West Seattle, Washington
10 Monday
(WSB file photo)
Are you ready? Sunday (September 22nd) brings the next Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church. This twice-yearly event usually brings in tons of recyclables. No charge – just drive up/ride up/walk up and drop off recyclables with 1 Green Planet, 9 am-3 pm. See the latest list of what they will/won’t accept this by going here (PDF). Fauntleroy Church is at 9140 California SW (map).
(NASA image)
Millions of people are expected to participate in tomorrow’s Global Climate Strike to shine a brighter spotlight on climate change. In Seattle, the main events are a gathering at Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park 9 am-noon, followed by a march to City Hall, where a 1 pm rally is planned. West Seattleite Maren Costa tells WSB she will be among the speakers, and encourages participation: “We need everyone to join… We need as many people on the streets as we can!” She’s planning to bring her kids, 11 and 13. We’ve also just heard from Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) science teacher Kristin Moore about EWMS’s plan to participate; students will walk from the campus to SW Roxbury for sign-holding on both sides of the street. She shared this letter sent to EWMS families:
Dear Explorer West Families,
As you all know, Explorer West has a long history of teaching students to be environmental stewards, and the school’s mission to prepare young people for a sustainable future has never been as critical as it is today. Our changing climate is one of the gravest issues our children face. In science and social studies classes, our students have learned about the greenhouse effect and how the burning of fossil fuels is warming the planet. Students at Explorer West and around the globe sense the urgency and want to be a part of the solution.
Tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 20, youth from all 50 states and 150 countries will participate in a Global Climate Strike, drawing attention to the urgent need to move from burning fossil fuels to renewable alternatives with a focus on equity, reparations, and climate justice. We are excited to offer our students the opportunity to find their voices and participate in this event during the school day.
Students will have two options for the advisory period from 11:45 to 12:30 on Friday. Many students have expressed a keen interest in making signs and demonstrating along Roxbury around the corner from school. Teachers will accompany these students to keep them safe. Students can also opt to remain at school during that time to learn more about climate change. Although students will not be missing any of their regular classes, they will get to feel the power that comes from being one of many.
We have heard from a couple students that they had plans to attend the larger gathering at Cal Anderson Park tomorrow. We are excited for them, and just ask that you let the school know ahead of time about their absence, as you would for any other reason.
The faculty is proud to empower students in this way tomorrow, and we know this is only a first step. In the weeks and months ahead, we will engage our community in discussions and actions designed to limit our own carbon emissions and support the search for solutions. We invite you to partner with us.
Warmly,
Barbara, and the Explorer West faculty and staff
Anyone else participating tomorrow, either here or downtown? Let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
That’s the video from Tuesday afternoon’s City Council Sustainability and Transportation Committee meeting. The committee – actually, just chair Mike O’Brien, as no other councilmembers showed up – took up two proposals we’ve reported on before, both involving energy. One would ban natural-gas piping in new construction (here’s our previous report); the other would tax heating oil (here’s our original report and followup).
In 45 minutes of public comment at the start of the meeting, the gas proposal was the main topic. Most of the speakers opposed it and/or asked O’Brien to at least “slow down” and launch a discussion of its potential effects. He promised to do that, and didn’t put the proposal up for a vote, so it will have to come back to the committee at an unspecified future date. He did discuss some research he had asked council staff to do; one point of interest that they reported – Seattle City Light felt it could generate enough electricity to cover the increased use, but would need to beef up transmission/distribution capacity.
As for the oil tax – announced by the mayor in early August – O’Brien voted to advance that to a full council vote, with some amendments. It would tax heating oil 23.6 cents a gallon starting on July 1, 2020, with much of the money going to help cover the costs of conversion to electric heat.
(WSB photo from September 2018 Recycle Roundup)
Get your recyclables together – we’re now one week away from the next Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church! You’ll be able to drive up/ride up/walk up and drop off recyclables for free with 1 Green Planet, 9 am-3 pm next Sunday (September 22nd). The latest list of what they will/won’t accept this time is here (PDF). The church is at 9140 California SW (map).
