West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
It’s no secret that entering West Seattle, Junction-bound, from the “Fauntleroy Triangle” area, you’re not exactly greeted with an inspirational view (photos above were taken as we drove westbound on Fauntleroy during the Saturday-afternoon sunshine). But you might be interested to hear that in this time of transition (related topic below), there’s a move afoot to change that — spearheaded by local leaders including West Seattle-residing Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen and West Seattle Junction Association president Dave Montoure. They’re strategizing a way to beautify the “gateway to West Seattle,” and working on a strategy meeting to be held later this month. In a recent chat with WSB, Montoure — proprietor of West 5 — also talked about a new way that his establishment and the Junction’s other food businesses are going green — and making history in the process:Read More
Technically, this is happening more than 100 miles away. But the water it protects flows to and from West Seattle shores, and as we were discussing this afternoon with a WS entrepreneur who’s on the governor’s Oil Spill Advisory Council — Greg Whittaker of Alki Kayak Tours — it’s a big deal for all of Puget Sound. (The last major disaster in that area, the Tenyo Maru sinking [NOAA photo left], happened a few months after we moved here; the memories remain vivid.)
As discussed here a week and a half ago, not everybody wants a free street tree from the city. But a few people in that comment thread DID say “hey! we do!”, so in that spirit, we are passing along this SDOT announcement that just landed in the WSB inbox:Read More
The half-dozen West Seattle students (profiled here with video last month) who are currently on “An Inconvenient Ride” now have “trip log” diary-style posts (read them here) on the environmental-awareness trip’s official website, and the few we grazed are rather honest, occasionally raw tales of the tough road trip they’ve taken on. Their photo gallery is even more up to date (find it here). The group is in Arizona this morning (the route is detailed here), and will then head up through California and Oregon en route to a slated arrival back in Seattle on Earth Day, April 22, for the “Global to Local” benefit at Benaroya Hall.
FIRST: That’s the Propel biodiesel station taking shape (first mentioned here last month), with the pump canopy now up, at 35th/Barton. According to the Propel website, it’ll sell B20 and B99 grades. SECOND: Not far away, we stopped by Bird on a Wire Espresso today and noticed they’ve switched to compostable disposable cups, for a surcharge (more info on the Bird website). THIRD: During the 34th District Democratic Caucus on Saturday, West Seattle’s King County Councilmember Dow Constantine mentioned something about “climate change work with Congress (this) week.” We asked his staff for details, and here’s what they sent:Read More
A few days into the “Inconvenient Ride” cross-country bicycle trip starring six West Seattle students calling attention to climate change (WSB video preview here), updates are starting to appear on their website, with photos added to the gallery here and media coverage added here. Their stops are listed here (Atlanta tonight); they’re due back in Seattle on Earth Day, April 22, with the final leg of their trip taking them from West Seattle to the “Global to Local” Project Earth Care fundraiser at Benaroya downtown.
It’s been in the works for a while and now there’s an official proposal: The city is proposing a 20-cent tax on disposable shopping bags, and a ban on foam containers. Read about it here. (By the way, one last reminder – the first meeting of CoolMoms in West Seattle, profiled here, is tonight.)
Just got e-mail from James, who missed the phone-book opt-out discussion here last December, and spent a long, frustrating time trying to get the right number. He says Qwest books are due out in two months so it’s a good time to revisit this. Here’s the original post with numbers; James also offers this number that Qwest pointed him to: 800/422-8793.
Spotted tonight at Alki while we were helicopter-watching – this bottle/can recycling bin by one of the picnic shelters along the promenade. As we’ve reported previously, West Seattle is one of two areas of the city where the Parks Department has just launched a pilot recycling program. Here are the specific West Seattle park places where you’ll find these bins.
Confused about climate change? A Seattle-based group has a website where you can check the facts, and the myths, as vetted by a panel of scientific advisers. No, this isn’t some academic group, or someone who’s trying to get you to go wave protest signs downtown. It’s CoolMom.org – a moms’ group founded to support lower-ecological-impact lifestyles — and the real-life CoolMoms, including a Morgan Junction entrepreneur who co-founded the group, are launching a West Seattle chapter with a gathering tomorrow night. Meet them and read what it’s all about:Read More
Just back from surveying the streets. Put it this way – if you were looking down from a plane or satellite, you wouldn’t have been able to tell Earth Hour from any other hour. Sure, the Space Needle was dark (clip above shows a few seconds of that, shot from Don Armeni) and the Qwest Field roof ribs too, but not much else. The porch light was even on at Hizzoner’s house in North Admiral. Here at WSB HQ, we turned off everything but the computers.
Reminder if you missed earlier mentions (or haven’t seen Google‘s tribute) — Earth Hour is tonight, 8-9 pm, with many city-owned lights going dark by order of Mayor Nickels. If you look across the bay during Earth Hour, you’ll reportedly see such iconic illuminated structures as the Space Needle and Qwest Field participating too. Here’s worldwide backstory.
Somebody asked us about this just the other day. Now it’s official: 8-9 pm Saturday, the whole city’s invited to go dark as part of “Earth Hour.” Fittingly, that’s the same day that six West Seattle students are starting “An Inconvenient Ride.”
