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The Duwamish Valley Program 2022 Annual Update is Here!

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“Implementing a One Seattle Approach in the Duwamish Valley.”  

$1.75 Million for 8th Avenue South and Street End Park Development.

If 2022 reminded us of anything, it’s that centering community leadership is imperative for successful, long-term environmental justice work in the Duwamish Valley. For example, the King Tide flooding in late December 2022 demonstrated the power of community to distribute resources as first responders and to lead government to manage the devastating impacts of environmental injustice and climate change. We are grateful to community leaders and our partners at Seattle Public Utilities, the Office of Emergency Management, the Human Services Department, and the Office of Housing (among many others) for providing relief and assistance to families and businesses in South Park as they recover from the floods. 

At the same time, these flood events underscore an important shift in our work. As we continue to hold fast to community priorities, we are moving from short-term responsive planning to long-term proactive implementation. 

$9 million in funding secured for direct investment in Georgetown & South Park

The last few years have seen increases in investments in the Duwamish Valley. Many of these investments help fulfill our mid-term objectives in the Duwamish Valley Action Plan. In 2022 alone, the Duwamish Valley Program secured nearly $9 million of investments from our partners across the Duwamish Valley Action Team (DAT), which represents 18 City departments. City staff from these departments lead this work, drawing on existing community partnerships, and building new ones. Many of these investments we outline here in our Annual Update. 

50 Mini-Grants to local businesses for COVID-related expenses, with 38% using primary language other than English and 74% Women/BIPOC owned.

To learn more about all the great work that the Duwamish Valley Program and our partner departments have accomplished in 2022, check out our Annual Update report! As you will see, the Duwamish Valley Program has continued to adapt to a dynamic landscape of community priorities and ensure that we honor our mandate to advance environmental justice and equitable development in the Duwamish Valley. 

100 + youth participated in programming, capacity building, and leadership development.
Photo of Grant Gutierrez, the new Duwamish Valley Program Coordinator

As our work has grown, we have added staff to support our work. In Fall 2022, the Duwamish Valley Program welcomed Grant Gutierrez as the Duwamish Valley Program Coordinator. In this new role, Grant will help lead community engagement and ensure our accountability to community priorities while implementing certain projects that advance the Duwamish Valley Action Plan.  You’ll likely see Grant out in the community at events and at community meetings in South Park and Georgetown. Please join us in welcoming Grant to the Duwamish Valley family! 

Growing our staff capacity was essential to help us focus on an exciting new initiative: the Duwamish Valley Resilience District. The Resilience District grows from the Action Plan’s long-term strategy to develop and implement a geographic strategy to mitigate and adapt to flood risk and other climate change impacts (page 83). It is a holistic approach to climate change adaptation that includes priorities like affordable housing, alongside mitigating flood risks and sea-level rise adaptation, to bolster the ability of community to thrive in place. The Resilience District reflects the spirit of the Mayor’s One Seattle approach to help us fulfill many of the commitments in the Duwamish Valley Action Plan in strong collaboration with departments across the city, community organizations and industrial business leaders. This work will be led by the Resilience District Advisory Group, which has just been selected! There will be many more opportunities for community to shape this work. Stay tuned! 

Thank you all for your continued partnership. Be sure to check out the website for the full 2022 updates, and stay tuned for more to come from our team and beyond.  

City of Seattle’s Environmental Justice Fund Awards $750,000 in Grants for 13 Projects Led by and Benefiting Those Most Impacted by Climate Change

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The City of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) is pleased to announce $750,000 will be awarded through the Environmental Justice Fund (EJ Fund) to 13 community-led projects designed to benefit those most impacted by environmental and climate inequities, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, youth, and elders.

“From December flooding to July heatwaves, it’s communities on the frontline that are experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change. Advancing solutions in direct partnership with communities means driving equitable, forward-thinking climate action and real resiliency improvements informed by those most impacted. The City’s support for these 13 organizations is another step toward building a healthy, sustainable future for all residents, and by expanding the Environmental Justice Fund to nearly $2 million for 2023 and 2024, we can further invest in taking on environmental and climate inequities.”

