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Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Proposed 2023 Budget 

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Proposed 2023 budget furthers Seattle’s commitment to community-led environmental and climate justice action

By Jessyn Farrell, Director Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment

Dear Friends and Partners,

On Tuesday, September 27, Mayor Bruce Harrell released his 2023-24 Proposed Budget. This budget reflects Mayor Harrell’s continued commitment to bold action on the priorities of our communities – investing to address urgent needs as we build One Seattle.

With the investments in this budget proposal, we can work together to advance our shared One Seattle vision and an agenda that will inspire the best in our city and keep us moving forward.

OSE’s 2023-24 proposed budget reflects Seattle’s commitment to responding to the climate crises through the framework of the One Seattle Climate Justice Agenda, which focuses on 1) Building an Equitable Clean Energy Economy, 2) Ensuring a Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, and 3) Building Healthy, Climate Resilient Communities. The One Seattle Climate Justice Agenda seeks to build on what we know works and to scale up investments to achieve a healthy, sustainable city for every resident.

In total, nearly 90 percent of proposed budget additions directly benefit and support community, such as incentives for electrification, training for clean energy jobs, investments in an equitable, sustainable local food system, and grants for community-identified priorities.

The 2023 Proposed Budget significantly expands OSE’s work aligned with the Seattle Green New Deal programming funded with payroll expense tax dollars and complements the recently enacted 2022 Green New Deal Opportunity Fund, which allocates $6.5M in Green New Deal investments.

I am delighted to share a summary of OSE’s key changes in the 2023 Proposed Budget:

Building an Equitable Clean Energy Economy
The proposed 2023 budget continues key Duwamish Valley economic development investments and adds funding for clean energy scholarships and workforce development capacity to connect climate policies to the needs of an inclusive and equitable and low carbon economy. Key investment include:

  • $200,000 to continue Duwamish Valley Business Support
  • $1 million to continue Clean Energy Pre-Apprenticeship Scholarships

Ensuring a Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels
The proposed 2023 budget furthers Seattle’s commitment to community-led environmental and climate justice action. It targets climate pollution in buildings by expanding rebates to convert homes from oil-to-electric heat, creating new programs and support to help buildings owners transition to 100% clean buildings, and adding capital investments to decarbonize City-owned buildings, such as community centers and libraries.  Key investments include:

  • $800,000 to support rebates for oil home heating conversions
  • $2.8 million to provide staffing and resource support for the Building Emission Performance Standards Staffing and Implementation
  • $1 million for rebates for heavy-duty electric vehicles

Building Healthy, Climate Resilient Communities
The proposed 2023 budget deepens investments in communities most impacted by the climate impacts we are already seeing. Many of these investments will increase community capacity and advance Seattle’s Green New Deal, by focusing on an equitable transition away from fossil fuels while investing in jobs. Key investments include:

  • $150,000 for a Tree Canopy Equity and Resilience Plan
  • $300,000 in continued Funding to Green Industrial Properties in Equity Focus Areas
  • $550,000 to expand the Environmental Justice Fund, creating an ongoing fund of $750,000 moving forward.

NEXT STEPS AND COMMUNICATION ABOUT BUDGET

Over the next two months, the City Council will review the Mayor’s Proposed Budget. Public hearings are on October 11 and November 7. Final adoption of the budget is expected on Tuesday, November 22. More information about details in the budget can be found at www.seattle.gov/budget, and you can also direct any questions to MOS_COMMS@seattle.gov.

Mayor Harrell Signs $6.5 Million in 2022 Green New Deal Opportunity Fund

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Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell speaking at an event at the South Park Community Center with Green New Deal Oversight Board members and community partners to sign $6.5 million in Green New Deal 2022 budget investments.

The City of Seattle’s Green New Deal reached a critical milestone on Thursday September 22 as Mayor Bruce Harrell signed into law $6,491,539 in 2022 Green New Deal Opportunity Fund investments that will accelerate the City’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build community resilience to climate change, and increase net zero affordable housing.  

These investments are the first set recommended by the City’s Green New Deal Oversight Board of 19 community representatives, established by Ordinance 125926 through the Jumpstart payroll expense tax legislation passed in 2020. The Oversight Board also provided recommendations for the Mayor’s proposed 2023 budget, which will include $2.6 million in rebates and incentives to help middle-and-low-income residents transition off oil to clean electric heat pumps. With these investments, Seattle is on the path to transition all oil heating furnaces to clean electric heat pumps. An expanded list of the Mayor’s Green New Deal investments is included below. Mayor Harrell’s full budget will be announced next week.    

