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Environment 1797 results

Maury Island dock fight: Federal ruling stops the project
August 13, 2009 7:06 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway

Since Maury and Vashon Islands are so close by, this has been closely watched in West Seattle too, so we’re mentioning this breaking story: A federal court judge has just sided with the conservation groups that have been trying to stop the gravel-mine expansion that would build a big new dock. The judge says more federal reviews are required to consider the project’s possible effects on marine life, according to this AP report published by The Olympian. King County Council Chair Dow Constantine, a longtime opponent of the project, has issued a statement – read on:Read More

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West Seattle CoolMoms (and kids) visit senators’ offices
August 11, 2009 4:23 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Environment | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

(Monday photo courtesy CoolMom.org)
In that crowd of more than 40 people visiting federal offices in downtown Seattle Monday morning were Tara Reynolds, Terri Glaberson, Jen Bradbury and Cynthia Tamlyn from the West Seattle chapter of CoolMom. The visit – which also included people from Washington Environmental Council, Fuse Washington, Climate Solutions and People for Puget Sound, among other groups – was meant to urge Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to take “action on a climate/energy bill that President Obama can take with him to Copenhagen in December,” as Glaberson explains. The bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454), passed the U.S. House in a close vote earlier this year — after a CoolMom visit to the office of Seattle’s Rep. Jim McDermott – and now is facing a U.S. Senate vote (legislative details here). More on Monday’s visit on the CoolMom website; they also have a photo gallery here. If you want to tell the senators what you think about the bill, Sen. Murray’s contact info is here; Sen. Cantwell’s, here.

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Duwamish River Festival: From fun, to Superfund
August 9, 2009 3:01 pm
|    Comments Off on Duwamish River Festival: From fun, to Superfund
 |   Environment | South Park

We got to Saturday’s 5th annual Duwamish River Festival at Duwamish Waterway Park in South Park just in time for the informal kids’ parade, featuring crafts young festivalgoers made from reused items:

This annual event is unique in its emphasis on education/outreach, along with kids’ activities, musical performances and other classic festival fun. A heavy-hitting lineup of government agencies, environmental groups and nonprofit educational organizations manned the booths – including the one where we found Kris from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which designated the Lower Duwamish a “Superfund” site in 2001, next to a display mapping key spots in the toxic timeline of the river’s industrial history:

The EPA has its own website full of Duwamish-cleanup information – find it here. The wheels of government-run cleanups turn slowly – take one hop to this page, and you’ll see another “draft” report due next year, and then a proposal in 2011. As for the history of all this – an even longer list of links is on the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition‘s site. Beyond the cleanup information, several booths offered resources and advice for dealing with everyday toxics, including the Vietnamese Healthy Nail Salon Project, run by the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (whose festival-booth staff told us they’ve worked with some West Seattle salons, but didn’t have a list handy). Another hot topic this year: Transportation – both what’s in the works (the Alaskan Way Viaduct project had a booth) and what people wish was in the works:

That hand belongs to Sustainable West Seattle‘s Chas Redmond, showing the stickers used to create that evolving display at festivals all spring and summer long (including SWS’s own festival back in May) – participants were told each sticker represents $500 million, so if they had that money to spend on an aspect of local transportation, what would they do with it? “Transit” was the most crowded section. (He and others are working to organize a Transit Riders Union of Metropolitan Puget Sound group to work more closely on transit advocacy.) The festival folded up as scheduled at 4 pm, but the Duwamish restoration work goes on, as does the work of restoring more shoreline sections to enable more recreational use – like this small park spot just a block west of the festival, nestled between industrial sites:

You can also get out on the river during a Community Kayak Tour, organized by Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Alki Kayak Tours and the Seattle Aquarium Society, during one of three upcoming Monday nights: 8/17, 8/31 or 9/14. More info here.

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Don’t dump it, e-cycle it: A note from Councilmember Rasmussen
August 7, 2009 2:42 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen took that photo in the Alki alley that runs just west of 61st, south of Alki (map). He asked if we would share the photo and this message:

This is a photograph that I took this morning of what I am seeing around West Seattle. These computer monitors were dumped in the alley behind the Homestead Restaurant. Please let people know that there is free drop-off at authorized locations, and television and computer monitors will be picked up at your residence for a fee. Here is where you can get more information:

RCW 70.95N (passed in 2006): “sets up a third party organization called the Washington Materials Management and Financing Authority to be funded and run by the electronics manufacturing industry for the purpose of collecting and reusing, recycling or disposing of certain electronics products at their end of life. The products included are TVs and monitors, CPUs and laptops.” As a result, a system allowing consumers to drop off these “covered electronic products” was in place Jan. 1, 2009.