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell

The Environmental Justice Fund was developed in 2017 as part of the City’s Equity & Environment agenda to provide grants to community-led projects that improve environmental conditions, respond to impacts of climate change and get us closer to achieving environmental justice. Since its launch, the EJ Fund has awarded four grant cycles totaling over $1.8 Million to 28 community-based organizations, whose projects are led by or are in partnership with communities of color impacted by environmental injustices.

“The Environmental Justice Fund is a vital tool to support community-focused projects that are focused on alleviating past and future environmental issues that arise in our communities. This funding will allow us to hire a new position, of Land Restoration Coordinator, to support Indigenous youth programming and support land restoration efforts.”

Mike Tulee, Executive Director of United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, a newly awarded Environmental Justice Fund grantee

Overall, OSE received 54 proposals totaling nearly $3.8M. Proposals focused on a range of climate and environmental justice topics including climate resilience planning, environmental outreach and education, youth leadership, and organizational capacity building.

“Communities most impacted by the climate crisis play a critical leadership role in designing creative and transformative solutions that are informed by lived experience and rooted in ancestral and cultural practice. Through the Environmental Justice Fund, we are proud to invest in growing the capacity of community groups and organizations to lead, collaborate, educate, and tell stories that can broaden and strengthen strategies for environmental justice.”

Lylianna Allala, Climate Justice Director at the City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment

The proposal review process is community centered, a cornerstone of the Fund. Select members of the Environmental Justice Committee and the Green New Deal Oversight Board served on the six-member Community Review Team. Over three months, the Review Team collectively dedicated over 240+ hours to reviewing proposals, meeting with eligible grantees to gain a deeper understanding of the proposed projects, and deliberating funding recommendations.

“As a representative of a community directly impacted by racial, economic, and environmental injustices serving on the Green New Deal Oversight Board, I was thrilled to be part of the Environmental Justice Fund Review Team and was amazed by the volume and breadth of these proposals. There is a vast array of community-led environmental justice projects here in Seattle that need support and funding. I am glad that we have an opportunity to continue making investments and commitments to community to meet the challenge of the climate crisis.”

Hibo Sahal, one of the reviewers from the Green New Deal Oversight Board

Five organizations (Beacon Hill Council, Black Farmers Collective, El Centro de la Raza, Sound Generations, and Wa Na Wari) are past recipients of the EJ Fund. Funding these proposals deepens the relationship and investment in their work and within their communities.

The organizations receiving funding and their projects are:

Beacon Hill Council – $75,000
The project focuses on engaging BIPOC communities to identify culturally and linguistically competent organizations with facilities in Beacon Hill that can serve as community climate resiliency centers. Beacon Hill Council seeks to educate and engage immigrant and refugee BIPOC communities on climate impacts and to understand where they might seek climate refuge in Beacon Hill. The project will also engage culturally and linguistically competent organizations to explore being a community climate resiliency center and ensure they receive technical assistance for conversion planning and cost estimation.

Black Farmers Collective – $65,000
The grant would support the organization to build organizational structure for the long-term sustainability of their work to support Black farmers and the broader community. Funds would support the farm crew’s time and leadership development opportunities as well as adding a part-time administrative staffer to manage operations. This added staff capacity will provide Black Farmers Collective the ability to create security and stability within their staff to build the groundwork towards self-determination, food sovereignty, and Black liberation.

El Centro de la Raza – $60,000
Beacon Hill residents, many of whom are immigrants, refugees, and identify as BIPOC, experience respiratory health issues due to air pollution from roads, aircraft, and oil-heated homes. For this reason, El Centro de la Raza aims to conduct outreach and education to Beacon Hill residents, primarily BIPOC, immigrants and refugees, about the environmental and health impacts of oil-heating and to connect them to resources that can support future conversions from oil heat to electricity. This effort aligns with one of the City priorities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from residential buildings and to improve community health.

Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (ECOSS) – $55,000
ECOSS aims to engage the Latinx immigrant/refugee communities, including immigrants form Central America, South America, Mexico, and those identifying as Indigenous, to co-create outdoor experiences that meet their needs and interests. Through this process, ECOSS will develop leadership opportunities and provide storytelling opportunities for participants to amplify their voices and experiences as they feel empowered to reconnect with nature.

FEED Seven Generations – $75,000
The grant would support the organization’s Native youth-led project. The project would include developing educational enrichment courses for school-age youth and conducting a youth needs assessment focusing on the culturally significant and traditional foods to enhance health and wellness of the community, youth, and families and strengthen local native food systems.

Rainier Avenue Radio – $60,000
This project aims to create awareness about environmental justice issues through various media including long form videos, audio vignettes, and community meetings to highlight the disparate ways in which communities are impacted by environmental issues. Rainier Avenue Radio will create a platform for community members to share their experiences and build awareness about environmental justice.

Restaurant 2 Garden – $48,815
The “Restaurant 2 Garden” project is a decentralized, hyperlocal system that transforms local restaurant food waste into high quality and safe compost for elder AAPI gardeners to grow culturally appropriate foods. The project is based out of the Danny Woo Community Garden (DWCG) in the Chinatown-International District (C-ID). The project will serve the diverse residents of the CID who face a myriad of environmental risks such as food insecurity, lack of green space, poor air quality, higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, and depression. 

Somali Community Services of Seattle – $61,870
The grant would support project Diyaari to serve Seattle’s Somali community (immigrants, refugees, and family members) most of whom live in Rainier Beach. The organization will focus on sharing information about how to prevent, manage, and recover from harm caused by climate change-related disasters. Additionally, the organization will provide individual assistance for their community members focused on disaster preparation planning and implementation.

Sound Generations – $66,000
This project will support Sound Generations to expand their programming for East African elders from NE Seattle and Rainier Beach who attend the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands. Elders will participate in farm and wetland maintenance, they will share in community meals, and participate in civic and social engagement opportunities focused on various topics including climate change impacts on health and farming activities. The programming aims to build awareness about environmental and climate justice while building community cohesion for a community that often experiences isolation.

South Seattle Emerald – $60,000
South Seattle Emerald (SSE)’s mission is to amplify the authentic voices of South Seattle-for, by, and to the community through restorative journalism that seeks to facilitate community healing and wholeness. Funding will support SSE to grow their capacity by contracting more freelance reporters who will specifically cover community-centered and community-rooted environmental justice stories.

United Indians of All Tribes Foundation – $74,500
The grant will support capacity building by funding a newly developed position at UIATF called the Bernie Whitebear Land Restoration Coordinator. This position will serve two strategic priorities of the Foundation including the expansion of critical partnership between UIATF and Na’ah Illahee Fund, a Native-led organization currently providing land restoration technical assistance to UIATF’s Traditional Medicine Program Manager, and investment in land-based programming and infrastructure to sustain access to traditional plant knowledge for urban Indigenous youth.

Wa Na Wari – $40,000
Wa Na Wari’s BLOOM was created to be a fun, hands-on, outdoor environmental justice, and food sovereignty program. Their work helps future generations of youth and young adults to learn the science and culture of healing arts principles in urban food/environmental systems and their meaningful connection with Indigenous Knowledge systems and their own cultural backgrounds including ancestral knowledge. Funding would add organizational capacity through a paid program manager role who would lead BLOOM efforts including soil remediation and a youth summer fellowship program.

Wing Luke Memorial Foundation – $33,815
The Wing Luke Museum will develop and implement a community-based process to plan and design public space activation and arts integration at the site of the historic Eng Family Homestead (recently purchased from the original owners by the Wing Luke Museum) and adjacent Canton Alley in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID). The public space activation includes an outdoor yard and garden at the historic Eng Family Homestead and extension of Canton Alley south to Lane Street and connecting with the Donnie Chin International Children’s Park. This project will specifically focus on community engagement for the planning and design of the outdoor space for the community.