“For the past few days Seattle has been blanketed with smoke-filled skies and choking air quality, with areas of the city like here in the Duwamish Valley, where the life expectancy is eight years shorter than the Seattle average, especially hard hit,” said Mayor Harrell. “During times of increasingly severe climate events like these, it’s critical that everyone have access to clean, filtered air and cooling. I am proud to sign today $6.5 million in the Green New Deal Opportunity Fund and look forward to advancing further action in our 2023 proposed budget. I thank the Oversight Board, City staff, and community members, who have worked together to develop this and future sets of strategic and community-driven Green New Deal investments.” 

Investments for the $6.5 Million Green New Deal Opportunity Fund include:   

  • $2.4 Million to Identify and Develop Resilience Hubs in Seattle: Seattle is facing a climate crisis, but not all bear the burden equally. Resilience Hubs are an innovative approach to help ensure communities are supported in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from climate change related emergencies such as extreme heat events and wildfire smoke. The city is working to address community needs at nexus of resilience, emergency management and response, climate change mitigation, and social equity. Mayor Harrell has also proposed $2 million in his Parks District budget proposal toward the Resilience Hub effort. 
  • $2.3 Million to support efforts to get all City-owned buildings off fossil fuels by 2035. The City of Seattle owns 650 buildings, including 27 public libraries which are increasingly on the front lines of community care during climate emergencies. In addition to supporting the decarbonization of all municipal buildings, these investments strategically invest in providing heating, cooling, and clean air at the NE and SW Library branches to support communities during times of climate crisis. 
  • $2 Million to increase the number of city-funded affordable housing projects. Investing in multi-family affordable housing electrification avoids installing new fossil fuel systems that will lock newly created affordable housing – and its residents — into decades of climate pollution.  
  • $300,000 to support climate data and Community Health Indicator project. As the City continues to make exciting investments to address climate change, Seattle is developing the infrastructure to track our impact. This investment will collect critical data needed to see the full picture of climate impact on transportation, community health, and more – allowing the city to further efforts to advance climate justice and reduce greenhouse gas impacts.  
  • $100,00 for community engagement to inform climate elements of the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan update. This investment sets aside funds to support community engagement that will inform climate components incorporated into the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan – an effort fundamental to shaping land use, transportation, and infrastructure investments over the next 20 years. 

These investments and the 2023 budget will drive urgent action through Mayor Harrell’s One Seattle Climate Justice Agenda, centered on efforts and investments to build a green economy and create good jobs, ensure a just transition off fossil fuels, and build community resilience to meet the scale of the climate crisis – leaving no one behind. 

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:  

Seattle City Council Member Teresa Mosqueda 

“Today’s signing represents a crucial step towards fulfilling the JumpStart Seattle spending plan investments in our City’s climate resilience and in our City’s future. These investments represent a portion of the total $14.5m for 2022 and the near $20m for 2023 from JumpStart Seattle that is being directed from frontline and fenceline community representatives on the Green New Deal Oversight Board. As we continue to battle wildfire smoke and see climate impacts worldwide, we must make big, bold investments in forward-thinking, creative solutions to the extreme climate crisis that faces our communities; in particular vulnerable and historically marginalized communities. Thank you to the Green New Deal Oversight Board, staff at the Office of Sustainability and the Environment and the Mayor’s Office for your work towards investing in equitable climate resilience.” 

Maria Batayola, Co-Chair of the Green New Deal Oversight Board 

“At the Green New Deal Oversight Board, this is our first year gathering community priorities, consulting with City departments, and learning quickly to develop the 2022 budget recommendations. We are heartened and humbled to accelerate Seattle’s transition off fossil fuels and improve the resiliency of our impacted overburdened communities during this climate crisis. We are here today thanks to the hard work and dedication of environmental justice leaders from across Seattle’s neighborhoods, past and present. From community members to City staff and elected officials, Seattle’s commitment to justly address the climate crisis is evident in Seattle’s Green New Deal. Thank you.” 

Paulina López of the Duwamish River Community Coalition  

“Communities in Seattle—specially in places like the Duwamish Valley—need places to go and ways to connect to each other and services during times of climate emergencies. Resilience hubs are exciting community driven investments and we look forward to engaging with the City to pilot resilience hubs in the Duwamish Valley where community members are experiencing compounding impacts of sea-level rise, air pollution, and urban heat island effect.” 

