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Environmental Justice Leadership Spotlight: Jaimée Marsh

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Jaimée joined the EJC in 2020 and participates on the Healthy Environment for All Sub-committee. They currently serve as Executive Director of FEEST, a non-profit organization centering youth as leaders working towards school food systems change in Seattle and South King County. 

What motivates you in your work in the environmental justice sphere?Growing up, I lived really close to the Spokane River, and I remember adults talking about pollution in the water, which meant there were times we couldn’t eat what we’d caught. I became really mindful of these environmental problems, and I started asking myself, “what can we do to stop companies and industries from polluting our natural resources?” As I step into a leadership role within the world of environmental justice, my goal is to create space for young people’s voices to be heard in the environmental justice movement, as they’re deeply impacted by environmental issues. The particular lens that I’m approaching environmental justice in right now is through food access, especially looking at food apartheid and the ways that racism is embedded in our systems and in our built environment, reducing people’s access to fresh, healthy food. When I think about what environmental justice means in that context, it’s this: how do we create and expand access to fresh and healthy food for young people and their families?

What does environmental leadership look like to you?
Leadership looks like centering the people who are most impacted by environmental injustices, and in the neighborhoods where I work in South Seattle and South King County, they represent some of the greatest impacted communities by environmental hazards mentioned in the Equity and Environment Agenda. At the same time, they are also experiencing issues surrounding food access, meaning they are navigating multiple marginalities. Leadership looks like paving the way and removing barriers for the voices of those young people and families in the community who are most impacted by environmental injustice, and hearing from them about what the best solutions for their communities look like.

How has your background prepared you for a leadership role within the EJC?
A lot of my work has been focused on centering youth voice, but my lens on food justice and food access was shaped by work I did in Detroit, over ten years ago. At that time, I was doing my social work practicum, working on several youth-led, community-based projects. Some of those projects involved going to parks and finding out ways to transform these spaces to better serve their communities, or going to farmers markets and working with community health centers in the area to figure out how we could create greater access to fresh produce, as these areas also exist in a food apartheid state. We would also do community assessments with youth groups, where we would start at the top of one street, and follow it all the way down, writing and taking photos to describe what we saw in these communities. Students described a lot of blight prevalent in these neighborhoods: abandoned homes, rusty nails in the street, stray dogs, all things that kids would see even on their way to school. They also noticed a disproportionate amount of alcohol advertising, along with a lack of access to grocery stores. Where there were stores, often food was noticeably unfresh. Many students said their main source of food was corner shops, so we connected with local farmers to bring fresh produce to these places, making it more accessible to the community. That was a transformative experience for me, in terms of how I thought about the ways that community can come together to shape public health outcomes.

How do you see your community coming together in response to COVID-19?
I’ve been really inspired by the mutual aid efforts I see popping up all around the city. When schools closed in March, we at FEEST were no longer able to run our dinner program, and our campaign meetings had to move online. We pivoted pretty quickly, listening to our young people about their needs at the time, and we asked, what can we do? What’s within our capacity to help out with? And we decided that grocery delivery would be one of the best ways to break down some of the access barriers our community is dealing with right now. Many of the youth we work with are living in multi-generational homes, so if folks are going out of the house, they could be unintentionally sharing it with vulnerable people at home. We thought that doing contactless delivery of free groceries was one of the best ways we can serve our community and ensure that access needs are met, especially in South Seattle. We established a system where families can submit their grocery lists to us, including items like produce, other food staples, cleaning supplies, and diapers; we pick up the goods and offer contactless delivery to any family with students at Rainier Beach, Chief Sealth, Evergreen, and Tyee High Schools. In a way, it’s a great opportunity for us to get the word out about FEEST and our goals surrounding food justice, because we’re able to reach more students and families in the school than we might have been able to just by meeting in classrooms after school. So far, we’ve served over 400 families with free groceries, and we’re continuing the program through June.

What do you hope to see EJC accomplish in the next year?
I’m excited to get out in the community and hear from people, to bridge the knowledge of the community with that of the committee. Obviously, that may look different moving forward, so I’m excited for the creative ideas we come up with to keep up with engagement and tap into our community’s experiences and needs at this time, getting their ideas for how we can be most responsive. I deeply believe that the people who are most impacted have the best solutions on how to address any given issue. Making sure that we’re out there hearing from our community any way that we can is a big priority of ours in the EJC.

Continuing to Support Community with COVID Relief Food Assistance

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In March, Seattle was one of the first cities in the nation to launch an emergency grocery voucher program for families who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial $5 million investment provided vouchers to 6,250 low-income families to help them purchase food, cleaning supplies, and other household goods at any Safeway store in Washington State.