(Photo by Jon Elliot)
With our recent rain comes rainbows…
(Photo by Mike Siddall)
… and thoughts of rainwater conservation. West Seattleite Neal Chism is leading a class on Saturday that will show you how to store rainwater, move it, and use it. Save on your utility bills, too! He’s teaching the class at the Burien Community Center (14700 6th SW). Free, with an optional field trip to see Neal’s system afterward. No RSVP required but appreciated – you can email gracestiller (at) comcast (dot) net. See the flyer here (PDF).
Two weeks ago, when we followed up on the mayor’s proposal to tax heating oil as a way of getting it phased out faster, we mentioned a remark by Councilmember Mike O’Brien‘s remark that the city was “working on” a proposal to address natural gas. He has since gone public with a proposal – seeking to prohibit natural-gas piping in new buildings. It’ll be discussed in the City Council’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee, which he chairs, tomorrow afternoon. Here’s the draft legislation:
It would put the ban in place starting next July, with any new-construction application initiated July 1st or later. This is an early-stage proposal – tomorrow afternoon’s 1 pm meeting at City Hall downtown is scheduled for a briefing and discussion, not a vote. O’Brien was scheduled to join environmental groups at a media event about the proposal this morning.
(WSB photo)
Canna West Seattle (5440 California SW; WSB sponsor) and its partner shop Canna Culture have just launched a recycling program for cannabis and CBD packaging, even if you didn’t buy the item(s) there. Here’s the announcement we received today:
Canna West Seattle’s sister store, the Canna Culture Shop, which is located across the street at 5435 California Ave SW, announced today that it has created a recycling program for cannabis and CBD product containers. Though the program is focused primarily on West Seattle residents, anyone from anywhere can deposit all of their cannabis and CBD-related recyclables at the Canna Culture Shop.
“Some experts estimate that by 2020 the cannabis industry will be generating over one billion units of single-use plastic packaging waste per year,” says Canna West Seattle and Canna Culture owner Maryam Mirnateghi. “As an entrepreneur in this industry, that statistic bothers me and it bothers my staff, so we are taking action.”
Last year journalist Kristen Milares Young published a landmark story in the Washington Post, “Garbage from Washington state’s booming pot industry clogs gutters, sewers and landfills.” In a followup interview with KUOW radio, she stated that, “in California, Oregon, and Colorado, $217 million in doob tubes were sold in just one 12-month period.”
All of Seattle’s ‘doob tubes’ (pre-rolled joint packaging), regardless of whether or not they are made of recyclable plastics, are going straight to its landfills. According to Washington’s state regulations, any plastic tube material that has a lid smaller than three inches across cannot be recycled and must be sent to a landfill.
But: “We want to point out that we are collecting joint tubes as well in hopes that we can come up with a real solution for recycling them soon, in the very least, we hope it will keep trash off the ground,” says Mirnateghi. “The solution may involve something technology focused and in a city full of world-class engineers, we likely have the talent to overcome what is a global problem. Or it may involve something art-focused. Either way, we are committed to leading the charge for change in this specific arena so stay tuned.”
Canna is thanking those who participate in its Canna Collect Recycling Program by offering discounts and membership rewards at both retail locations. To recycle used cannabis and CBD packages, anyone who wants to participate can simply bring them to the Canna West Seattle Culture Shop and the store’s staff will take care of their immediate disposal.
(WSB photo, April 2019)
The rain’s one reminder that fall isn’t far away. Also, we have another reminder: Fauntleroy Church‘s Recycle Roundup, 9 am-3 pm Sunday, September 22, is now one month (and a day) away (and yes, we know that’s technically the last day of summer). On behalf of the organizers, Judy Pickens just sent the updated one-sheet (PDF) of what their partner 1 Green Planet will and won’t be accepting this time around. Judy notes one point of special emphasis – if you’re recycling a gas-powered tool (mower, trimmer, etc.), please be sure the fuel’s been emptied. Recycle Roundup is free and happens in the church’s lot at 9140 California SW.
Two weeks ago, we reported on the mayor’s proposal to speed up phasing out of oil heat in the ~18,000 Seattle homes that still use it. Above is video from last Friday’s City Council Sustainability and Transportation Committee briefing on the proposal – you can watch it starting 1 hour, 22 minutes into the meeting. The committee did not vote on the proposal, which would include a new 23.6 cents/gallon excise tax on heating oil, as well as covering conversion costs for low-income households, and expanding existing rebates for other households. They were told that about 1,300 Seattle households are transitioning out of oil heat each year anyway, so this is just meant to accelerate that. Committee and full-council votes will be scheduled at future TBA dates – the former, probably in the first half of September. By the way, though this proposal only involves heating oil, the committee’s chair Councilmember Mike O’Brien said they’re “working on” a future proposal to address natural gas.