WATCH THE EVENT RECORDING:

In its fight for food justice, Young Women Empowered displays its admiration for the Earth

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 By Carol Aragon, Environmental Justice Storytelling Youth Intern

Across the United States, race is the most significant predictor of a person living near contaminated air, water, or soil. It is for this reason that Seattle’s Environmental Justice Fund was created in 2017 to support efforts that benefit and are led by, or in partnership with, those most affected by environmental and climate inequities: Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, youth, and elders. The Environmental Justice Fund supports a wide variety of community-led projects that advance environmental justice and respond to the impacts of climate change. This story series features some of the incredible work led by community groups and organizations supported by the Environmental Justice Fund.

Young Women Empowered’s (Y-WE) mission is to “cultivate the power of diverse young women* to be creative leaders and courageous changemakers through transformative programs within a collaborative community of belonging.” Y-WE offers various outdoor programs including Nature Connections and Y-WE Grow. I had the honor of learning more about Y-WE Grow by interviewing Neli Jasuja who manages this program that was founded on forming a bond with the Earth. Y-WE Grow lives and thrives in South Park’s Marra Farm harbors youth and giving gardens, while being an educational space for those learning about food-related issues.

Neli shared her story with us in between gardening tasks.

Neli leads Y-WE Grow alongside Tayah Carlisle and has focused on food justice throughout her career. I had the wonderful opportunity to hear from Neli about how the EJ Fund has supported Y-WE Grow, her hopes for youth participants, and her emphasis on sustainability through farming while remaining respectful of and connected to the land.

“I love the Environmental Justice Fund,” Neli said. “It feels grounded in respect and trust. Rather than requiring us as an organization to prove ourselves constantly, it feels truly like a relationship. OSE staff have joined Y-WE volunteer work parties and been in community which has meant a lot. And with that trust, with that respect, comes openness for creativity. We don’t have to submit a rigorous grant proposal around what the youth will produce; there’s sometimes pressure around that. Instead, it’s more about letting the magic happen, like what emerges for the youth.”

While the EJ Fund currently supports Y-WE Grow, they were also a recipient of a grant in 2018 which supported their Nature Connections programming. Nature Connections is an opportunity for young women to deepen their relationship with nature and themselves through outdoor activities that allows them to experience nature and dive into environmental justice topics. As a result of their grant, Y-WE served over 230 young women through Nature Connections and the youth had access to outdoor activities including invasive species removal with Snoqualmie tribal leaders and working at Marra Farm, and connecting with the South Park community to share community meals while learning about the environmental justice issues they face.

Currently, the youth who participate in Y-WE Grow contribute to the environmental justice movement through their dedication and participation at Marra Farm and beyond. Once finished with Y-WE Grow, Neli hopes the youth walk away having a respectful relationship with the land, and that they are happy with the work that they accomplish.

“I want them to feel belonging and connection with the land from the start and to know that anywhere they go, they can approach their environment and observe, listen, and converse in relationship. It’s also a lot of pressure to inherit climate chaos and hold the responsibility that is pushed onto them by adults to fix it. What’s special about this space is that young people can heal and contribute at the same time. Action on its own without purpose or understanding of the land’s history, people and environmental justice movements can be dangerous. Self-care without purpose or action can be an avoidance mechanism. Because we have action, purpose, and healing integrated here, the youth know that it’s possible to have all three and build sustainability in environmental justice work long-term. You can experience joy while fighting environmental racism in community.”

On the left, Neli instructs a youth participant on the “chop and drop” method of weeding. On the right, she speaks with the same participant about the mycelium found in the mulch pathways.

Y-WE has collaborated with numerous programs that are focused on environmental equity. Here, Neli describes the importance of the different organizations coming together and the sense of community present at Marra Farm.

Neli and the author pose for a photo together as the volunteer day ends.

“I think that what’s special about Marra Farm is that it’s not just one group farming here. It’s a collection of organizations, neighbors, and individuals all doing cool projects. I think that sometimes when we hear that there’s people engaging in the environmental justice movement, there can be a hero-industrial complex, as though there’s this one person doing it all. We should recognize that people are coming together and sharing resources. That’s the mosaic of it. We’ll have foods next to each other at the market; we’ll look out for each other. It’s very relational, knowing that it also has a much bigger impact across the community. I feel very lucky that there’s so many people in Seattle doing this work. The community is very strong. It’s nice to have someone you can call, and to have people you can ask to join you in the movement. The community aspect is what gives me a lot of life in this work, in addition to the farm work.”

Lastly, Neli shared some words of wisdom for those beginning their environmental justice work.“I’d say it’s urgent and never too late to begin. I started doing this work, fully dedicating my life to it at twenty-five years old. To see where I’m at now and to see where our youth are now, it’s never too late to start building with people in community around this work because it’s work that needs to be done.”

