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Fresh, from-scratch meals with local ingredients are happening at a Seattle school near you 

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School food heroes at Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Culinary Services are bringing exciting changes to school food programs!

Led by director Aaron Smith and District Executive Chef Emme Collins and informed by feedback and input from youth leadership, parents, and the community, dozens of staff at Seattle schools regularly serve over 27,000 meals to students per day, working non-stop to keep kids fed – even while classrooms were closed during the pandemic. School meals are a critical food access point for many families, particularly in BIPOC or low-income communities.  

Fresh, culturally relevant, scratch-cooked meals can increase food access, improve learning outcomes and student health. It also supports purchasing more sustainable ingredients from local farms and food producers, reducing the carbon footprint of school food and decreasing waste, while investing in the local economy.  

Above all, quotes from students (overheard at a recent cafeteria in Seattle) really bring home how important good school lunches are to our youth: “Last night I was praying that there would be good food at school and I’m so happy”, said one. Other students said “this will help me focus in the afternoon”, and “this is the best meal I’ve had in three years.” 

Over the past couple years, Seattle Public Schools Culinary Services has been working on serving more scratch-cooked, local, sustainably sourced, scratch-cooked and culturally specific meals throughout their lunch and produce snack programs, in response to community and student feedback. Especially through initiatives like their “Taste of SPS” program, which introduces new menu items from different cultures with featured local ingredients at 10 schools at a time. SPS has a goal of expanding the most viable recipes district-wide. Thanks to recent EP&O School Levy funding, SPS Culinary Services will start renovating its Central Kitchen in 2022 to enable more scratch-cooked meals across the district in the future. 

Recipes representing the cultures of Seattle students and cafeteria staff alike have been adapted for school meals for “Taste of SPS”. Recent featured recipes include cajun turkey and collard green soup, jollof rice, gumbo, build your own taco and yakisoba bars, chickpea tikka masala, shiitake mushrooms & bok choy stir fry, duck spring rolls, and more. 

OSE is working to support the SPS Culinary Services Program through a partnership, funded by revenue from the Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax, that includes: 

Check out more from SPS Culinary Services staff, students, and local farmers to see the meal programs in action at: 

OSE is also beginning to convene several SPS departments, City and County staff, and community-based organizations (like EarthGen, Got Green, Nurturing Roots, Solid Ground, FEEST and their youth leaders, and more!), to align and support future work on school meals, school gardens, and nutrition and agriculture education across the district.  

Interested in supporting school meal program, and student access to sustainable, fresh, scratch-cooked, and culturally relevant foods in Seattle schools?

Here’s a few ways to get involved:  

  • Eat school lunch! Having more students participate in the lunch program, whether it’s every day or just a couple times a week, supports the program and helps ensure all students have access to good, fresh foods at school. 
  • Fill out a survey for students or parents to provide feedback to SPS Culinary Services on how to improve the school meal program 
  • Work for SPS in the cafeteria: SPS Culinary Services is hiring for open positions at schools and cafeterias to help prepare and serve students with good food! 
  • Spread the word with school administrators, fellow parents, school board, and community about the importance of supporting local, scratch made and culturally relevant foods in Seattle schools 

Learn more about the Healthy Food in Schools Program, and contact chris.iberle@seattle.gov for more information. 

Learn more about the Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment 

New Resources: Understanding Your Building’s Path to Carbon Neutral

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Buildings are one of the largest and fastest growing sources of climate pollution in Seattle, responsible for more than one-third of our greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions pollute our air, accelerate climate change, and harm people’s health and the environment, disproportionately impacting communities of color and people with lower incomes. Many U.S. cities, including Seattle, are developing Building Performance Standards (BPS) that set long term targets on climate-polluting emissions from buildings. To help building owners get started, OSE has developed new case studies, most of which include cost estimates.  

Large Commercial & Multifamily Buildings

While every building is unique, most large nonresidential and multifamily buildings can use these steps to guide energy efficiency, emissions reductions, and electrification efforts. It starts with an audit, gets low to no-cost savings through a Building Tune-Up, followed by new controls and energy efficiency actions. These initial steps prepare the building for the most cost-effective upgrades of equipment to electric.