Sent late tonight by the King County Wastewater Treatment District:
Seattle & King County approved re-opening of a small area of Lincoln Park just north of the Fauntleroy Ferry terminal in West Seattle yesterday following two consecutive days of water quality sampling results that tested below the state threshold.
On Aug. 3, the Department of Natural Resources and Parks reported an overflow at a relief value that spilled between 200-400 gallons, most of which was cleaned up by a vactor (vacuum) truck that night.
Here’s our original report from last Saturday.
The city estimates up to 18,000 Seattle homes still use oil heat, and just announced a plan to try to reduce that number. From the announcement just sent:
To help combat the global climate crisis and fulfill a key commitment of Seattle’s 2018 Seattle Climate Strategy, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced today her plan to speed up the conversion of Seattle’s homes that burn oil for heat to cleaner electric heating.
Oil heat is the least efficient, most expensive, and most polluting form of home heating in Seattle. Converting Seattle homes to highly efficient electric heat pumps is another step to help Seattle become carbon neutral by 2050.
Mayor Durkan is transmitting legislation to City Council that if enacted would 1) impose a tax on heating oil starting July 1, 2020 on heating oil providers and 2) a requirement for heating oil tank owners to decommission or upgrade all existing underground oil tanks by 2028. Revenue from the tax will provide rebates and grants for Seattle homeowners to energy efficient electric heat pumps. ..
The tax of $0.24/gallon will fund rebates and grants for nearly 3,000 households to help them make the switch. Low-income homeowners will be fully refunded for the upgrade costs; approximately 1,000 low-income households are estimated to be eligible for a fully funded conversion. …
There are as many as 18,000 oil-heated homes in the City of Seattle. Converting those homes to clean electricity is expected to reduce Seattle’s climate emissions by 433,000 metric tons over 10 years. That is the equivalent of taking nearly 90,000 passenger cars off the road for a year. …
A typical 500-gallon oil tank costs a household $1,700 per year. An electric heat pump is more than twice as efficient as an oil furnace and a conversion from oil would save the average household about $850 every year compared to oil heat systems.
Most of Seattle’s oil heat tanks were installed between the 1920s and 1950s and are now an increasing liability as the steel tanks deteriorate, causing oil to leak and damage soil, property, and potentially ground water.
City of Seattle departments including Office of Sustainability and Environment, Seattle Fire Department and Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, will be directed to develop the criteria and plan for old oil tanks by July 1, 2020.
In addition to supporting conversion to energy efficient heat pumps, the proposed legislation also supports workforce development for workers in the oil heating industry. A portion of the tax revenue will support workforce training and business planning support for affected heating oil service providers.
On Saturday, we reported on the King County Wastewater Treatment Division‘s announcement of a 200-to-400-gallon sewage leak that resulted in warning signs along part of the Fauntleroy shoreline. We checked back with KCWTD spokesperson Norm Mah today to see if the warning was still in effect. Short answer: Yes. Longer: “The beach is not closed, a limited area around the vault located in the southernmost end of the park along the beach trail has been cordoned off to public access. Signs remain posted advising the public to avoid contact in the area out of an abundance of caution. We are still conducting water quality sampling in the area that is posted. Water quality tests are done until there are two consecutive days below the state threshold.” KCWTD blamed the overflow on “a leaking pressure relief valve on the Barton Pump Station pipeline that travels through Lincoln Park.”
10:17 AM: Just in from King County Wastewater Treatment Division:
King County Wastewater Treatment Division is investigating a leaking pressure relief valve on the Barton Pump Station pipeline that travels through Lincoln Park located in West Seattle that resulted in a small sewer overflow.
Signs have been posted advising the public to avoid contact in the area located in the southern-most end of the park along the beach trail north of the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock. King County dispatched a crew to clean up the site and water quality testing will be done throughout the weekend. The overflow has been reported to health and regulatory agencies.