Find out more about the Environmental Justice fund on our website, and consider applying before 4 p.m. on September 16.

*Y-WE uses this term to refer to those who identify as women or were assigned female at birth, inclusive of trans and non-binary folks.

About the Author

Carol Aragon is a Storytelling Intern for OSE through the Seattle Youth Employment Program, assisting in interviewing grantees of the Environmental Justice Fund. She is an incoming undergraduate at Washington State University.

Mayor Harrell Announces $6.5 Million in 2022 Green New Deal Opportunity Fund to accelerate Seattle’s transition off fossil fuels while building community resilience to climate change

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On September 7, the City of Seattle’s Green New Deal reached a critical milestone as Mayor Bruce Harrell released a funding proposal that would invest $6,491,539 in 2022 toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions, supporting community resilience to climate change, and increasing net zero affordable housing. These investments are the first set recommended by the City’s Green New Deal Oversight Board of 19 community representatives, established by Ordinance 125926 through the Jumpstart payroll expense tax legislation passed in 2020.

Investments for the $6.5 Million Green New Deal Opportunity Fund include:   

  • $2.4 Million to Identify and Develop Resilience Hubs in Seattle: Seattle is facing a climate crisis, but not all bear the burden equally. Resilience Hubs are an innovative approach to help ensure communities are supported in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from climate change related emergencies such as extreme heat events and wildfire smoke. The City is working to address community needs at nexus of resilience, emergency management and response, climate change mitigation, and social equity. Mayor Harrell has also proposed $2 million in his Parks District budget proposal toward the Resilience Hub effort. 
  • $2.3 Million to support efforts to get all City-owned buildings off fossil fuels by 2035. The City of Seattle owns 650 buildings, including 27 public libraries which are increasingly on the front lines of community care during climate emergencies. In addition to supporting the decarbonization of all municipal buildings, these investments strategically invest in providing heating, cooling, and clean air at the NE and SW Library branches to support communities during times of climate crisis. 
  • $2 Million to increase the number of city-funded affordable housing projects. Investing in multi-family affordable housing electrification avoids installing new fossil fuel systems that will lock newly created affordable housing – and its residents – into decades of climate pollution.  
  • $300,000 to support climate data and Community Health Indicator project. As the City continues to make exciting investments to address climate change, Seattle is developing the infrastructure to track our impact. This investment will collect critical data needed to see the full picture of climate impact on transportation, community health, and more – allowing the city to further efforts to advance climate justice and reduce greenhouse gas impacts.  
  • $100,00 for community engagement to inform climate elements of the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan update. This investment sets aside funds to support community engagement that will inform climate components incorporated into the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan – an effort fundamental to shaping land use, transportation, and infrastructure investments over the next 20 years.  

The 2022 Green New Deal Opportunity Fund investments are the first to be funded by proceeds from Jumpstart funds. As part of the 2022 budgeting process, the Green New Deal Oversight Board was asked to make recommendations on $6.5 million for investments to help to advance the principles of the Green New Deal for Seattle. The Oversight Board has also provided recommendations for 2023 funds.  

What Others are Saying

“We at the Oversight Board have been working for months gathering community priorities, consulting with City departments, and building on our own expertise to develop the 2022 budget recommendations. Through these investments, we are humbled to accelerate Seattle’s transition off fossil fuels while improving the resilience of our impacted overburdened communities during this climate crisis.” 

Maria Batayola, Green New Deal Oversight Board member“

“As a councilmember, I voted to establish a Green New Deal – with a goal of ensuring Seattle continues to be at the forefront of innovative policies to reduce emissions and center climate resilience and justice. We stand at a tipping point where bold action must be taken to meet the scale of the climate crisis, and this set of investments reflects that ambitious thinking and commitment to strong and healthy communities. I want to thank City staff and community members, who have worked together to develop this set of strategic and community-driven Green New Deal investments. This is an important first step that will be followed by sustained efforts in our future budgets and policy proposals to create jobs, foster healthy communities, and support a clean environment.” 

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell

“Seeing record heat waves in Seattle, floods in Pakistan, and worldwide droughts, wildfires and food scarcity, there is nothing more pressing for our City’s future than investing in equitable climate resilience. Thank you to the Green New Deal Oversight Board, staff at the Office of Sustainability and the Environment, and the Mayor’s Office for your work in fulfilling the JumpStart Seattle spending plan investments in the Green New Deal. We need these, and more, investments in climate resilience and forward-thinking, creative solutions to the extreme crisis that faces our communities.” 

Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda

“Communities in Seattle – specially in places like the Duwamish Valley – need places to go and ways to connect to each other and services during times of climate emergencies. Resilience hubs are exciting community driven investments and we look forward to engaging with the City to pilot resilience hubs in the Duwamish Valley where community members are experiencing compounding impacts of sea-level rise, air pollution, and urban heat island effect.” 

Paulina López of the Duwamish River Community Coalition

“Most climate pollution and environmental harm happens where BIPOC and low-income individuals reside.” It’s critical that Seattle’s climate investments are designed to make our buildings safe, healthy, and resilient for our communities and that they prioritize job training and career development for those who have been most impacted by the extraction and burning of fossil fuels.”

Patience Malaba of the Housing Development Consortium.

If You Care About Climate Change, Weigh in on the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan

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By Edie Gilliss, Citywide Climate Initiatives Coordinator

Seattleites have a rare opportunity to help set the stage for climate action in Seattle: the One Seattle Plan, which will determine how the City accommodates housing and job growth over the next 20 years, covering policy areas ranging from zoning and infrastructure to transportation and resilience.

The One Seattle Plan is required under state law to address growth – a particularly relevant concern given that the City’s population grew by more than 20% over the 2010s. As we prepare to welcome new neighbors, it is time to consider how best we can plan to accommodate necessary housing, jobs, utilities, while making Seattle a more affordable, resilient City. The Office of Planning and Community Development is currently gathering initial public feedback online, with the expectation of finalizing and adopting the plan in fall 2024.

This planning process has been structured to take climate and environmental concerns into consideration. Last month the City Council and Mayor passed a resolution “stating the City’s intent to address climate change and improve resiliency” in the One Seattle Plan and the Office of Sustainability and Environment and the Office of Planning and Community Development will be working to ensure that the climate elements of the plan are strong.

Linkages between land use and the environment

There is a strong relationship between how land is used, and our impact on the climate. Where people live, how far they have to commute, the efficiency of our transit system, how efficiently goods and services can be moved through the city, and how efficient our buildings are all play a part in the story told by our climate emissions.  The plan is a great opportunity to make progress on our goals of emissions reduction, resilience against climate change, and environmental justice. You can do your part to make sure the City takes advantage of this opportunity by providing your input.

Racial equity is also a key driver of the plan. Some Seattle neighborhoods, which have long been targets of disinvestment, are home to many communities of color and have significantly lower life expectancy rates and higher rates of childhood asthma. Building a plan, and the future investments that are driven by it, should ensure that the neighborhood someone lives in should not be a factor in their ability to thrive in this City.

Seattle is growing in population, staying the same in terms of physical size, and seeking to reduce carbon emissions. This means that the city will have to become more densely populated while decreasing each person’s carbon footprint, in order to meet our ambitious goals. Fortunately, this is not as hard as intuition might have us think, because density is good for the climate.

That’s right: denser neighborhoods with more closely located amenities tend to have lower carbon footprints. When people must travel longer distances in gas-powered vehicles to commute to work, run errands, drop off kids at school, or engage in leisure activities, this leads to more emissions. Planning for a city where people don’t have to travel as much by car is a huge opportunity for emissions reduction, given that transportation accounts for more than half of Seattle’s greenhouse gas emissions.*

*Another part of this equation is making sure the transportation options that people have at their disposal are better for the environment. In a future post, we’ll discuss how the Seattle Transportation Plan, on which SDOT is currently soliciting public input, is crucial to meeting our climate goals.

How you can weigh in

Our colleagues at the City’s Office of Planning and Community Development have created a Community Engagement Hub where you can voice your opinion. This site contains a lot more information about the details of the plan, as well as forums where people can provide comments and can view and respond to what others have said. Some of the categories include:

OSE encourages you to check it out, think about our climate, and voice your opinion. As the old saying goes, an ounce of civic engagement is worth a ton of carbon emissions!

Seattle “Clean Buildings Accelerator” Program Launching Summer 2022

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Clean buildings are essential for meeting City and State energy, climate, and equity goals. The Washington State Clean Building Performance Standards law seeks to lower energy costs and climate-polluting emissions from existing buildings and provides incentives to encourage building owners to improve energy efficiency.

The City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) is working with Stillwater Energy to launch a new program focused on supporting under-resourced buildings to meet the WA Clean Buildings Performance Standards requirements and reduce emissions, prioritizing non-profit owned and buildings that serve or are in BIPOC communities.  