Mid-Size Office Buildings

Seattle has about 75 midsize post-war (built between 1946 and 1979) office buildings, making them an ideal pilot for exploring steps to achieve net-zero emissions. In this Mid-size Office Building concept plan, a complete building electrification, including replacing the 50-year-old gas-fired water heater and boiler could reduce energy use 59% and emissions 92%. Estimated total plan costs were $17.70/ft2 and a costly electric service upgrade would likely be avoided.

City-Owned Buildings

As called for in the 2021 Driving Accelerated Climate Action Executive Order, all City-owned buildings must operate without fossil fuels by 2035. This municipal buildings case study shares lessons learned and project highlights from 30 electrification projects underway or complete. A full electrification of The Brig recreation building at Magnuson Park reduced that building’s annual emissions 66% at an incremental cost (over replacing with a gas system) of $300,000.

Case Study: Stewart Manor Affordable Housing

Many buildings have early opportunities to change to electric as was the case in a concept plan developed for Seattle Housing Authority’s Stewart Manor Apartments. In this pilot, swapping out existing gas water heating system to electric heat pump (est. $4.15/ ft2) could reduce energy use 13% and was operating cost neutral. A straightforward and inexpensive (est. $0.20/ft2) upgrade from electric baseboard to a ductless heat pump in the building’s community room would provide an easy-to-access, on-site cooling room to help residents cope with dangerous heat emergencies like Seattle had in June 2021. Housing Development Consortium’s (HDC) has formed an affordable housing BPS task force to understand the impacts a new BPS policy may have on affordable housing.

Case Study: Washington State Services for the Blind

The State of Washington Department of Enterprise Services (DES) recently completed a full building renewal at this 1950’s era building, including a new electric heat pump HVAC system – instead of replacing the chiller and gas boiler and the remaining systems later. While more expensive upfront, DES’s approach will result in a lower total cost of ownership over a 30-year timespan.

Learn more about Building Performance standards at seattle.gov/building-performance-standards and share your own story with us at cleanbuildings@seattle.gov.

Fresh Bucks 2021 Report Highlights 12,100 Seattle Households Served, $5.6M in Benefits Distributed 

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The Fresh Bucks program, administered by the Office of Sustainability and Environment, has released its 2021 Impact Brief.  

Fresh Bucks served as a critical resource during the ongoing pandemic, serving 12,100 Seattle households with $5.6 million in fruit and vegetable benefits.  

“Every family deserves access to local, healthy, culturally-relevant foods. That’s why my administration is committed to addressing food insecurity and making it as easy as possible for our most vulnerable residents to access fresh fruits and vegetables. Programs like Fresh Bucks mean real, tangible support for families through partnerships with neighborhood grocery stores and farmers markets. We’re using community feedback to grow and evolve this program — helping more neighbors find fresh and healthy food by working together with community partners.”

Mayor Bruce Harrell, City of Seattle

Fresh Bucks prioritized serving BIPOC communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and food insecurity and transitioned to a new benefit delivery model to help ensure participating households had access to healthy and affordable food.  

“During another exceptionally challenging year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fresh Bucks has been there to help Seattle residents, especially our most vulnerable residents including people with low-incomes, communities of color, and immigrant and refugee communities, stretch their grocery dollars and more easily access healthy and culturally relevant food. I want to share a tremendous thank you to all the Fresh Bucks retail and community partners and to Mayor Bruce Harrell and City Council. Together, we were able to provide $2 million more in benefits than 2020, and I look forward to seeing the program continue to grow in the coming years.”

Jessyn Farrell, Director of the Office of Sustainability & Environment

Fresh Bucks partners with 38 retail partners and 19 local organizations who help implement the program and reach and enroll communities most impacted by food insecurity. 

Fresh Bucks also launched a brand-new electronic benefit system, replacing the use of paper vouchers and creating a more equitable shopping experience for Fresh Bucks customers by reducing the stigma customers may experience using paper vouchers at checkout. 

