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City of Seattle Blog

Energy Innovation Forum Event – July 22

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Check out City Club’s latest event in their Environment and Sustainability luncheon series:  “The Once – And Future? – Promise of Energy Innovation” on Friday, July 22. How can we continue to make progress on attaining a renewable energy future and how do we get there?

Speakers include Councilmember Hilary Franz, Bainbridge Island City Council, Stan Gent, President/CEO, Seattle Steam, Denis Hayes, President and CEO, The Bullitt Foundation, Andy Wappler, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Puget Sound Energy. The panel will be moderated by Grist staff writer David Roberts.

More information and registration information at City Club’s website.

Sustainability is Good Business

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Faced with the rising costs of business-as-usual, Seattle building owners and property managers are coming together to prove that sustainability is not only better for society and the environment, it’s profitable too! The Seattle 2030 District is creating a collaborative model for how to build a vibrant “green” economy, with the hope that other cities will follow their lead.

Watch the video here.

 

 

 

Help Shape How Seattle Grows

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By 2031, it is projected that Seattle will gain at least 120,000 new residents and 115,000 new jobs.  Seattle needs to plan on how to leverage that growth to its advantage – responding to critical challenges such as climate change, building on major transit investments in recent years, and seizing the opportunity to build stronger neighborhoods as we grow.

This is a great opportunity for you to get involved in shaping Seattle’s future. More information – including the ways you can get involved – can be found here.

 

 

Seward Park Centennial Celebration, July 16 & 17

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Trail in Seward ParkSeward Park celebrates its centennial the weekend of July 16 and 17 with a car parade and show, historic fashion show, a sale at the clay art studio, a home garden tour, a pie-eating contest, antique hydroplanes on display, and much more!

Within the Seattle city limits, Seward park boasts 300 acres of beautiful forest land – home to eagles’ nests, old growth forest, a 2.4 mile bike and walking path, an amphitheater, a native plant garden, an art studio, miles of hiking trails, and more.

Come celebrate this wonderful park, learn more at http://www.sewardparkcentennial.org/, and don’t miss out on the fun!

Grow food downtown this summer with Parks & Seattle Tilth

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Downtown Seattle garden

Downtown Seattle garden

If you live near downtown Seattle and want to learn about growing food, this summer is your chance. Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation has teamed up with Seattle Tilth to help apartment and condo residents learn how to grow food in containers and even compost! Classes started in May but continue into July and August at various parks in the heart of the city.

All classes are FREE; participants need to register ahead of time. Find out how to register at www.seattletilth.org/learn/classes-and-workshops/parks or call 206-633-5045, ext. 115. Don’t miss this great opportunity!

Seattle Becomes Founding Member of Seattle 2030 District

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Seattle 2030 District logoToday, the City of Seattle joined local businesses to form a unique public-private partnership to increase energy efficiency of commercial buildings, the Seattle 2030 District. The Seattle 2030 District is an effort of more than 40 civic leaders including building owners and professionals, utilities, Architecture2030, the City of Seattle, and King County, to become the first large scale, high performance building district in the country.

In doing so, the City became one of 3 cities to accept President Obama’s Better Buildings Challenge to reduce energy use in commercial buildings by 20 percent by 2020.

This effort is just the latest in many efforts the City has undertaken to reduce Seattle’s energy use, which include Community Power Works and an Energy Benchmarking Ordinance.

Water Saving Resources & Rebates

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Smart Water Guide coverWith all the cool weather lately, it can be easy to forget that Seattle summers are typically very hot and dry.  It makes sense to use smart watering practices in your yard to save water and money, since water rates are higher in the summer. And it helps the environment too, by causing less runoff of pesticides and fertilizers into waterways.

Check out the Smart Watering Guide and other information available on the Seattle Public Utilities site. If you’re interested in an automated sprinkler system, there are rebates available for those as well. Everyone wins when we water smart!

City of Seattle Community Grant Portal

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Have an idea to enhance your community? Need help with funding to make it happen? The City of Seattle may be able to help. It offers a wide variety of opportunities, including the Trees for Neighborhoods program, to support community projects. To make it convenient for community members to learn about its diverse funding programs, the city has created a web portal which can be found at www.seattle.gov/grants.

Opportunities are in six categories: youth; technology; community building and organizing; physical improvements; arts and culture; and the environment. Visitors can also search by the name of the city department and funding program(s), or can view all the programs side-by-side in an easy-to-read matrix format.

Ballard Edible Garden Tour

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Ballard’s 3rd annual edible garden tour takes place Saturday, June 25 from 10 am to 3 pm. Come get some inspiration for your home veggie garden. See examples of creative planting strips, containers, raised beds, fruit trees, berries, beehives, chicken coops and more! Visit a dozen gardens within walking distance and get a chance to talk to the gardeners.

Cost is $10, free for kids. Buy your ticket/map at the Ballard Community Center, 28th Ave NW/NW 60th Street starting at 10 am on event day.