Next Steps and Additional Analysis of the 2021 Tree Canopy Cover Assessment 

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Trees are a critical part of Seattle’s infrastructure that provide essential benefits to our environment, health, and well-being. Trees manage stormwater, provide shade and reduce heat, improve our health, and provide habitat for our wildlife. Healthy tree canopy also contributes to the character and beauty of our city while helping counter climate pollution, promote climate justice, and create healthy and sustainable communities.  

Seattle’s goals are to achieve 30 percent citywide canopy cover by 2037; improve tree health and resilience; and increase equitable distribution of trees. These goals will support healthy communities that are more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Preliminary findings of the 2021 Canopy Cover Assessment show the city has seen a net loss of 255 acres of tree canopy, an amount roughly equal to the size of Green Lake, since 2016. Many factors contribute to this canopy loss. 

Seattle’s Urban Forestry team has been reviewing the data to better understand where and how these changes occurred and what proactive investments can help reverse the trend in the future. Key findings shared in January’s Urban Forestry Commission meeting include:  

Tree canopy cover is not equitably distributed across our City

The 2021 Canopy Cover Assessment shows there are inequities in Seattle’s tree canopy, with low-income and BIPOC communities that are already experiencing disproportionate climate, health, and economic impacts having the least amount of canopy cover at the baseline (2016) assessment, and losing more canopy since. There is a high correlation between areas of low canopy cover and areas of health inequities, lower air quality, and higher heat indexes, including parts of Beacon Hill, Georgetown and South Park.  

Neighborhoods in the two highest levels of disadvantage in the Office of Planning and Community Development’s Race and Social Equity (RSE) Composite Index had 16% lower canopy than the areas in the two lowest categories of disadvantage in 2016. By 2021, the gap between canopy in the highest disadvantage areas and lowest categories of disadvantage expanded to 20%.  

*The race and social equity composite index, produced by the Office of Planning and Community Development, includes data on race, language, origin, socioeconomic disadvantage, and health disadvantage. It is used as a tool for City planning, program, and investment priorities.

Development and healthy tree canopy coverage can coexist  

During the time of the study, 2016 – 2021, Seattle’s population grew 8.5%, adding approximately 58,000 people and more than 47,500 housing units. In neighborhood residential zones, tree canopy declined 1.2% (87 acres). Most of the 87 acres of net canopy loss in neighborhood residential zones were in parcels that did not have new development projects completed during the study period.  However, canopy was lost at a greater rate on parcels where development happened. 

Tree canopy expansion and development of new housing are both critical elements of the City’s efforts to address climate change, create affordability, and build livable, resilient, and thriving communities. These areas will need creative planning, a strong regulatory framework, and community partnerships to sustain and grow canopy.  

Our trees are experiencing added strain due to climate change

As our climate changes, Seattle is experiencing more instances of extreme heat, insects and pest outbreaks, droughts, and flooding events. Our aging, mostly second growth forest trees are especially vulnerable to these conditions and are increasingly coming down on their own or requiring removal. As part of our forest management strategies and succession planning, these trees are also sometimes removed to allow for establishment of conifer trees, which take longer to grow and contribute to the canopy.  

At the same time, climate change is making the need for trees even more important. Additional analysis of King County Heat Watch data paired with the 2021 Canopy Cover showed that at a micro-scale a 5% increase in canopy resulted in 2 degrees cooler temperature (see hexagon map below). Based on these numbers, increasing canopy in low-canopy neighborhoods is critical to our long-term heat preparedness strategy. 

Higher tree canopy leads to lower temperatures. Industrial and transportation corridors typically have lower canopy, yielding higher temperatures.

Trees in Parks and natural areas are under strain and regrowth is steady but slow  

Our forested parks and natural areas saw higher net loss than other areas of the city – over 100 acres of net canopy lost, a 5.1% decline. While canopy loss in these areas happened at a similar rate as other areas of the city, growth happened more slowly. Since the Park District was established in 2015 and greatly increased funding for the Green Seattle Partnership program, Seattle Parks and Recreation has planted a greater number of seedlings annually, including tens of thousands of seedlings, mostly native conifers, during the 2016-2021 assessment period. These small trees grow slowly, and gains from this new canopy will take more time to show up in our canopy. 