With e-benefits, eligible and enrolled participants receive $40 in benefits in their Fresh Bucks account each month. Customers can spend their benefits on fruits and vegetables using their Fresh Bucks Card or app at participating farmers markets, farm stands, and grocery stores, including six BIPOC-owned grocers. 

Fresh Bucks is funded by the City of Seattle general fund and the Sweetened Beverage Tax Fund.  

To learn more about how Fresh Bucks and its partners met the needs of program participants last year, see the 2021 Fresh Bucks Impact Brief.  

For general information on the program, please visit SeattleFreshBucks.org or call 206-684-2489. 

Join the Green New Deal Oversight Board’s Online Listening Session on Monday, April 18

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Seattle’s Green New Deal is moving our city toward becoming climate pollution-free while creating jobs and advancing an equitable transition to renewable energy by prioritizing investments in communities most harmed by economic, racial, and environmental injustices.

Seattle’s Green New Deal Oversight Board (GNDOB), established through legislation, connects frontline community-led voices and the Seattle city government in support of developing policy, programs and investments that advance Seattle’s Green New Deal. The GNDOB is developing recommendations for the Mayor and City Council on how to spend a percentage of money raised by the City’s new payroll tax.

To inform their budget recommendations, the Board would like to invite you to a virtual listening session on Monday, April 18 at 5pm to hear about your and your community’s priorities to address climate change. Please register here to receive the meeting link.

Getting to Know OSE’s New Interim Director, Jessyn Farrell

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We sat down with new Interim OSE Director Jessyn Farrell to ask a series of questions ranging from Seattle’s climate strategy to how OSE will continue advancing climate justice all the way to what’s your favorite donut shop. We’re excited for what’s to come at OSE and Seattle and are looking forward to collaborating, but for now, join us in getting to know Jessyn’s vision and ideas for building a more equitable and united Seattle.

Former State Representative Jessyn Farrell will help OSE and the City of Seattle implement a pioneering climate agenda, elevate communities most impacted by issues of environmental justice, and help to leverage millions in state and federal funds to address the climate crisis. We are so excited to welcome Jessyn into the OSE family!  

Jessyn is a leader in building public consensus on difficult issues related to the environment, housing, transportation, and the economy. A long-time environmental advocate, Jessyn’s career has spanned the public, private, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors as a state legislator from the 46th District, Executive Director of Transportation Choices and most recently as Senior Vice President at Civic Ventures. Jessyn passed ground-breaking legislation on oil-by-rail safety, affordable housing near transit centers, education funding for low-income and homeless youth, protections for pregnant workers, and restrictions to cell-phone use while driving. She also led advocacy efforts resulting in billions of dollars in regional light rail investments. Jessyn has three kids, a dog, a cat, and is working on her first book. 

See what others have to say about Jessyn:

Bruce Harrell, Mayor of the City of Seattle

“Jessyn Farrell understands Seattle must set the example for the nation as a bold, climate-forward City that leads by partnering with underrepresented  communities too often left out,” said Mayor Harrell. “Jessyn will bring the bring the ambitious policy ideas and experience, needed collaborative approach, and vision grounded in a true commitment to environmental justice necessary to make the most of this moment and ensure a healthy Seattle environment today and for future generations.” 

Michelle Caulfield, Deputy Director, Office of Sustainability and Environment 

“It’s been my honor to step up during this time of transition and lead an incredible team dedicated to advancing climate action and environmental justice. I couldn’t be more excited to welcome — and work alongside — Jessyn Farrell, whose policy leadership and comprehensive approach to the issues in front of us will drive urgent action, help leverage state and federal funds, and take the Office of Sustainability and Environment to the next level.” 

Food Equity Fund now accepting proposals for funding

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Department of Neighborhoods Funds available to support community-initiated projects working to advance food equity

Green and yellow lines with bold black text stating: Food Equity Fund, and a little tomato slice in the background

Seattle’s Food Equity Fund is now accepting applications for Tier Two grants that support community-based organizations working to address food education, access, and security. Grant funds will be prioritized for projects led by and for communities most affected by limited access to healthy, affordable, and culturally relevant food: Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, refugees, low-income individuals, families with young children, youth, and elders.