Since March, the number of families served has grown to 8,690 and by September, the City will be serving over 10,000 families with emergency grocery vouchers. Assuming four people per household, that translates to supporting over 40,000 Seattle residents with their monthly grocery needs.

The Office of Sustainability & Environment continues to partner with community-based organizations to distribute the vouchers, with a focus on recently displaced workers who are unable to access other forms of government aid due to structural or institutional barriers, like language barriers, fear of deportation, or experiencing gender-based violence. Partner organizations include: Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), API Chaya, Casa Latina, Entre Hermanos, Fair Work Center (and their partner organizations), Ingersoll Gender Center, Lake City Collective, Providence Regina House, Refugee Women’s Alliance, United Indians, Villa Comunitaria, and West African Community Council.

Partner organizations are determining voucher recipients based on the lists of clients and households they support in their work.

The partner organizations recently shared some examples of how the emergency voucher program is providing critical support for our residents in need. One comment from a voucher recipient:

“I really needed the extra support and got it from the City program…I appreciate the care the City took to provide these vouchers to my family . My family was impacted when Childhaven closed their doors . My kiddos ate breakfast, lunch, and snack at the facility 5 days a week – such a big hit my budget. Thanks to the City of Seattle for helping so many during uncertain times.”

Households receive $400 a month for their first three months in the program and $180 a month thereafter. Benefits can be used to purchase anything at Safeway stores except for alcohol, tobacco, gift cards, and lottery. Currently, 67% of the participants identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), 8% identify as White, and 25% prefer not to provide race/ethnicity information. Additionally, 48% prefer a language other than English.

Assistance Available for 2020 Environmental Justice Fund Applications

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Each year the Office of Sustainability’s Equity & Environment Initiative (EEI) distributes approximately $250,000 to support the improvement of environmental and health conditions in response to climate change with the goal of advancing environmental justice for communities who experience the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation first and worst.

2020 Environmental Justice Fund application opens August 24th. Wonder if your project qualifies? We’re glad to offer assistance! Fill out this quick survey (optional) and we will get in touch to set up a call. Note that this is not the final application.  

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 this funding is aimed to support efforts that are led by and benefit the people most affected by environmental and climate issues: Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, youth and elders.  

The links between environmental heath, community health, race and social justice and the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic are stark.  The Office of Sustainability & Environment knows that COVID-19 is impacting our communities in ways that we are just beginning to understand. The 2020 application will be modified to focus specifically on community resilience needs because of impacts by COVID-19 at the nexus of environmental and climate justice.  

Criteria for projects should include community-defined solutions that improve environmental and community health & well-being and respond to impacts of climate change and COVID-19. Projects may be focused on capacity building, ongoing visioning, community education, collaboration or other efforts that address climate preparedness, air quality, food insecurity, green jobs, and other environmental and climate justice issues.   

There is no Environmental Justice Without Racial Justice

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The Office of Sustainability & Environment stands in solidary with the Black community and supports the goals of Black Lives Matter. Our mission is to create policies and programs that decrease racial disparities and propel our city toward a sustainable, equitable, and fossil fuel free future. We cannot achieve this mission without dismantling systemic racism, and specifically anti-Blackness, throughout City government.  

Like climate change, there is no panacea to solve 400 years of oppression against and exploitation of Black people. We are proud of the work we have done as an office since 2015 to advance racial equity through our environmental and sustainability work. While our goal has been to design polices that serve the needs of those who are hardest hit by climate change and environmental pollution, we know we can do more, especially as it pertains to centering the voices and needs of our Black communities. We acknowledge the role city governments have played in perpetuating systemic racism, that we have fallen short of building true racial equity. We commit to using our power and privilege as a City department to dismantle institutional racism and anti-Blackness.

We are City employees, but we are also individuals. We share the outrage and disgust many across our nation are feeling in the wake of murders of Black Americans, and acknowledge the violence specifically perpetrated against Black trans individuals. We cannot and will not remain silent.

To those who are calling for change – We hear you. We stand with you. We believe Black Lives Matter. We know there can be no environmental justice without racial justice. We commit today to develop and share publicly a series of concrete actions OSE will take to break down systemic racism and fight climate change in Seattle. Even though these actions must be guided by an inclusive process that centers Black and Brown voices to achieve greater and more sustained change, we will begin with the following – to be completed within 30 days:

  • Coordinate a fundraising effort to support organizations that are doing critical work in advancing solutions for Black communities, including a voluntary donation effort (financial or in-kind) at OSE and challenging other City departments and external partners to join us
  • Organize a series of days of action or service in support of the Black Lives Matter movement
  • Identify strategies and actions to learn more, center, and dismantle anti-Blackness in OSE’s work

Black liberation is collective liberation, and we’re ready to get to work.  