Next Steps for the Canopy Cover Assessment 

The city is slowly losing ground on its goal to achieve 30 percent citywide canopy cover by 2037, but understanding this canopy change data will help develop strategies to grow and maintain our urban forest and build a Seattle that is sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient.  

Over the next few weeks, the City will continue to refine analyses and conduct additional stakeholder engagement. In February 2023, the city will release the complete report which will provide final, comprehensive analysis by land management unit and include recommendations to help identify strategies to stop the current backslide and advance equity focused planting and maintenance to grow a healthy, equitable, sustainable and resilient urban forest.

Mayor Harrell Signs Executive Order Directing City Departments to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Transportation Sector and Support Those Most Impacted by the Climate Crisis 

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READ: One Seattle Transportation and Climate Justice Executive Order Two-Pager 

Mayor Harrell signs the Transportation and Climate Justice Executive Order into law.

On Wednesday, December 7, Mayor Bruce Harrell signed a new Executive Order directing City departments to work together to prioritize and expand actions that equitably reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) within the transportation sector. Actions are designed to invest in and build resilience among communities that are hardest hit by the climate crisis, expand workforce opportunities, and to improve the health of Seattle residents and workers – by improving air quality and making streets safer.   

“We recognize the inherent link between our infrastructure, transportation systems, climate, and community wellbeing – meeting the scale of the climate crisis and fulfilling our commitment to strong and healthy communities requires addressing them together. In this Transportation and Climate Justice Executive Order, we are bridging ambitious policy ideas with our collaborative One Seattle approach to advance a climate justice agenda grounded in equity and the requisite action necessary to build a healthy, sustainable, thriving Seattle today and for future generations.” 

Mayor Bruce Harrell

“Each year we are grappling with an increasingly severe whiplash of climate impacts. From flooding this spring to drought in the summer, topped off dangerous smoke and wildfires this fall, we see from our lived experiences and our GHG emissions data that we need to be far more aggressive in eliminating climate pollution and building resilience among our most impacted communities. That’s why we are excited that through the Transportation and Climate Justice Executive Order, we are bringing innovative, bold, local solutions like neighborhood low pollution zones and expanding zero carbon transportation options to achieve environmental equity and resilience.” 

Jessyn Farrell, Director, Office of Sustainability & Environment
OSE Director Jessyn Farrell speaking at the 12.7 event

Transportation is responsible for 61% of the City’s greenhouse gas emissions. According to the most recent 2020 GHG inventory report, the City is not currently on track to meet carbon neutrality by 2050 as called for in the Climate Action Plan or to be climate pollution free by 2030 as called for in the Green New Deal resolution. Mayor Harrell’s Executive Order directs City departments to accelerate climate investments and innovation, including: 

  • Plan for three low-pollution neighborhoods by 2028. These actions will for the first-time weave together decarbonizing buildings and transportation while investing in community resiliency, equity, and economic opportunity. 
  • Commit to making 20 miles of Healthy Streets permanent. The City will update the Bicycle Master Plan Implementation Plan and update the Pedestrian Master Plan Implementation Plan to include commitments to Healthy Streets and expand Seattle’s School Streets program. 
  • Achieve a 100% zero-emission, fossil fuel free City fleet by 2030. Leading by example, the City will ensure we have the essential electrification infrastructure and implementation plans to transition all city-owned vehicles to be fossil fuel free.   
  • Host a Youth Transportation Summit in 2023. Building on the community advocacy for Free Transit for Youth, the City will bring together young people to learn how the pandemic has changed their transportation experiences and center their voices in climate-responsive actions. 

Despite a decrease in emissions attributed to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) traffic monitoring in downtown indicates that the emissions have begun to come back in 2022 and traffic volume has steadily been increasing between 2020 and 2022. Without significant action, the city projects emissions will return to baseline and continue to trend upward.   

“Transportation pollution is over 60% of Seattle’s total carbon emissions. Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Executive Order bolsters SDOT’s commitment to be bold and enable healthier, more affordable and more equitable transportation options that support business vitality. We have a real opportunity to democratize our public spaces further, making them accessible destinations where community thrives.”  