We have followup questions about the size/volume of the overflow and the stretch of shore affected, since there’s a stretch of private shoreline north of the dock, as well as little Cove Park, before you get to the south end of Lincoln Park. We’re also headed out to look for signage/work crews.
11:25 AM: No reply yet, but we did find a “stay out of the water” sign at Cove Park; photo added above.
1:03 PM: From KCWTD spokesperson Norm Mah: “The estimate is between 200-400 gallons, most of which was cleaned up by a vactor (vacuum) truck last night. Some of it was within the vault that houses the valves.”
(Photo by Jamie Kinney, from early July)
Now that we’re back in a multi-day stretch of warm, dry weather, there’s a chance – especially in light of algae blooms like the one shown above – that “the stench” could recur along West Seattle’s west-facing shores. Fauntleroy-residing writer Judy Pickens shares some backstory and coping strategies:
After a seven-year hiatus, the summer “stench” was back in 2018 and is again evident to residents near Fauntleroy Cove and along Beach Drive. Sea lettuce is flourishing with heat from the sun and ample nutrients in the water and, when the green mats dry on the beach at low tide, they give off hydrogen sulfide gas.
First documented in the early 1980s, the noxious gas can irritate eyes, cause headaches, and even prompt vomiting. Heavy and colorless, it can persist in basements and other low-lying sites.
After years of seeking relief at local and state levels, the Fauntleroy Community Association gained an understanding of the situation but little more, including why we had no stench for those seven years. Now the State Department of Ecology has a unit monitoring algae blooms and accepting reports.
Here are precautions to take if you turn out to be in the stench zone:
*Avoid being outdoors and close windows and doors an hour or so either side of low tide.
*Use a large fan to clear the air in bedrooms before retiring for the night.
If the stench is especially strong, leave home for a few hours if you can.
Apparently trash pickup is a hot-button issue for Mayor Jenny Durkan. Though District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold couldn’t get the mayor to make a statement promising fireworks enforcement, today she found herself the recipient of an unsolicited terse letter from the mayor right before Herbold’s committee revisited the idea of every-other-week trash pickup:
In the letter, which we requested and obtained from the mayor’s office after hearing it mentioned during the meeting, Durkan declared, “I believe that garbage should be picked up every week in every part of the city and do not support any efforts at reducing service levels to the people of Seattle.” Among other concerns, she noted that households of color and households with lower income were among those most displeased with the 2012 pilot in four city neighborhoods (including part of Highland Park).
Today’s briefing – previewed here yesterday – was not connected to any formal proposal to change service levels; Herbold said she thought it was worth talking about as the city tries to find more ways to meet environmental goals, with some other cities having success in going to every other week. Another of the councilmembers present, Mike O’Brien, lamented that Seattleites have stalled in progress toward a zero-waste/reduced-emissions future, and admitted he had not been pushing much for change in recent years. But the mayoral hammer hung heavy in the air as the meeting ended on a note of frustration as much as anything else, with Herbold wondering, “if not this, then what?”
Thanks to Jamie Kinney for the aerial views of an algae bloom off Fauntleroy.
The state Ecology Department tracks these blooms and wants to hear about it if you spot one. Ecology also produces a periodic report on serial and surface surveys of the Sound (here’s the latest report).
‘
The weekend began with a big volunteer show of support at Alki Beach. If only the trash they picked up hadn’t been left behind in the first place! The photos and report are from David Hutchinson with Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network:
The “Sentinels of the Sound” Alki Beach cleanup Saturday morning was a great success. Over 80 volunteers showed up at the Alki Statue of Liberty before spreading out to remove litter from the beach and Park. When they returned, the material they collected was weighed and bagged for disposal. Seal Sitters would like to thank Seattle Parks & Recreation and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance for providing the cleanup supplies.
Seattle Parks and concerned Alki residents always work hard to keep the area clean but a good amount of litter was removed during the 2½ hour event. This included over 100 pounds of trash and hundreds of cigarette butts as well as a discarded insulin syringe.
Volunteers from the sponsoring groups, Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network, SR3 and Sno-King Marine Mammal Response, staffed display tables, talked with and answered questions from passersby.
Just a quick reminder, harbor seal pupping season is now underway in our area, so if you come across a vulnerable pup (or any marine mammal) on a West Seattle beach, please call Seal Sitters’ Hotline at 206-905-7325.
