, and has added its first South Park location to its list of partners. Frutería Sandoval, a family-owned business in South Park, is now accepting Fresh Bucks Vouchers, which can be used like cash to purchase fruits and vegetables at participating retailers around the Seattle area. Increasing access to healthy, affordable food while supporting the local economy was a key commitment included in the City’s Duwamish Valley Action Plan released in June 2018.

“I am extremely proud and glad that Frutería Sandoval is working with the City to help South Park residents access affordable, healthy food. In just two weeks, the response and interest from the community has been incredible! Our community members are delighted to know that they can use their Fresh Bucks vouchers at our store to buy culturally-connected food this holiday season. We are looking forward to continuing working with the City and hope future collaborations like this one take shape around Seattle.”

-Frutería Sandoval Owner, Victor Sandoval

Fresh Bucks originally operated through local farmers markets to provide fresh produce to customers with low incomes, and expanded to offer greater accessibility by partnering with grocery stores in Seattle. Since farmers market hours don’t always align with customer needs, the program added Seattle Safeway locations to its partnerships, alongside smaller neighborhood grocery stores. Frutería Sandoval, being a local grocer offering culturally relevant produce to the South Park area, was an ideal candidate for partnering with Fresh Bucks.

Frutería Sandoval is also notable for its proximity to the Villa Comunitaria, previously known as South Park Information & Resource Center, a community organization that enrolls clients to receive monthly Fresh Bucks vouchers. With this collaboration in place, Villa Comunitaria hopes to connect even more South Park residents to fresh produce accessibility. Fresh Bucks’ community partnerships will continue to grow throughout 2020; stay tuned!

“South Park needs better access to healthy and affordable food. Before Frutería Sandoval, there wasn’t any grocery store that was culturally appropriate and affordable in South Park. Having a local retailer that can accept Fresh Bucks Vouchers such as Frutería Sandoval in the neighborhood is really important and it is going to make a great impact on the lifestyle of many South Park residents, breaching the gap to access healthy and affordable food,”

Gladis Clemente, Adult Education and PR Coordinator at Villa Comunitaria

Fresh Bucks Vouchers has established a public lottery application which will be available March 2-March 31, 2020. Seattle residents can apply online or over the phone, and the application will be available in 14 languages.

For more information on Fresh Bucks, including a complete list of all participating locations, visit www.freshbuckseattle.org.

As Trump Administration Slashes Food Security Programs, Mayor Durkan Triples Seattle’s Fresh Bucks Program to Serve More Families in Need

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Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced that Fresh Bucks, the City’s healthy food program focused on getting more fruits and vegetables into the hands of families with low incomes, is tripling the number of customers enrolled in the coming year. With $2 million in funding in the 2020 budget that was approved by Council, Fresh Bucks will enroll over 6,000 Seattle residents in 2020, up from 2,000 in 2019. Customers enrolled in Fresh Bucks Vouchers receive $40 a month in benefits that can be used like cash to buy fruits and vegetables at participating retailers.

The Mayor’s decision to triple the number of people Fresh Bucks serves comes as the Trump administration issues a final rule which would result in 3.7 million fewer people receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits each month, including nearly 1 million students who would lose access to free or reduced lunches. In Seattle, SNAP helps nearly 77,000 residents, or 11% of the city’s population, and SNAP helps 929,000 Washington residents, or 13% of the state population put food on their tables. In April 2020, Mayor Durkan submitted a public comment in opposition to the administration’s changes to SNAP.

“As the federal government refuses to help our most vulnerable communities, Seattle is stepping up to ensure our working families can access the healthy, affordable food they need,” said Mayor Durkan. “Food insecurity disproportionately impacts communities of color and immigrants and refugees, and the Trump administration’s work to dismantle SNAP will undoubtedly exacerbate existing inequities in our country. Tripling the size of Fresh Bucks is an important step, but ultimately, we need the federal government to abandon their arbitrary and cruel changes to SNAP, and actually help working families put food on the table.”

Read more about the announcement, and to learn more about Fresh Bucks visit www.freshbucksseattle.org.

Environmental Justice Leadership Spotlight: Abdullahi Jama

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Abdullahi Jama is a current member of the EJC with a long history of advocacy and community building, in both his South Seattle East African community and in his home country of Somalia, where he previously taught Human Rights Law at the Somali National University. Abdullahi was a member of the Community Partner Steering Committee that led to the creation of the Equity & Environment Agenda.

What motivates you in your work in the environmental justice sphere?

In the past, I worked with the City Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, where I organized safe community conversations, and then I worked with other local nonprofit organizations. I jumped into the related field of environmental justice because I would like to represent the East African community here in South Seattle. I would like to help educate our youth, and encourage them to become environmental ambassadors, passing the torch on to them.

What does environmental leadership look like to you?

Environmental leadership means having a vision for what the healthy environment can be like in the future, and how to get there; that vision can then be applied to community work in a practical manner. An environmental leader must have the breadth of experience to work with a diverse group of people, and often this takes shape in the form of being a mentor, consultant, or policy advocate, to name a few, and especially in terms of EJC members.

How has your background prepared you for a leadership role within EJC?

I’ve been doing local advocacy work for the past 20 years, so I recognize my community’s need for environmental justice. I come from a country where environmental concerns present themselves differently; here in South Seattle, we see air pollution leading to asthma, and other health disparities associated with income levels. I see the effects of gentrification increasingly in my community, with people here being pushed out to South King County. If they can stay in this area, vulnerable populations like recent immigrants may find themselves agreeing to live in unhealthy conditions due to a lack of alternatives. What often happens is people end up in older, subpar housing that may be contaminated with mold or pests, and their possible lack of understanding their rights as renters may lead to being taken advantage of by their landlords. I see cases like this often and help people in these situations navigate City departments to find the resources they need. With a group of people who may have a harder time communicating their needs, those needs often go ignored and unmet, and in my work, I hope to change that.

Can you share a highlight from your work with the EJC in the past couple years?

We worked together to develop the Equity and Environment Agenda (EE Agenda), which gives the City an interdepartmental tool for building policy frameworks, connecting multiple groups within the city in their relationship to environmental concerns. We meet every month to come up with a plan or contributions toward the Office of Sustainability & Environment, to think about how we move forward. I’m excited that we’ve brought many other people of color into environmental work, as that has not always been the case. Last year, I was doing a lot of work here in Rainier Beach, where we’re trying to develop Rose Triangle with the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities. We can see it being a community park area in the future.

What are you looking forward to in your next year’s work outside of the EJC?

In the next year, we hope that the EJC will accomplish its EE Agenda, and that it will be implemented fully. Some benefits would include improved transportation, housing, and health conditions in our communities. That is a big part of our mission, and all are related to policy work.

This article is part of the series: “EJC Spotlight”- highlighting the backgrounds and work of current and former Environmental Justice Committee (EJC) members. Since 2017, the EJC has strived to uplift those most impacted by environmental inequities and center community needs in the City’s environmental efforts while building partnerships between community organizations and local government. This interview series is being conducted by Karen Bosshart, a UW Program on the Environment student and current intern at OSE.