SDOT Director Greg Spotts

A significant amount of emission reductions will come from electrifying vehicles that everything that moves people, goods, and services, relying on Seattle City Light’s majority renewable and non-emitting, affordable, and reliable electricity to power.  

“City Light has started down the path to electrification by prioritizing partnerships with the communities we serve—primarily those experiencing the most health and environmental harms – to enable a just transition. As more people embrace the use of electric cars, trucks, ferries, buses, and trains, Seattle City Light is working with public and private sector partners to meet the demand for charging options for these vehicles. This order brings together departments from across the City in a One Seattle approach that puts us on a coordinated path towards meeting our collective greenhouse gas emissions targets and delivering long-term benefits for the communities we serve.”   

Emeka Anyanwu, Energy Innovation & Resources Officer for Seattle City Light

The City of Seattle is also accelerating several significant policies and programs to reduce emissions from buildings, including building emission performance standards and the clean heat program, which are projected to reduce building emissions by 35%. More information can be found at www.seattle.gov/environment.  

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:

“Seattle has long been a leader in environmental action, but we need match the scale of the climate crisis with investments and innovation that both decrease carbon pollution and support people’s ability to safely get where they need to be despite the drastic changes we’ve felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are thrilled to see the City centering important voices, like youth, in these conversations, and to be exploring low emission neighborhoods which would for the first time bring together building and transportation decarbonization investments with economic opportunity, health, and resilience for community members.” 

Alex Hudson, Transportation Choices Coalition

“Switching to a 100% zero-emissions fleet is not only a climate imperative, it is an opportunity to reduce toxic air pollution and free ourselves from reliance on volatile, expensive gas and diesel prices. To achieve this, the City must immediately stop buying fossil fuel vehicles of all types, ranging from cars to big trucks, and implement a citywide plan to ensure this transition begins now, with individual departments addressing their specific challenges. Transitioning fleets of all sizes to zero-emissions is a major goal for Climate Solutions here in the Pacific Northwest. We hope to see more cities taking and acting on this pledge, and we are eager to partner with the City of Seattle in realizing this effort.” 

Leah Missik, Climate Solutions.

“Transforming our streets into places that are safe, accessible, and welcoming to people to walk, bike, roll, and play helps us achieve not only our climate goals, but our equity, health, and livability goals as a city. Making Stay Healthy Streets permanent and creating low emissions zones are a critical part of living up to our commitments as a city. If the city implements these policies boldly, we would inspire cities across the nation.” 

Clara Cantor, Community Organizer with Seattle Neighborhood Greenways.

Seattle Launches New ‘Climate Portal’ to Track and Visualize Climate Emissions Using Updated Neighborhood-Level Data

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The Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) is excited to debut the first components of a new map-based website, featuring dashboards that track building and transportation greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) across Seattle neighborhoods. As called for in the Green New Deal Resolution (Res 31895), the site will be updated on a quarterly basis to provide more frequent and granular data indicators of emissions in Seattle’s neighborhoods.

“Fighting the global issue of climate change requires cities to take bold action, reduce emissions, and protect our communities here at home. Through the new Climate Portal, we can now see where climate emissions and pollution are occurring in our city and make decisions guided by science and equity — bringing people together to create more effective policies and programs that drive progress and invest in those hardest hit by the climate crisis.”

– Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell

The Climate Portal launch comes after the recent 2020 GHG Inventory report, which found a significant, but temporary decrease in emissions attributed to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seattle’s 2018 inventory showed emissions increased 1.1% since the last report, and without additional action the City projects emissions will not only rebound to pre-pandemic levels but also continue this upward trend.

“Our GHG inventories can give us a broad understanding of how our emissions are trending, but they’re not detailed enough in scope or depth to use as the primary source for making decisions that center racial equity. The Climate Portal comes in to address these limitations and provide more frequent, neighborhood-level data that show how climate pollution is worse in certain parts of the City. There’ll be more coming next year – it’s our goal to keep iterating on the Portal to make it more useful and accessible to all Seattle residents.”