The Food Equity Fund is funded by the Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) and, in 2021, also received $750,000 in funding from the Equitable Communities Initiative Task Force. The fund was developed in 2021 in response to recommendations from the Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT) Community Advisory Board, a board composed of eleven members committed to centering the communities most impacted by health and economic inequities when advising the City on programs and services supported by SBT revenue.

Apply for Funding

There are two funding opportunities within the Food Equity Fund:

  • Tier One grants have a maximum award amount of $75,000. Applications for this cycle closed in December 2021 and awards were announced on February 18.
  • Tier Two grants have a maximum award amount of $150,000. Applications for this cycle are open March 1 – April 30, 2022.

During the Tier Two cycle, approximately $2 million in funding will be available for community-led projects that seek to advance food equity. This includes but is not limited to projects that:

  • Increase access to culturally relevant food
  • Create a more equitable and sustainable local food system
  • Promote healthy eating and positive lifestyle changes
  • Partner with small businesses in the food sector to address food equity

For more information or to begin your application visit  seattle.gov/food-equity-fund.

Engagement Opportunities

To ensure equitable engagement and to help community leaders get information, fine tune project ideas, and submit strong applications, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (DON) staff are offering a variety of community engagement opportunities, including:

  • Technical assistance via weekly virtual office hours every Wednesday, 4-8pm between March 9 – April 13.
  • A pre-recorded informational workshop video available on the Food Equity Fund website. This video will be made available in multiple languages in the coming weeks.
  • Targeted in-language outreach and one-on-one technical assistance via partnership with the City of Seattle’s Community Liaisons.

In addition, DON is offering three online informational workshops where community members can learn more about the application and project review process.

Workshop dates and times are as follows:

March 12, 2022, 10-11:30am
Register / Join Online: https://bit.ly/FEF_3-12-22
Join by phone: +1-206-207-1700 United States Toll (Seattle), +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll
Access code: 2498 200 1671

March 23, 2022, 10-11:30am
Register / Join Online: https://bit.ly/FEF_3-23-22
Join by phone: +1-206-207-1700 United States Toll (Seattle), +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll
Access code: 2491 162 7623

April 12, 2022, 6-7:30pm
Register / Join Online: https://bit.ly/FEF_4-12-22
Join by phone: +1-206-207-1700 United States Toll (Seattle), +1-408-418-9388 United States Toll
Access code: 2493 072 4349

Grant Review Process

All applications will be reviewed by a Food Equity Fund Grant Review Panel. The Tier Two review panel will consist of one Food Equity Fund project manager, one additional DON staff member, one staff member from another relevant City department, and two community members. The application review process will take place in May and June 2022. All reviewers will be required to attend an anti-bias training. Community members will be compensated $750 for their participation. If you are interested in serving on the grant review panel, please contact program staff at (206) 727 – FOOD (3663) or foodequityfund@seattle.gov.

Information, resources, and applications are available at seattle.gov/food-equity-fund.  

To speak with Food Equity Fund program staff, please call (206) 727 – FOOD (3663) or send an email to foodequityfund@seattle.gov.

Exploring Building Performance Standards: A New Policy to Reduce Building Sector Emissions

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In Seattle, buildings are one of the largest and fastest growing sources of climate pollution, responsible for more than a third of our City’s greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions pollute our air, accelerate climate change, and harm people’s health and the environment, disproportionately impacting communities of color and people with lower incomes. Building performance standards (BPS) are energy or emissions targets that existing buildings must meet over time to improve energy efficiency and reduce climate impacts.

Learn more and sign up for the Open House at seattle.gov/building-performance-standards

The Office of Sustainability and Environment is conducting stakeholder and community engagement on creating draft legislation for new City of Seattle ‘Building Performance Standards,’ which will require commercial and multifamily buildings 20,000 square feet and larger to gradually reduce climate-polluting emissions over time towards a goal of cleaner, healthier, ‘net-zero’ carbon emissions buildings by 2050, while improving the quality of life for residents and creating local, well-paying jobs.