That’s Sydney Fuller, a Gatewood Elementary student who’s about to join 5 Chief Sealth High School students – and some adult chaperones – on the bicycle ride of a lifetime. Under the title “An Inconvenient Ride,” they’re going to spend three weeks bicycling across the country (here’s their route) as an “environmental-awareness project,” returning home for a triumphant arrival on Earth Day — April 22nd — at a Benaroya Hall benefit for Project Earth Care, in which students from the schools already have been cooperating:Read More
We first told you one month ago about the West Seattle Walking Trails project, as the map was made public for comment — now, Chas Redmond e-mails to say it’s time for the next step, development of wayfinding kiosks — and today, there’s a call for artists. Read on:Read More
You may have heard that Seattle Parks will soon put out their first recycling containers for park visitors, beginning with parks in West Seattle as well as the city’s southeast section. They’ll collect glass bottles, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans. Suspecting this didn’t mean ALL West Seattle parks, we asked the Parks Department for a list of exactly where those containers will go, and Dewey Potter from the communications team obliged:Read More
Drinking just plain water is great for your health. Drinking just plain water out of a plastic bottle can be a challenge to the environment’s health. See the bottle at left (shown off by Alki resident Shauna Causey at last night’s Alki Community Council meeting)? Imagine your disposable plastic water bottle a quarter-full with oll; a water-policy expert says that’s the equivalent of the average energy cost to make the plastic for the bottle, transport it to market, then deal with the waste. So Shauna and others are asking you to join in Water Without Waste Month — keep drinking water, but get it out of the tap, or filter it, and drink it from reusable containers. (This is separate from the mayor’s city-government order to bag the bottles, but same idea.) Find out more, see the stats that just might convince you to do it, and take the pledge, by going to the Water Without Waste website.
We’re checking on the various components of this for a followup later today, but in the meantime, this is bigger than the More page roundup, so in case you haven’t heard – as reported (so far) in the P-I and on Q13 and at KING5.com, someone cleared a section of city-owned slope over the 1600 block of Harbor Avenue (area map), without authorization. Neighbors blame a homeowner trying to get a better view. Police are investigating, and the culprit could face criminal charges. ADDED 4:55 PM: Added the photo, which shows the general slope area where this happened (just below the hedge-ish plants at the bottom of the white draping); difficult to get a close-up shot of the stumps from where we tried. Just talked to the Southwest Precinct – no new developments in the investigation today; cases like this take a while to develop (everyone may think they know who did it, but you need evidence). A parks spokesperson tells WSB that once there is definite identification, they “will determine an appropriate fine for the perpetrator based on the economic value of the trees and damage to the area.” Still waiting for word on how, and how soon, the city might restore the damaged area – since there are certainly erosion and slide concerns on a slope like that. ADDED 10:15 PM: Did manage to get a closer view of the apparent slash zone earlier this evening:
Highlights from our West Seattle-wide Events list (frequently updated here) and beyond:
THIS MORNING: Toddler Spring Egg-stravaganza at High Point Community Center; fun starts at 10 am, egg hunt for the little ones at 11 am sharp.
TONIGHT: Help shape and protect the future of our Puget Sound shoreline – be at the “visioning” meeting tonight; open house at 6:30 pm, workshop starts @ 9, High Point Community Center.
TONIGHT: One of West Seattle’s liveliest community councils meets — Alki Community Council, 7 pm, Alki Community Center. Here’s what happened last time.
EASTER UPDATES: The Events list now includes a section with Saturday egg hunts in West Seattle (more than half a dozen!); also, thanks to the WSB’ers who have sent us added info for our West Seattle Easter Sunday Services page (which includes the sunrise services at Forest Lawn and Alki as well as more than 30 WS churches). As we mention on the page, many of these churches also have breakfasts, brunches, even egg hunts in addition to the Sunday services (plus other Holy Week events today and tomorrow) so follow the links to their websites for the added details.
From the city’s Daily Permit Issuance report: The Exxon station at 35th/Barton just got a permit that says it’ll be adding a “5,000-gallon above-ground biodiesel tank.”
No, not the Seahawks.
BLUE: The Tap Project is under way. As we mentioned 2 weeks ago, participating restaurants are asking patrons to donate $ for their otherwise-free tap water; the $ goes to UNICEF for safe drinking water for kids. 4 West Seattle restaurants are participating (through Saturday): Ama Ama, Beato, Eats Market Cafe, Skylark. Saturday is World Water Day and will be marked with the Walk for Water on Alki.
GREEN: Sustainable West Seattle meets tonight @ Camp Long. The agenda includes a rep for Puget Sound Community Change — connecting green businesses and customers.
Every weekend, when we publish the “fresh sheet” for the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, we note in passing that its more unconventional offerings include goat meat. Anybody buying it, you wonder? Unequivocally, yes – here’s here’s an anecdote from the relatively new blog for Earth Ministry, posted by its West Seattle-based executive director.
City leaders want to know, as they prepare to update the Seattle Shoreline Master Program for the first time in more than 20 years … and they hope you can be at High Point Community Center on March 20 to tell them what you hope to see.
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