Two Offerings to Start:

  • Education: Self-led learning including pre-recorded webinars, common energy and carbon reduction opportunities, checklist, templates, examples, how to identify targets, energy efficiency and emissions reduction opportunities.  
  • Light coaching-style trainings: Tailored support, including live virtual workshops, site-specific virtual energy walk through, expert review of documents, project identification and prioritization. Seeking up to 30 participants for 2022.  

Register today for a 60-minute informational session to learn more about the Seattle Clean Buildings Accelerator: 

Or visit the Seattle Clean Buildings Accelerator webpage.

June 16: Join OSE for the Second Building Performance Standards Online Open House

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Developing a successful Seattle Building Performance Standards (BPS) policy will require understanding and offering solutions to meet the challenges – technical, financial, operational, or otherwise – that building owners, managers, and tenants may face in making upgrades. OSE is committed to a collaborative effort to maximize benefits to building owners and tenants and to ensure equitable pathways to high quality green jobs, especially for people of color and women.

On June 16th from 12pm to 1:30pm OSE is hosting a zoom webinar to give an update on our Building Performance Standard policy work to date and share highlights of stakeholder feedback received so far on the potential policy. In this open house, OSE will share the draft BPS policy framework and the policy timeline, and take comments and questions on the draft policy framework. Register for June 16th webinar.

Catching Up on the April 5 Open House

On April 5, OSE hosted the first open house, attended by 350 people, which gave an overview of how buildings contribute to climate pollution and the ways this pollution affects people’s health and our community, especially impacting communities of color. Staff presented on existing City policies to reduce climate pollution and discussed building performance standards (BPS) — what they are, how they work, how they might complement current state and city policies, and their benefits. Following the presentation, staff responded to audience questions and comments, which are summarized in the Q & A below. 

Why Building Performance Standards?

Seattle Building Performance Standards are projected to reduce building sector emissions 27% by 2050. They are the single most impactful building policy the City can implement in the next few years to reduce climate pollution and transition toward cleaner, healthier buildings.

Building performance standards are energy or emissions targets that existing buildings must meet over time to improve energy efficiency and reduce climate impacts. The City is developing an approach that would gradually phase out carbon pollution from existing commercial and multifamily buildings 20,000 square feet (ft2) and larger through mandatory emissions targets, beginning 2026 for the largest commercial buildings, that become more stringent over time, to net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2045.

For more information on Building Performance Standards, see the OSE website at: www.seattle.gov/building-performance-standards.

King Conservation District Seattle Community Partnership Programs Awards $761,000 to 13 Organizations

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King Conservation District (KCD) and OSE are continuing their longstanding collaboration to invest in natural resource improvements that are led by or in deep partnership with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

KCD received 35 applications from amazing community organizations requesting over $2.4 million dollars in funding. The program had $761,000 available to award this year and selected 13 organizations. Proposed projects represented a range of activities and ideas including community education and empowerment, green career pathways, youth leadership, food justice, habitat conservation, composting and soil health, urban forest restoration, watershed health, and many more.

The focus of this funding opportunity and the 2022 awards continues to be investments in natural resource improvements that are co-created, led by, or in deep partnership with communities disproportionately impacted by environmental injustice, climate change, and systematic racism: Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, youth and elders.

This year, King Conservation District and the City of Seattle are thrilled to announce awards to the following community organizations:

2022 King Conservation District (KCD)-Seattle Community Partnership Grant Program Awardees

AmountOrganizationProject Details
$25,000Hip Hop is GreenCherry Street Farm and Lab: Youth Excellence Program (Y.E.P) Phase II
$70,000InterIm CDADanny Woo Community Garden and Cooking Project
$70,000iUrban TeenResilience, Innovation and Sustainability in a Changing World
$25,000Khmer Community of Seattle King CountyIntergenerational Khmer Land Ethic Internship
$50,000Na’ah Illahee FundContinuation of Daybreak Star Restoration for Sovereign Futures
$70,000Nurturing RootsUrban – Rural Food Connection
$70,000Plant Based Food SharePlant Based Food Share Project
$70,000Restaurant 2 GardenRestaurant 2 Garden Project
$70,000Somali Family Safety Task ForceSomali Community Growing Together
$58,000Sustainable SeattleRiparian Caretakers
$70,000Villa ComunitariaSalsa De La Vida
$70,000Windz of Change AllianceRestoring Native Stewardship in Urban Ecology
$43,000YouthCareYouthGrow Project
$761,000Total funds awarded for 2022

Listening to Community Priorities to inform Critical Climate Investments

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Green New Deal Oversight Board to present budget 2022 and 2023/24 budget recommendations in early June.