– Ani Krishnan, Climate Data & Policy Manager, OSE

In addition to continuing GHG inventory reports and maintaining the Climate Portal dashboards, OSE is exploring new updates to the portal which will incorporate community led data efforts, as well as ways to spatially track city-led investments that are informed by budget recommendations from the Green New Deal Oversight Board. The Portal will also feature community climate stories and track additional indicators that can help inform Seattle’s progress in equitably stewarding a healthy and sustainable city.

“We know that not all in Seattle bear the burden of climate change and air pollution equally. Our communities experience this disparity everyday, and now we have better quantitative data to back up these lived realities. This data can help make the case for investments to ensure communities are supported in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from climate change related emergencies such as extreme weather events and wildfire smoke.”

– Debolina Banerjee, Green New Deal Oversight Board, Puget Sound Sage

The creation of the Climate Portal was guided through feedback from a 2021 community engagement series of listening sessions to identify data gaps, equitable approaches to data collection and more. A report outlining the takeaways from these sessions can be found here.

“As the climate changes, Seattle residents are noticing environmental, health, and economic effects. These changes are harmful for everyone, but our frontline communities bear a disproportionate burden of harm. I thank the Oversight Board, City staff, and community members, who have worked together to guide the development and future iterations of the Climate Portal.”

– Jessyn Farrell, Director, OSE

Learn more about the climate portal and watch a brief video demonstration featuring OSE Climate & Policy Manager, Ani Krishnan.

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.

The East African Senior Center brings together communities and generations through environmental learning 

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By Carol Aragon, Environmental Justice Storytelling 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. 

Michael Neguse is a former social worker and community activist who has co-managed the East African Senior Center (EASC) for nearly the past decade, along with program partners Senayet Negusse and Nerea Workneh. He has been an active program organizer, cook, and overall contributor to the work the Center achieves. Throughout the years, he has befriended and put food on the table for many people, especially the elderly. I recently had the chance to visit the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, one of the three locations that is home to EASC (which is also based at the Northgate Community Center and the Yesler Community Center). Through this visit and an interview with Michael, I got a glimpse into the activities that elders, youth, and individuals of all ages in between partake in, gained valuable insight on the program’s achievements, and learned how the EJ Fund supported their impact on the communities it serves.  

EASC’s work on the farm began ten years ago when it was an abandoned lot. Since then, they have experienced considerable growth, both literally and figuratively.  

“Individually, we wanted to bring people together and make peace. They come here and make friends, helping each other emotionally. Throughout the years, we lost people who used to come here, but they support each other and try to help other families. When someone gets sick, there are people from this program who go visit. It’s good to have that neighborly connection. Most of our people don’t speak English, but when they come here, they meet other people they can relate to and bond with, which also helps them improve their English. This program is very special to us because the community is underserved, and we think it’s important to share our cultures.” 

The program participants of EASC have adopted a morning routine that is full of life and neighborly connection. It is also a chance for them to tend to the garden’s many features, where plenty of plant species flourish. Michales shared that the seniors have access to “culturally responsible nutritious meals, culturally appropriate health and wellness education, agricultural activities, and social engagement alongside fitness activities.” 

“This is what they do when they come here in the morning: they stretch and do some exercise. Then they tend to the vegetable garden. At 12 p.m., we eat lunch and then when they go home, we give them food to bring. There is a ‘You-Pick’ garden and anyone who comes can pick what they need. We planted trees in the wetlands seven or eight years ago, and it’s now a habitat for insects and birds. We have orchards here, and bees. The garden across the way is for the seniors, where they plant things like corn and peaches. There are also greenhouses over there, where we can grow more food in the wintertime.” 

When the program first began, Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands was scarce of greenery. Today, it is lush. Tall, healthy trees stand among the various fruits and vegetables grown at the farm. Seniors are pictured here, planting more than a dozen trees. Michael explained that one of the trees is a crabapple tree, which the seniors lay a tarp under and shake to harvest. They make jam out of the fruit. 

People from numerous backgrounds visit the farms to feel a sense of tranquility, belonging, and happiness. Michael wishes for the seniors to walk away feeling as such, and the feedback from community members reflect his sentiments. Some participants realize that their mood has significantly improved. 