Environmental Justice Leadership Spotlight: Dennis Comer

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Dennis Comer, a small business owner and former military officer, serves as the Executive Director for the Central Area Collaborative. A founding member of the Central Area Collaborative and Central Area Land Use Review Committee, his work within the community helped facilitate the creation of Central Area Design Guidelines and a Central Area Design Review Board, which he worked as a member of.

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

One of the things that motivates me is, when you’re serving a community that’s disenfranchised, aside from paying rent, food, shelter, and affordable housing, the next piece is health, which is a product of environmental concern. Many times, lower-income neighborhoods are located near landfills, or in areas with industrial pollution. So we wanted to make sure that in the Central Area, there was some organization that was looking at that as a part of the whole environmental justice strategy. The EJC acted as a place to plug in and create a two-way communication channel with these communities in Seattle.

What does environmental leadership look like to you?

To me, it’s maintaining awareness of what’s going on at all levels, from federal, to state, to the local levels; staying engaged in the scientific community to see what’s new and possible, and making sure that you as a leader can serve as a point of contact or guidance for your community members. There are always folks interested in learning more, they just might not know how to access this information. For example, all the buildings folks are talking about LEED certification, while from the community standpoint, they’re saying, “I just need a place to stay.” You have to know how to explain why these environmentally-friendly features are so important, and how they can ultimately benefit a neighborhood.

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

I’m a retired military officer, so leadership’s pretty much second nature. It’s helped me take a neutral stand and make sure that I’m hearing both sides of a situation. On the one side, environmentalists may be saying, “the world is ending tomorrow.” But somebody needs to say, “well let’s balance that because today people need to live.” For a leader, that means approaching issues with patience, the ability to calm folks down, and balancing competing priorities, bridging gaps basically. For the EJC, because of my familiarity with issues in the Central Area like affordability, gentrification, displacement, and senior housing, I’m able to synthesize information and see where we can take advantage of what’s out there, moving the community forward without favoring one side or another.

How do you see your community coming together in response to COVID-19?

The Central Area Collaborative oversees the administration of small business relief funds. When all this started, we knew how it would affect our local businesses. So we took the community funding we had and provided ten immediate $500 grants to several Central Area businesses that we know are hurting. On our website, there’s a video of one of our leadership committee members, Hayward Watson, going to businesses with a check. You can see the excitement; no one just hands out money. While our community is waiting for funding from the national and state level, this was our way of providing a quick band-aid and letting the City know that we can mobilize quickly since we live in these neighborhoods. We’re now looking at doing another round of grants, hopefully up to 40 businesses this time. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s something, and can be used for anything these businesses need in the meantime while waiting for other funds.

What are you looking forward to in your next year working with the EJC?

I am looking forward to exploring how the impacts of COVID-19 have helped or harmed our community’s environmental posture. To find out what lessons are being learned through this pandemic that may help change the way we do business as it relates to the environment and climate justice.

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.

Seattle’s Emergency Food Voucher Program Gets Another Boost

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The City of Seattle will now be able to provide an additional 250 households with emergency grocery vouchers thanks an additional $200,000 contribution from Safeway. Safeway had previously contributed $200,000 which was announced a few weeks ago.

The emergency grocery voucher program provides families $800 in vouchers to purchase food, cleaning supplies, and other household goods at any Safeway store in Washington state. The vouchers are distributed in in two installments of $400 each. These funds will support workers who recently lost their job or experienced a decrease in hours or wages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As with previous funding raised for this program, the Safeway donation will go to the United Way of King County to support the Office of Sustainability and Environment’s (OSE) expanded emergency food voucher program. The expanded program is now providing 2050 workers impacted by COVID-19 with vouchers that can immediately be used at any Washington state Safeway store to purchase food and household goods, not including tobacco, alcohol, lottery tickets, and fuel. 

OSE is continuing to partner with community-based organizations to distribute the vouchers, focusing on recently displaced workers who are unable to access other forms of government aid due to structural or institutional barriers, like language barriers, fear of deportation, or experiencing gender-based violence. Partner organizations include: Asian Counseling and Referral Services, API Chaya, Casa Latina, Entre Hermanos, Fair Work Center, Ingersoll Gender Center, Lake City Collective, Providence Regina House, Refugee Women’s Alliance, United Indians of All Tribes, Villa Comunitaria, and West African Community Council. Partner organizations are determining voucher recipients based on the lists of clients and households they support in their work.