There is free drop-off at authorized locations, and fees for television and computer monitor pickups at your residence. Relevant links:

From the .pdf link below, King County has a noticeable increase in electronics collected compared to last year.
(http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/eproductrecycle/docs/2009Collections.pdf)

Links:

E-Cycle Washington
(Washington State site describing program)

Search results for Television Pick-Ups

SPU Look-up-your item for televisions

King County’s Take it Back Network

Seattle Goodwill

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One more vote down, one ahead for “Soundway” forest transfer
August 4, 2009 10:53 am
|    Comments Off on One more vote down, one ahead for “Soundway” forest transfer
 |   Environment | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

Within the past hour, the City Council’s Transportation Committee (with only its chair, Councilmember Jan Drago, in attendance) gave its blessing to transferring the “Soundway” property in the West Duwamish Greenbelt to the city Parks Department. (It’s also been approved by the city Design Commission, as we reported in June.) The site includes 32 acres, mostly south of South Seattle Community College, platted long ago into streets that were never built, envisioned as part of a road grid that was superseded by other projects including the West Seattle Bridge. If the proposal passes one more vote – the full council next Monday – it will lose its longtime status as public right-of-way, and the Parks Department will lease it to the West Seattle-based Nature Consortium, which helped procure a state grant that will go to the city as compensation for the land. NC director Nancy Whitlock was on hand for this morning’s committee briefing, explaining the “Soundway” property’s role in preserving the West Duwamish Greenbelt as the city’s biggest remaining stretch of forest. Whitlock explained the restoration work her group does in this area and other parts of the WDG: “What we’re hoping to do is set in motion the re-creation of an old growth forest.” (The Nature Consortium has frequent work parties and guided hikes in the WDG; keep an eye on its website, naturec.org, for info.)

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Today/tonight: Night Out signups; Duwamish kayaking; book talk
August 3, 2009 6:34 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | WS culture/arts

DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR NIGHT OUT: Tomorrow night, you can close your (non-arterial) street and have a neighborhood block party to celebrate Night Out – provided you sign up by 9 am today (extended from last Friday). Here’s where to do it online. (And if you wouldn’t mind us dropping in for a photo or two, e-mail us your Night Out party location – editor@westseattleblog.com.)

DUWAMISH KAYAK TOURS: Tonight’s the next in a series of twice-monthly summertime kayak tours of the Duwamish River, presented by the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Alki Kayak Tours and the Seattle Aquarium Society. 6-8:30 pm, leaving from South Park, find out how to sign up here.

BOOK GROUP: Been thinking about that classic summer pastime, reading? Southwest Library‘s Evening Book Group meets tonight, 6:45, to take a look at this month’s book, “Behind the Scenes at the Museum” by Kate Atkinson – more info here.

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Happening now: West Seattle Edible Garden Tour
August 1, 2009 11:36 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Fun stuff to do | Gardening | West Seattle news

That’s “The Bee Keeper’s Yard” at 6750 35th SW – one of 10 stops on the West Seattle Edible Garden Tour, free and self-guided, happening till 4 this afternoon. Those boxes you see are for the bees – no, they don’t live in the iconic conical “hives.” Beekeeper and gardener here is Brian Allen:

You may also know Brian as secretary of Sustainable West Seattle. Visit his garden and any or all of the 9 others till 4 pm today – find the addresses and a downloadable map at ediblewestseattle.org.

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We’ve come a long way – but still have a long way to go
July 27, 2009 11:55 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Development | Environment | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Between that burned-out plumbing shop photographed at 37th and Alaska in the ’30s …

… and the 44th/Alaska fire station (photographed in the ’20s) whose crews likely responded to the plumbing shop fire … we have a unique business district that’s going through growing pains, as new developments like this one arrive …

… others are on the drawing board …

… and we all wonder what will eventually happen here:

What will our peninsula look like in five years, 10 years, 20 years? What SHOULD it look like? Is the vision written down a decade ago still relevant now? This is a rare chance to say what you think, on the official record. Tomorrow night, five West Seattle areas with Neighborhood Plans, including The Junction, get their first chance in a decade to revisit them and discuss whether they still work. Among the other areas – Morgan Junction, where “Mr. Jerome’s house” was photographed in the 4000 block of Orchard way back when …