On April 18th, the Green New Deal Oversight Board held a public listening session to create a space for community input, build connections, and inform future priorities of the Green New Deal. The Green New Deal Oversight Board is comprised of 19 members who work to connect frontline community led voices and the Seattle city government to eliminate Seattle’s climate pollution by 2030, while resolving racial, social, and economic inequities.

The primary goals of the Green New Deal are:

  • Address the Climate Crisis and Environmental Injustice: reduce climate pollution and climate adaptation
  • Build an Inclusive Low-Carbon Economy: workforce development, contracting, and community wealth building
  • Promote Community Health and Well-being: reduce climate related health disparities
  • and foster resiliency

At the listening session, attendees were broken up into 8 small groups facilitated by Oversight Board members with notes captured by OSE staff. Each small group worked through the following set of questions:

  • Imagine it is 2030 Seattle is pollution free what lead us here? Share your idea in a headline form.
  • Do you know of an existing or new idea of a project, program, policy, that aligns with the
    following Green New Deal priority area?
  • Are there existing city programs or projects that you would like to see more of in your
    community? (Examples: Broader opportunities to sign up for the Utility Discount Program, more
    access to home weatherization rebates, or more environmental education programs in schools)
  • What are existing education programs, early career services, or entry level positions in the
    climate and environmental sector? How could access to these programs be expanded? What
    programs could be created in this space?
  • Of the ideas shared what things would you do immediately and what things would come later?

Breakout Group Discussion Themes

  • Decrease our reliance on fossil fueled vehicles
    • Develop programs and incentives for people with low incomes to access EVs such as a community car share program
    • More public transit electrification
    • Subsidize energy transition for community members with low incomes
  • Decrease our reliance on fossil fuels in buildings
    • Scale up our oil to electric home heating program and include gas
    • Support more solar energy generation
    • Expand weatherization programs for residential buildings
    • Close the financial gap between developing affordable and low income housing & green building
    • Subsidize energy transition for community members with low incomes
  • Invest in youth and community education efforts
    • Invest in community based organizations to provide critical education and technical assistance to community members who are eligible for incentives and assistance programs
    • Invest in education for young people
    • Environmental and climate justice curriculum in schools
    • Develop a youth workforce training & education center
  • Ensure that workforce development strategies are developed as part of climate policy development
    • Invest in pathways into apprenticeships to meet the workforce demand
    • Invest in ways that connect youth into career pathways that are a part of decarbonization and climate adaptation efforts
    • Support accessible avenues for community land ownership
    • Develop creative ways to bring people together to foster community building, community cohesion and relationship building while raising awareness around climate change and inspiring collective action & solutions development

Overcoming Challenges & Building Opportunities Together

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2021 Duwamish Valley Program Update & Progress Report 

By Alberto J. Rodríguez (OSE) & David W. Goldberg (OPCD) 

It is no secret the last couple of years have been extremely challenging. But, due to the incredible grit, perseverance, and community leadership, we have overcome many challenges and built opportunities — together. In this update we describe some the Duwamish Valley Program’s highlights from 2021.

Throughout the years, the South Park and Georgetown communities have identified priorities and developed plans in collaboration with volunteers, universities, non-profits, philanthropic entities, and government agencies, many of which are led by communities of color and low-income communities and thus ensure that racial and social justice are front and center. None of these efforts would be successful without the many community members who contributed countless hours of volunteer time and labor to improve their neighborhoods and help deliver projects and programs. To all of you, THANK YOU! 

Since 2016, the City of Seattle’s Duwamish Valley Program and Duwamish Valley Action Team (DAT) have worked to create positive change in the Duwamish Valley and build a more just and equitable city. Despite encountering many obstacles and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DAT continued to work collaboratively to break silos, use an intersectional approach, and build partnerships with community, other agencies, and philanthropic organizations to deliver on the actions included in the  Duwamish Valley Action Plan.

We would like to share some highlights from 2021:  

2022 Duwamish Valley Package of Investments: 

The City’s 2022 budget included one of the largest packages of investments since the release of the Action Plan in 2018 (approximately $9 million). These investments will expand youth leadership and capacity building, fund essential improvements to community gathering spaces, improve mobility and access to greenspace and the Duwamish River, improve air and environmental quality, and support local businesses and workforce development. Many of these were supported by and will be aligned with Seattle’s Green New Deal.