There are many efforts via the City, state, and nonprofit agencies to help ensure food security and access during the COVID-19 pandemic. The City’s Human Services Department (HSD) put together this interactive Food Resource Map to help residents find available food resources in their neighborhood. In addition, residents can visit the City’s comprehensive COVID-19 resource website for a compilation of food resources and information on how to access those resources.

Check Your Compliance Status for 2019 Reporting

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The online compliance portal for Energy Benchmarking is now available to check compliance for 2019 benchmarking reports. Once you have completed the Annual Update Checklist, you can check your building’s compliance status at the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Compliance Portal. To check your status, you will need your Seattle OSE Building ID or Portfolio Manager User Name.  Reports with possible errors will require additional verification to be considered compliant.

More information on data accuracy requirements here. 

If you need help complying or have questions about benchmarking, contact he help desk at energybenchmarking@seattle.gov or 206-727-8484.

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 Grocery Vouchers Frequently Asked Questions

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Updated August 2020

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

Program Overview

The City of Seattle is helping residents who may be experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Starting in March, the City distributed Emergency Grocery Vouchers (also known as Emergency Food Vouchers) to help ensure households have access to healthy food and supplies. The program started as a two-month program and has been extended and expanded several times.  Recipients receive $400 in vouchers for their first three months and $180 after that. Households were enrolled by partnering community-based organizations and by the City.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I apply for Emergency Grocery Vouchers?

No, there is no open application for this program.

Who is Eligible to Receive Emergency Grocery Vouchers?

Recipients of Emergency Grocery Vouchers include households participating in City-managed childcare and food assistance programs and households enrolled by partnering community-based organizations.

  • City-managed programs: Child Care Assistance Program, Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, Seattle Preschool Program (limited to families below 350% federal poverty level), Fresh Bucks Vouchers (limited to customers enrolled by community-based organizations), Child Care Nutrition Program (limited to Tier 1 providers and families), and Seattle Youth Employment Program
  • Community-based organizations: Asian Counseling and Referral Services, API Chaya, Atlantic Street Center, Black and Tan – a collective, Byrd Barr Place, Casa Latina, Central Area Senior Center, Central Area Youth Association, Chief Seattle Club, Children’s Home Society of Washington, Community Passageways, Entre Hermanos, Eritrean Association of Greater Seattle, Fair Work Center, FEEST, Got Green, Horn of Africa Services, Ingersoll Gender Center, InteriIm CDA, Lake City Collective, Latino Community Fund, Providence Regina House, Queer the Land, Rainer Valley Midwives, Refugee Women’s Alliance, Somali Health Board, SouthEast Seattle Senior Center, United Indians of All Tribes, United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Villa Comunitaria, and West African Community Council

Why were these community-based organizations chosen?  
These organizations have deep, longstanding ties to the communities they serve. The organizations are focused on reaching families disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and displaced workers who are unable to access other forms of government aid due to systemic racism and institutional barriers, like language barriers, fear of deportation, or experiencing domestic violence.

I am not receiving Emergency Grocery Vouchers, what other food resources are available for me?

Grocery vouchers are one of many resources available to support those in need. Please explore other resources across our community during this time of need by visiting the City of Seattle Mayor’s COVID-19 community resources and Public Health Seattle King County emergency resources. For example, United Way of King County is offering free home delivery of emergency food boxes during the COVID-19 pandemic. You may also be eligible for Pandemic-EBT, a new and temporary food benefit to help families buy groceries for their children because schools have been closed due to COVID-19. Any child can receive P-EBT, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. The only requirement is a child must be eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.

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 grocery vouchers.

How is the Emergency Grocery Voucher program funded? 
The program is supported by funding from the City, private and philanthropic contributions facilitated through the United Way of King County, and the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund established by the CARES Act.

More Information about the Emergency Grocery Vouchers

How long will grocery vouchers be available?

The program has been extended through October 2020.

How do the grocery vouchers work? 
Customers can use their vouchers (up to 20 vouchers in one transaction) just as they would cash at any Washington Safeway store. Customers present their vouchers to the cashier at checkout and need to enter their Safeway Club Card number for the voucher discount to be applied to the transaction. Vouchers are not able to be used for transactions in self-checkout 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? 
Vouchers can be used to purchase any item at Safeway except for tobacco, alcohol, lottery tickets, gift cards, or fuel.  

What if I’ve received Emergency Grocery 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? 
Vouchers can only be used for in-store purchases. If you are program 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