A couple blocks west of that scene, you’ll find new townhouses and not-so-new apartments. A few blocks north of there, businesses new and old. It’s the same story all over West Seattle. Take a couple hours out of your night Tuesday, come out of the sun and into Delridge Community Center, and join the Neighborhood Plan Status Checks for Admiral, Delridge, Highland Park/Westwood, Morgan Junction, and The Junction. Each neighborhood will have its own “breakout” spot to discuss specifics, with two facilitators: For Admiral, it’s Mark Wainwright and Catherine Benotto; for The Junction, Sharonn Meeks and Kay Knapton; for Morgan Junction, Cindi Barker and Jerry Finrow; for Delridge, Boaz Ashkenazy and Chris Persons; for Highland Park/Westwood, Christie Coxley and Kevin McDonald – the facilitators represent the City Neighborhood Council and the Seattle Planning Commission. As noted yesterday, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Spanish translation will be available.

We have spoken with two of the facilitators; Sharonn Meeks (who’s president of the Fairmount Community Association) says she is hopeful for a good community turnout – during the original neighborhood planning process 10 years ago, she says, not enough community members participated. Cindi Barker (who’s with the Morgan Community Association) tells WSB, “I’m looking forward to seeing both old and new faces at this workshop. We’ve made inroads on the Morgan Junction projects, but the remaining projects might not be as applicable these days. It will be very interesting to hear what people are thinking about changes in the neighborhood.”

You can just come and listen – even that signifies taking a stand, showing interest in the future. Review the four questions first:

1. Most of the neighborhood plans were adopted about 10 years ago and are in their mid-life. How has your neighborhood changed in the last decade since the plan was adopted, (or since you’ve been there)?

2. What changes or aspects of your neighborhood are you most pleased about? Most dissatisfied about?

3. How well are your Neighborhood Plan vision and key strategies being achieved? Are they still the priority?

4. The city is completing neighborhood plan status reports focusing on demographics, development patterns, housing affordability, public amenities and transportation networks. What should there be more focus on (or less focus on) as the neighborhood status reports are completed in the coming months? Are there any important gaps in the draft status report?

And check out the status overviews and other documents regarding all the neighborhoods here. Then just show up, 6 pm Tuesday, Delridge Community Center. It’ll open with an explanation/orientation before everybody breaks off.

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City says West Seattle needs more trees – want some?
July 24, 2009 3:25 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

nolanandtrees.jpg

(October 2008 photo of trees-in-waiting at city yard in West Seattle)
From the Department of Neighborhoods, via Junction-based Southwest District coordinator Stan Lock:

Did you know that West Seattle is one of the areas in the city with the barest residential and street tree densities? Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ (DoN) Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) is currently accepting applications for this year’s Tree Fund*. All it takes is organizing a group of your neighbors to plant street trees in your neighborhood together. You put in the volunteer time; DoN provides the trees!

Wait, there’s more! To increase local food security and expand the tree canopy on private properties, we are testing a pilot expansion this year. All NMF Tree Fund participants who plant street trees with their neighbors have the bonus option of selecting one free cherry or apple tree to plant on their private properties. You can help bring more trees to West Seattle streets and private yards!

For more information on the Tree Fund and to download an application, visit our website at: www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nmf/treefund.htm. But act soon! DoN is accepting applications through August 21.

* NMF Tree Fund works in partnership with Seattle Department of Transportation, Office of Sustainability & Environment, and local community organizations.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Recycling-bin ripoff
July 22, 2009 10:51 pm
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Environment | Utilities | West Seattle news

Bernice wonders if anybody else’s recycling bin has been stolen. A costlier crime than you might imagine – read on:Read More

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Lowest tide of the month today – and naturalists’ last day
July 21, 2009 6:30 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Seen at sea | West Seattle news

(photo via Twitter from @andreajwalker, taken Monday at Alki)
Lowest tide of the month today, and John Smersh – co-proprietor of Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) and volunteer beach naturalist – says it’s the naturalists’ last day of the summer. So if you want to low-tide-walk and learn as you go – get out this morning. John will be at Constellation Park; other beach naturalists will be at Lincoln Park. They’re out 10 am-1:30 pm but John notes that the lowest tide is 10:47 am, minus 3.5 feet – it’s still low-ish again tomorrow but not as low as today.