At an Open House on April 5, OSE will present about the potential policy and the links between buildings, climate pollution, equity, and health. The meeting will include listening sessions to hear participant’s ideas and concerns. OSE is planning another online Open House for late spring in the evening (date TBD). Presentations and meeting summaries will be posted online after the events. 

Closed captioning will be provided. Live translation is available upon request – email cleanbuildings@seattle.gov to request. 

2021 Energy Benchmark Reports Due July 1

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Energy performance (benchmarks) for the 2021 calendar year must be updated in Portfolio Manager by July 1, 2022 for all multifamily and non-residential buildings 20,000 SF or larger.

To be in compliance, your building’s Portfolio Manager account must be:

  • Updated with current space use details and accurate energy meter data. If you have default data values assigned by the EPA you will need to correct them.
  • Updated with current contact information. 
  • Able to generate a 2021 December ending Energy Use Intensity (EUI) and ENERGY STAR® score (if available), and
  • Successfully shared with the City of Seattle Annual Reporting Portfolio Manager account.

Once you have completed all the required steps to make annual updates and share your 2021 benchmark report, you can check your building’s compliance status on the Seattle Benchmarking Compliance Portal. 

Make sure to check out our COVID FAQ if your building use has been impacted by COVID.

Three Positions Available: Apply by 2/24 to Join the Urban Forestry Commission

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Commission meetings are held twice a month on the first and second Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Currently, meetings are being held remotely via Webex application (with access via either phone or computer). 

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

  • Position #2 – Urban Ecologist (or similar)
  • Position #3 – Natural Resource Agency or University Representative
  • Position #13 – Community/Neighborhood Representative.

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

How to Apply:

If you are interested in collaborating with a team of community leaders working on improving the care and management of Seattle’s tree canopy for the benefit of the community while centering communities most impacted by health and educational injustices, please apply by February 24. For information on the open positions and to access the application, please visit our website.

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

About the Commission:

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

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

About the Seattle Urban Forest Management Plan:

The City of Seattle set the bold goal of achieving 30 percent tree canopy cover by 2037 to increase the environmental, social, and economic benefits trees bring to Seattle residents. The Seattle Urban Forest Management Plan (UMP) is a comprehensive strategy for increasing Seattle’s tree canopy cover to meet the 30 percent target. The UFMP lays out outcomes and a broad range of actions to be implemented over time to preserve, maintain, and plant trees as well as restore the public forested areas remaining in the city. A recent canopy cover assessment shows Seattle has 28% canopy cover. More information about Seattle’s urban forest program can be found at http://www.seattle.gov/trees/management.htm

Deadline 1/31: Apply to Join Seattle’s Green New Deal Oversight Board

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Green New Deal Oversight Board
Are you passionate about climate justice? Would you like to be a voice for communities and workers most impacted by climate change? Are you committed to mitigating the causes of climate change and improving our city’s resilience to it?

The City of Seattle is seeking passionate individuals to join the Seattle Green New Deal Oversight Board to work collaboratively on solutions to climate change that center our frontline communities (Black people, Indigenous people, sovereign tribal nations, communities of color, immigrants, refugees, youths, elders, houseless people, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, people with low and no income, and people who work in outdoor occupations) and people who live, work, plan and pray in Seattle.

Apply to Join the Green New Deal Oversight Board Today! 

A Green New Deal for Seattle seeks to eliminate climate pollution by 2030 while creating jobs that advance a just and equitable transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy by prioritizing investments in communities historically most harmed by economic, racial, and environmental injustices.

The Office of Sustainability and Environment is currently accepting applications for the following 3-year term seats: 

  • One representative directly impacted by racial, economic, and environmental injustices.
  • One representative of environmental justice organizations.
  • One representative with experience in greenhouse gas reduction and/or climate resiliency strategies relevant to cities.

Apply by January 31st by visiting:   https://seattle.surveymonkey.com/r/gndob2022 or contact equityenviro@seattle.gov for more information.