COVID-19 Relief & Response: 

Photo Credit: Rosario-Maria Medina

The Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) supported 12 women- and BIPOC-owned small businesses in Georgetown and South Park with technical assistance and/or four rounds of protective supplies and gear. Additionally, in partnership with community-based organizations, we supported more than 100 South Park and Georgetown families and individuals with rental assistance, utility payments, emergency grocery vouchers, and healthcare costs. 

Reconnect West Seattle:

The unexpected closure of the West Seattle Bridge dramatically impacted the Duwamish Valley communities. In 2021, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Department of Neighborhoods (DON) worked with South Park and Georgetown community members to identify, design, and implement traffic calming and pedestrian safety projects to mitigate for the bridge closure. Among other things, together we planted 100 street trees each in South Park and Georgetown; established Home Zones in both neighborhoods; built a new sidewalk and finished the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center interim crossing signal to provide safer access to those visiting the Longhouse and people walking and biking on the Duwamish Trail; and many other things.  

Duwamish Valley Resilience District:  

OSE, the Office of Planning & Community Development (OPCD), and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), launched, paused, and re-launched our efforts to establish a Resilience District in the Duwamish Valley. While delayed, we made progress last year, including hiring Equitable Future to lead community engagement efforts and Environmental Works as the landscape architecture firm to support the design and implementation of two pilot projects (i.e., Unity Electric site planning in South Park and improvements to 8th Ave. S in Georgetown). In the next few weeks, we will begin broad community engagement. Stay tuned for more information.   

And there’s even more!

We also want to celebrate progress on all seven priority areas in the Action Plan, including:  

Healthy Environment:

Photo Credit: Hannah Letinich

Parks & Open Spaces:

  • Duwamish Waterway Park. Seattle Parks & Recreation (SPR) has been making improvements to the park. Construction is nearing completion and work is underway with the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) to define final environmental remediation actions. 
  • South Park Community Center. SPR finalized design, is currently working on corrections, and anticipates bidding this summer with construction starting in the fall of 2022. 
  • South Park Plaza. SPR has been leading this work. The project is nearing completion of construction documents and permits have been submitted to King County for their review and approval.  
  • Unity Electric. SPR purchased a 1-acre site on the Duwamish River (Unity Electric site), next to Duwamish Waterway Park to support community interests in open space, increasing access to the river, habitat restoration, and developing community-supportive nonprofit spaces. 
  • Georgetown Flume Off-Leash Area. SCL transferred part of the property SPR to develop a new off-leash area and pedestrian thoroughfare in the Georgetown neighborhood. After meeting with Ecology, SPR learned that the project is now required to submit an Interim Action Work Plan (IAWP) that Ecology must approve. Consequently, construction must be delayed until summer of 2023, contingent upon Ecology’s approval of the IAWP. 
  • 8th Ave. S and Gateway Park North. SDOT continues working with community, SPR, and the Port of Seattle on plans to improve the 8th Ave. S Street End/Gateway Park North in Georgetown, and to develop an environmental testing and remediation strategy.  

Community Capacity:

Seattle Human Services Department and OSE supported the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps and Georgetown Youth Council; OPCD and Finance & Administrative Services continued supporting tenants with developing long-term plans for managing and improving the South Park Neighborhood Center; DON, OSE, and OPCD funded community-based organizations  via the Food Equity Fund, the Duwamish River Opportunity Fund, the Environmental Justice Fund, and the Equitable Development Implementation Fund; and OPCD and SPR launched community engagement for site planning for the Unity Electric property. 

Mobility & Transportation:

SDOT secured funding for the construction of the Georgetown to South Park Connection/Trail (including the intersection at 16th Ave. S and E Marginal Way S) and SPU and SDOT began a project to improve chronic flooding and drainage issues in South Park. 

Economic Opportunity & Jobs:

Several departments increased local access to contracting and jobs and the Office of Economic Development and OSE provided support to small businesses via COVID-19 relief funds and Neighborhood Recovery Funds.   

Affordable Housing:

The Office of Housing entered into a purchase and sale agreement on two adjacent properties in South Park. They expect to complete the acquisition in the first half of 2022. 

Public Safety:

SDOT implemented pedestrian safety and traffic calming projects as part of Reconnect West Seattle and supported improvements to the Duwamish Bikeway/8th Ave. S Trail in South Park 

In 2022 and 2023, many of these projects will go from planning and design to construction, so you will be seeing on-the-ground improvements.  

We look forward to continuing working with you to advance environmental justice, equitable development, and climate and community resilience in the Duwamish Valley. 

Thanks for your ongoing support! 

Alberto & David