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Next step in “Soundway” land transfer: Hearing date set
July 13, 2009 10:45 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Environment | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

We’ve been reporting on the process of transferring the “Soundway” property in the West Duwamish Greenbelt to the city Parks Department, long after the site (32 acres that are mostly south of South Seattle Community College) was platted into streets that were never built. Almost a month after the Seattle Design Commission gave its blessing to the plan (which they have to do with all “street vacation” proposals), today’s Land Use Information Bulletin confirms that a public hearing is now set before the City Council Transportation Committee: 9:30 am August 4th. The council must give final approval before the status of this land can be changed from “public right-of-way” for potential roads. Once that happens, it will be leased (explained in our June report) to the West Seattle-based Nature Consortium, which works on forest restoration in the West Duwamish Greenbelt. (If you can’t be at the hearing, the public notice explains how to comment by e-mail or postal mail.) P.S. For a closeup look at part of this site, take the Nature Consortium’s free guided hike this Friday, 1 pm (RSVP to lisa@naturec.org or 206.923.0853).

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Alki algae bloom (or not?): What a state expert says
July 8, 2009 11:59 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Environment | Seen at sea | West Seattle news

Even before we received that striking photo last weekend from Craig, who took it over the Kingston-Edmonds ferry route and shared it after seeing the WSB report about “gross” greenish water off Alki during the hot weather at the end of last week, we promised to follow up and see what we could find out. We finally found our way to an expert at the state Ecology Department, courtesy of its media liaison Larry Altose: Dr. Christopher Krembs is Ecology’s Senior Oceanographer in the Marine Monitoring Unit of the Environmental Assessment Program. While on the phone with us, he took a look at the photo shown above – and listened to our relayed description of reader reports about the beach-level Alki sightings. Dr. Krembs said it’s tough for them to solve the mystery without actual samples. They had flown over areas of the Sound a few days earlier to look at blooms, he explained (read about the marine flight program here), but what they saw didn’t exactly match this photo. Most interesting outcome of our conversation: They pointed us, and anyone else interested, to this page full of information about marine algae blooms. As you’ll see on the bottom of the page – they want to hear from you if you spot something like this – they didn’t receive a report of the Alki sighting – but next time, here’s what to do:

Bloom Sightings

Ecology has been conducting monthly monitoring of Puget Sound and Washington’s coastal estuaries for phytoplankton abundance and nutrients (as well as other parameters) for decades through our marine flight program. We are very interested to hear reports of bloom sightings so that we can direct our oceanographers to those locations to collect and analyze samples, and keep statistical information on their occurrence. Please note the date, time, location, and color of the bloom, and contact Dr. Christopher Krembs ckre461@ecy.wa.gov with this information

One other important question we asked: Is it safe to go in the water during an algae bloom? According to Dr. Krembs, without a specific sample/identification, you can’t say for certain, but they’re “generally” not harmful. Regarding other water quality/health concerns, there’s an Alki monitoring station in the bacteria-watching BEACH program – here’s its page (current status: “good”).

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Happening tonight: Junction Plaza Park update; Duwamish tour
July 6, 2009 6:30 am
|    Comments Off on Happening tonight: Junction Plaza Park update; Duwamish tour
 |   Environment | How to help | Junction Plaza Park | West Seattle news

FRIENDS OF JUNCTION PLAZA PARK MEETING: During West Seattle Summer Fest this Friday-Saturday-Sunday, you’ll get a chance to support the final fundraising push for the park by enjoying a beer garden at the site, and a chance to learn more about the park plan at the big tent in the heart of the festival zone (California/Alaska, where we’ll be too, like last year). But first – Friends of Junction Plaza Park invites you to a meeting tonight to discuss the latest on the project and firm up the plan for Summer Fest volunteer help. 6 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle (Nucor Room).

DUWAMISH RIVER KAYAK TOURS START: Also at 6 tonight, the first in this summer’s series of six “community kayak tours” along part of the waterway that marks West Seattle’s eastern boundary, presented by the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Alki Kayak Tours and the Seattle Aquarium Society. Full details and RSVP info here.

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Another look at suspected Alki (and beyond) algae bloom: Aerial
July 5, 2009 8:27 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Seen at sea | West Seattle news

No official verdict yet but most accounts of the mucky water reported late Friday seem to conclude it was an algae bloom. Here’s an aerial view sent by Craig, who explains, “Flew up to Sequim and back (Friday), and saw this scungy yellow stuff all over the place. It was from near Port Townsend down to Alki and beyond. This picture is the Kingston [map] ferry.”

