Two ways to go green this St. Patrick’s Day (next Saturday, March 17th) without leaving the peninsula:

BEACH CLEANUP: The photo is from Puget Soundkeeper, which invites you to help clean up Alki, for the benefit of life offshore as well as onshore:

Marine debris includes human-made trash, litter, discarded equipment, and other solid material that enters our waterways and oceans and ends up floating out to sea or fouling our beaches and shorelines. Ninety percent of marine debris is plastic, which breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, accumulates pollutants, and ends up in wildlife and in the food we eat. Through ingestion, strangulation, entrapment and injury, marine debris kills and injures thousands of animals every year. Due to the long life of these products, litter and debris will continue to harm the environment until someone comes along to clean up the mess.

Soundkeeper holds cleanups around the Puget Sound region to get trash off our shorelines and out of our waterways, and works to support policies that can move us towards more responsible consumption habits and waste management infrastructure. Cleanups are open to everyone and only require a willingness to get dirty! Soundkeeper will provide trash bags, grabbers, and gloves and will help properly dispose of trash when finished.

Time: 10 am – 12 pm. Location: Alki Beach (1702 Alki Ave SW) The 37 bus runs adjacent to the beach. Free street parking is available along Alki Ave SW. Volunteers will meet up at the Statue of Liberty Plaza near the beach.

What to bring: Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Wear athletic clothing that can get wet and/or muddy, and bring an extra set of clothes if you wish to change afterwards. Old tennis shoes are a good option if you don’t have water shoes. If it is sunny, consider wearing a hat and sunscreen and bring plenty of water. All cleanup equipment is provided.

Waivers: Everyone will need to sign a Puget Soundkeeper waiver. Participants under 18 will need a guardian to sign the waiver on their behalf. To RSVP: Call 206-297-7002 or email Hillary (hillary@pugetsoundkeeper.org)

GO GREEN WITH SWS @ C & P: Then on Saturday night, as announced by Stu Hennessey of Sustainable West Seattle:

Sustainable West Seattle is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and the saving of a West Seattle green space and public gathering area, C & P Coffee.

Celebrate the GREEN and the victory of C & P Coffee keeping their very public, open Green Space and valuable community small business. This is a victory for all of us! There will be music and the usual menu from C&P available for purchase. We will be glad to talk to you about being GREEN in West Seattle.

Saturday, March 17th, from 6:30 to 9 pm at C & P Coffee, 5612 California SW.