“I want them to feel great. They come here; they laugh. Because of a language barrier, most of them are isolated, and without this garden, there is no other place they could go. But they come here, they meet their friends, eat together, laugh together, work together, and learn about nature. We want them to have a community here. I’m a community builder. It is good to bring the program participants to a place of nature – trees, water, plants, flowers. Their mood positively changes. We’re planning to do a cultural event where everyone here can bring their loved ones and enjoy the outdoors. The other day I was speaking to someone who is physically ill – the program here has helped her mental health. She says she feels upbeat, loved; there’s people who speak her language. She feels better now. And that’s the impact we want to have on people’s lives. We want them to have a good time. It is a very kind and welcoming atmosphere.” 

As a result of the EJ Fund grant it received in 2020, EASC has expanded, from the number of participants to the assistive services available within the program. During my tour, children were watching live displays of food preparation and gathering around different program volunteers. It is important to note that the farm not only serves seniors, but also the youth who are learning about food sovereignty and what it means to have meals that are farm fresh – or as Michael put it, “from the farm to the table.” He recognizes these effects that the grant has had on the farm and those who come to enjoy their time in the wetlands. 

“The EJ Fund helped us a lot. The number of seniors is growing, and we now have a social worker from Sound Generation, as well as a social worker program coordinator. We give the seniors stipends to show appreciation for what they do and encourage the seniors to come and walk around with their kids and grandkids. This is a safe and beautiful place for community members, especially the elderly. You can hear the birds singing, and the community tells us the air here is fresh. The EJ Fund has given us a chance to help people intergenerationally. There are younger people coming and working. We have day camp for the children and they really enjoy the environment. Everything is done by the seniors – growing food and restoring the wetland – and they learn about the environment including the birds, insects, and trees that grow in the Northwestern United States. Growing food and harvesting is very inspiring for them.  

“We also learned a lot of things thanks to the grant. We have a deep knowledge now about different plants, birds, trees; we learned about pollinators and how they help the environment. There are trees that we can use to make our own necessities, like shampoo, conditioner – there were people who visited here to teach us these kinds of things. There was a guy that came here the other day and taught us about different birds here, which was very inspiring. He showed us which birds live in this wetland. It’s nice to see all the plants and I’m very proud to be a part of this program. Many years ago, there were no buildings here, nothing. We started working hard with planting and cleaning the wetlands. Now, we see the trees and it gives us hope, and inspires us. We have a trail that moves through the wetlands where we welcome everyone to bring their loved ones, and the children also love picking the blueberries that we grow here.” 

EASC’s partner at Building Bridges took the seniors on a nature walk and taught them about different plants and trees. Above, seniors draw different plants and trees, labelling their art in English, Amharic, or Tigrinya. Below, one of the seniors cares for the vegetable plants around the garden.

Find out more about the Environmental Justice Fund on our website and consider applying by September 16 at 4 p.m.!

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.

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!

This year’s Environmental Justice Fund application is open! 

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Apply for a grant of up to $75,000 by 4 p.m. Friday, September 16.

The Office of Sustainability and Environment is now accepting applications for grants from the City’s Environmental Justice Fund. Established in 2017, this fund supports projects whose beneficiaries or leadership include those most impacted by environmental and climate inequities, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, young people, and the elderly. This year, a total of $750,000 is available, and grant amounts will range from $25,000 to $75,000. We’re seeking applications from nonprofit organizations and community groups working to advance environmental justice and respond to the impacts of climate change. 

The deadline is 4 p.m. on Friday, September 16. The application link and more information can be found on our website here.

For those with further questions or in need of assistance, we’re offering several ways to get in touch. Prospective applicants can: 

Interpretation is available upon request. 

To show off some examples of what the Environmental Justice Fund has helped Seattleites accomplish, we’ll be featuring past grant recipients here on our blog and on our social media throughout the application period. Stay tuned for more! 

Summer interns working for the Delridge Neighborhood Development Association – a 2019 Environmental Justice Fund grant recipient – transplant native vegetation into planters they built themselves.