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Holiday safety: Protect West Seattle forests – by visiting them
July 3, 2009 1:57 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Holidays | Safety | West Seattle news

thetrail.jpg

(2008 WSB photo from West Duwamish Greenbelt)
A different twist on holiday fire prevention, shared by Sheila Brown from Camp Long:

Fireworks and Our Urban Forests: West Seattleites Can Help

West Seattle has 800 acres of urban forest, fully 1/3 of the forests of all Seattle. Many of the forests have active volunteers restoring and maintaining them for present and future generations, led by Forest Stewards in the Green Seattle Partnership network. Our Forest Stewards would like your help in preventing fires this holiday.

Take a walk in an urban forest this weekend, get out of the heat and enjoy. And while you’re out there, keep an eye out for smoke or other signs of fire danger. The more people use our trails, the less likely mischief makers will set off illegal fireworks.

Fireworks pose a fire hazard to property and present a safety risk to those who use them. Every year the Seattle Fire Department responds to fireworks-related fires and injuries. Each and every one of these incidents could have been prevented.

Private use, sale, or possession of fireworks is prohibited in the City of Seattle. Make the right choice, the safe choice and leave fireworks to the professionals. If you want to include fireworks in your July Fourth celebration, plan to attend a public display, such as those scheduled for discharge over Lake Union.

On the 4th of July, 9-1-1 centers become overloaded with non-emergency fireworks calls. DO NOT call 9-1-1 unless you have a life-threatening emergency and need immediate help from police, fire or medics. Unnecessary 9-1-1 calls block people with real emergencies from reaching 9-1-1. Any fireworks-related fires or injuries should be reported directly to 9-1-1.

Fireworks violations may be reported by calling the Seattle Police non-emergency number (206) 625-5011.

“Fireworks are a huge risk for starting an unintentional fire,” said M.J. Harvie, Aviation and Fire Staff Officer. Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds the public to be aware of any fire restrictions in place around the state due to the rising fire danger. Because the weather is warming up and vegetation is drying out, fires can ignite quickly.

As the busy Fourth of July holiday approaches, the forest professionals would like to remind everyone that fireworks of any kind are prohibited on public lands. “Each year there are instances of fires caused by fireworks in the forest,” said Forest Supervisor Jose Linares.

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First solar panels going up at High Point Neighborhood Center
July 2, 2009 4:36 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | High Point | West Seattle news

Alex from Neighborhood House, the organization that’s building the new Neighborhood Center at High Point, shared that photo – the first solar panels are going up. NH says the HPNC will have the largest solar array in the state, and it’ll be the largest solar array atop a social-services building anywhere in the U.S. (They’ve got a sponsorship drive under way, as we reported last month.)

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County Executive race: 4 candidates show for environment forum
July 1, 2009 5:54 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle politics

Though August 18 is the official date for the primary election, voting begins in less than a month, as King County Elections will start mailing ballots four weeks from today (military/overseas ballots even sooner). Candidates in the hottest incumbentless race, King County Executive, talked environmental issues last night at Town Hall downtown, as a sizable audience looked on:

By Johnathon Fitzpatrick
Special to West Seattle Blog

The stage was set as if for a musical recital, with tall backed bar-stools and music stands. Hoping for a quintet performance by King County Executive candidates, the full audience that gathered at Town Hall for a debate on environmental leadership had to settle for the regular quartet performance by the four elected Democrats running in this officially nonpartisan race – King County Council Chair Dow Constantine of West Seattle, State Rep. Ross Hunter of Medina, County Councilmember Larry Phillips of Magnolia and State Sen. Fred Jarrett of Mercer Island. (8 candidates are running; see the full list here.)

As they climbed onto their seats for the debate, someone in the crowd shouted: “Where’s Susan?” That question seemed to be on many minds, as the audience erupted in boos when Clifford Traisman, moderator for the otherwise-orderly debate hosted by the Washington Environmental Council, gave the now-familiar explanation that candidate Susan Hutchison had declined their request, citing a prior engagement. (She did attend a forum the night before – here’s the Daily Weekly‘s account – and mentions the environment on her website’s “issues” page.)