(WSB photos)
10:57 AM: You have a little more than two hours left to get to the West Seattle Junction Association lot off 42nd SW south of SW Oregon and drop off recyclables and shreddables, courtesy of the WSJA and partners. On-site service providers include, as listed on the WSJA event-info page, Friendly Earth, Goodwill, Seadrunar Recycling (two shredding trucks – hosted by Junction Windermere) and Styro Recycle. Partners include Waste Management, there with one of its quieter new alternative-fuel-powered trucks:
Here’s WM’s list of what will and won’t be accepted. Entrance to the lot is off 42nd. Organizers told us people were waiting even before the event began at 9!
2:59 PM: WSJA executive director Lora Radford tells WSB they counted 481 participants in today’s event!
One more reminder that tomorrow – Saturday, June 29th – is your day for free recycling and/or shredding, courtesy of the West Seattle Junction Association and partners. Just drive up, ride up, walk up to the parking lot off 42nd SW south of SW Oregon, 9 am-1 pm. Two shredding trucks will be there, plus a variety of recycling options, including Goodwill donations (but please be sure those items are in good working order and resellable). Full details, including what you can and can’t bring to the event, are on this webpage.
Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network and friends hope you will join them on Saturday:
This coming Saturday morning, June 29th, from 9:30 AM – noon, Seal Sitters, along with Sno-King Marine Mammal Response and SR3, will be sponsoring our annual beach cleanup at Alki. We will be meeting at the Alki Statue of Liberty (61st Ave SW & Alki Ave SW) [ Map ]. There will be a brief introduction by Kate Melges, highlighting her work with Greenpeace on ocean plastics and microfibers.
Supplies will be provided by Seattle Parks & Recreation and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance. For additional details, check this announcement on Seal Sitters’ Blubberblog: Sentinels of the Sound beach cleanup.
While we are requesting an RSVP to ensure we have enough supplies, please feel free to drop by to visit our display tables and help out. RSVP to SealSitters.Outreach (at) msn (dot) com
Got stuff to recycle and/or shred? Another big opportunity is just days away – the West Seattle Junction Association sends the reminder of Saturday’s event in the parking lot off 42nd south of SW Oregon. From WSJA executive director Lora Radford:
Reuse and Recycle in the Junction this Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM. We’ll have two shredding trucks this year, supported by Windermere. Plus we’ll have the usual array of recyclers ready to take items from Styrofoam to the usual array of electronics.
We’ll offer drive up and walk-up areas on the 42nd Ave parking lot. We are giving a reminder, the items for the Goodwill should be in good working order and be ready for resale.
In other words – if something’s in really bad shape and not recyclable, this isn’t the place to dump it. This is all FREE to thanks to the sponsors and partners, listed on the webpage where you’ll find more about what they will and won’t take.
Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Ongoing efforts to clean up contamination in and along the Duwamish River took center stage Tuesday night at a community open house featuring several groups and agencies involved with the various multi-year projects.
The event, which we previewed here, was held at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) on the Georgetown campus, and featured representatives from the Washington Department of Ecology (including Tamara Cardona-Marek, pictured above welcoming attendees), the Environmental Protection Agency and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition.
The open house focused on six Lower Duwamish cleanup sites (pictured on the map below), three of which are now in the “open comment” period for public input (one of those periods ends Friday noon):
Wondering how the current cleanups in/near the Duwamish River are going? Your next opportunity to talk wih groups and agencies is at a Community Open House event on Tuesday at the Georgetown campus of South Seattle College (6737 Corson Ave. S.), 5:30-7:30 pm. Here’s the announcement:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology, together with the Community Advisory Group, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (DRCC/TAG), will hold a Community Open House for the public to learn about the current work that Ecology and EPA are doing to clean up contamination in and adjacent to the Lower Duwamish Waterway. You will learn also about the upcoming public comment periods and how to participate.
The open house will feature information on the following sites:
Boeing Developmental Center
Boeing Plant 2
Snopac Property
8801 E Marginal WayIt will also feature information on the overall sediment cleanup (led by EPA) and Source Control (led by Ecology).
The meeting will be open-house format in which you can talk with members from Ecology and EPA working on individual sites.
Families are welcome; Spanish, Vietnamese, and Khmer interpretation will be available.
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