Read More

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Why citywide media converged on a Highland Park home today
June 30, 2009 1:37 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Highland Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

That house in the 8600 block of 9th SW in Highland Park – a few houses north of SW Trenton – was the scene of a big made-for-media announcement this morning that brought out a swarm of TV and radio crews as well as your friendly neighborhood local online news source. Congressmember Jay Inslee (whose district is mostly to the north and west of Seattle), State Rep. Bob Hasegawa (from the 11th District south of West Seattle/White Center) and leaders/workers from the Laborers International Union of North America were there to announce the first home in the Northwest to be weatherized as part of LIUNA’s program involving federal “stimulus funding.”

The home that’s being weatherized first belongs to Carolyn Ostrom, who’s in the UFCW T-shirt in that photo, standing with a group including Rep. Inslee (right), Rep. Hasegawa (left), and LiUNA’s regional vice president Mano Frey (center), who’s based in Alaska. Within his first minute and a half of remarks, as you’ll hear in our video, Rep. Inslee tied this event into the energy bill passed in the U.S. House last week and bringing troops home from Middle East wars:

The union’s big talking point today was a training program to credential workers for weatherization jobs, and some of the trainees were in the crowd watching the announcement:

Inside the house, the weatherization work was under way:

And the homeowner said she’s looking forward to the results:

Now the big question: How to apply for either the training or the weatherization. We circled back with contacts and, for the training, were pointed here; for the weatherization, check with the Moontown Foundation (we still have a few inquiries out and will add anything more we learn).

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Your West Seattle Sunday: Some of the highlights
June 28, 2009 7:02 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Pets | West Seattle Farmers' Market | West Seattle news

KITTEN, ANYONE? Noon-5 pm, it’s an adopt-a-thon at All the Best Pet Care on Alki.

E-CYCLING AT THE WELLNESS FAIR: Happening again today, 11 am-6 pm, Metropolitan Market. Find out here what’s free and what’s not.

WHAT’S FRESH AT THE FARMERS’ MARKET? We previewed today’s 10th anniversary “Berry Spectacular” here. And of course, there’s the regular yummy goodness at the 10 am-2 pm market – here’s this week’s Ripe ‘n’ Ready rundown – and don’t forget the Square 1 Books (WSB sponsor) “no-tax” tent sale at the WSFM.

BUCKETS OF BERRIES FOR SALE: Also noted last night – 11 am-1 pm, the Rotary Club of West Seattle has about two dozen buckets of strawberries left to sell, south parking lot of Admiral Safeway.

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Got “e-waste”? Take it to Metropolitan Market in Admiral
June 27, 2009 9:24 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

At the three-day Wellness Fair continuing today and tomorrow at Metropolitan Market, one of the highlights is e-waste collection: Laptops, cell phones, TVs, computer monitors and computer towers will be accepted free, but there’s a $5 charge for printers, fax machines and VCRs/DVD players. 11 am-6 pm; more info here.

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Dex phone books just arrived – still trying to opt out
June 25, 2009 12:39 pm
|      42 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

Apologies if you find great value in phone books. We don’t; we use the Internet so much, we haven’t used a phone book in at least five years. (Adored them PRE-Web.) We don’t even have a Qwest phone line – and yet a big stack of their newest phone books just landed on the porch at WSB HQ. We have discussed this in past years and could SWEAR we already opted out. But here they are (1:12 pm, added photo at left – THREE of them in one bag!). So we are currently researching to find the true, proven way to opt out. If you’ve done it, and it worked, please share; meantime, we’ll share whatever we come up with (Qwest/Dex has a “Select Your Dex” online option that purportedly enables you to choose “zero” books for the future, but we’re not trusting it till we talk to someone who confirms that’s the way to go; the guy who answered the previously offered #, 800-422-8793, couldn’t tell us that for sure).

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First day of summer: High Point “Solar Panel Challenge” launch
June 21, 2009 10:30 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | High Point | How to help | West Seattle news

That sign went up, on building-side space donated by Nucor, a month ago – and now the accompanying donation drive has begun: Today, Neighborhood House launches the Solar Panel Challenge to bring in $100,000 for a “second array of solar panels” atop its under-construction (here’s our recent hard-hat-tour story) Neighborhood Center in High Point, which will be both a community gathering place and a headquarters for social services as well as environmental education. The second array will make the building “energy-neutral” and will pay for itself within a few years, saving up to $30,000 a year. Read on for the official news release about the Solar Panel Challenge:Read More

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