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West Seattle Walking Trails map: 1 more feedback request
April 30, 2008 9:12 am
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 |   Environment | West Seattle news

Just the other day, we showed you early design proposals for the wayfinding kiosks along the newly mapped West Seattle Walking Trails; two months ago, project leaders asked for your thoughts on the first-ever map of those trails, and today they are looking for feedback on the text proposed for the back of the map. Quick turnaround – they would like to get comments by this Sunday night. The image is too big to efficiently show you here but you can look at it as a PDF by clicking here. Comments can be e-mailed to Seth Schromen-Wawrin at Feet First, seth@feetfirst.info – he’s going to start incorporating the feedback on Monday.

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3 more West Seattle weekend scenes: Bear, baseball, beauty
April 27, 2008 11:54 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Seen around town | WS & Sports

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Polar bear loose in The Junction! Well, not so loose, really – Sustainable West Seattle unleashed the bear as a reminder of its first-ever Sustainable West Seattle Festival next Sunday, 10 am-3 pm in the Wells Fargo parking lot @ 44th/Alaska (here’s the WSB in-depth preview from earlier this week). Other less-furry members of SWS were working the crowd at the nearby West Seattle Farmers’ Market, including Gary Lichtenstein, who’s the person you can e-mail (energy@sustainablewestseattle.org) to find out how to help at next weekend’s festival (they’re still looking for more volunteer assistance). Two more West Seattle weekend scenes ahead — sports and scenery:Read More

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Sustainable West Seattle gets ready to make history
April 24, 2008 1:51 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle festivals

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That photo is courtesy of the members of Sustainable West Seattle, who gathered for a group shot outside Camp Long before their monthly meeting this past Monday night — a meeting like no other in their less-than-one-year history, because it’s the last one before SWS presents its first-ever Sustainability Festival, coming up Sunday, May 4, 10 am-3 pm in The Junction. A little while before that photo was taken, we sat down with three SWS leaders to talk about the festival (and how it’s not too late for you to pitch in, especially if you have some time this weekend) – read on to see why they, and many other folks around West Seattle, are so excited about it:Read More

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Earth Day, West Seattle student edition
April 22, 2008 7:02 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle schools | West Seattle video

Thanks to Arbor Heights Elementary School teacher Mark Ahlness for sharing that video of his third-graders (who can be found online at roomtwelve.com), decorating “Earth Day” grocery bags and then delivering them to the Roxbury Safeway. Ahlness says Arbor Heights kids decorated more than 300 bags this year, the 16th consecutive year of their Earth Day partnership with Safeway on this project, and the 15th anniversary of the Earth Day Groceries Project, which Mark notes began at Arbor Heights. If you shop at that store today, you’ll likely get one of these bags. Meantime, today is the day the five local students on “An Inconvenient Ride” are expected back in Seattle, with the homecoming festivities taking them downtown tonight for the “Global to Local” benefit at Benaroya Hall. 8:11 AM UPDATE: Just got word from the Southwest Precinct that the Inconvenient Ride-rs may have up to 200 bicyclists accompanying them on their last leg, and the precinct wants to alert you to their route, for safety’s sake – will post more on that a little bit later this morning.

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2 highlights of what’s happening in West Seattle tonight
April 21, 2008 11:18 am
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 |   Environment | West Seattle parks

SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE: Last general meeting before SWS presents its first-ever Sustainability Festival (May 4, NE corner of Alaska/44th, right across from the Farmers’ Market, lots more info here) – tonight’s meeting is at 7 pm, Camp Long.

RESCHEDULED PARK MEETING: Quick reminder, the rescheduled Hiawatha Community Center open house/meeting to get your take on the Seattle Parks & Rec Dept.’s future (the original meeting was postponed a week ago because of floor fumes) is tonight @ 6:30. Last West Seattle opportunity is Thursday night @ High Point CC. What’s the meeting all about? See our report on the one @ Southwest CC last Thursday. (If you can’t attend a meeting, share your thoughts online by 4/30.)

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Lively – and large – turnout for Duwamish Alive! event
April 19, 2008 9:36 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Pigeon Point | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

Yes, yard/garden/habitat work can be fun — if you have company! That video shows just one of several merry mulch-relaying groups we saw in action during a brief visit to the EarthCorps– and Nature Consortium-organized Duwamish Alive! Earth Day event at Pigeon Point Park today. The restoration work at PP Park has really taken shape since we visited for this report a few months ago. After today’s cleanup work, the party was scheduled to move inside neighboring Cooper Elementary for indoor events (good timing; as our video shows, we were there during a sun break, but we all know that didn’t last long). One organizer told WSB today’s turnout numbered about 400!

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New updates on “Inconvenient Ride” site
April 18, 2008 9:14 pm
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 |   Environment | West Seattle schools

Next Tuesday is homecoming day for the half-dozen local students (and their adult chaperones) who’ve been on a cross-country environmental-awareness bicycle trip dubbed “An Inconvenient Ride” (we interviewed them on video a few days before they left). Their trip officially ends with the Global to Local benefit for Project Earth Care (a West Seattle-based initiative) at Benaroya Hall downtown on Tuesday night. We just noticed a few new updates on the IR website — some humorous road musings on the main page, additions to the “trip log” page where the kids tell their stories, and added links on their media-coverage page. According to the route page, they’re in Northern California tonight.

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Cold air, warm hearts: Saturday Earth Day extravaganza
April 17, 2008 11:55 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

Yeah, it’s supposed to be cold on Saturday (and probably sooner). That’s not going to stop the hardy West Seattle souls planning a huge slate of events we’ve been telling you about (see the Events page for most of ’em, and the West Seattle Weekend Lineup at midday Friday for even more), and here’s another one we wanted to preview — the Duwamish Alive! Earth Day festivities planned for Saturday:Read More

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City offers $ savings on your next lawn mower
April 16, 2008 1:01 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Gardening | West Seattle news

If you bag the gas-powered mower, the city will subsidize part of the cost of an electric or push replacement:Read More

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Junction Association updates: It’s not just about development
April 14, 2008 10:17 pm
|      31 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

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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

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Miles away, yet close to home: Year-round rescue tug
April 14, 2008 7:55 pm
|    Comments Off on Miles away, yet close to home: Year-round rescue tug
 |   Environment | Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway

Technically, this is happening more than 100 miles away. tenyomaru.jpgBut 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.)

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Want free trees? New offer from the city
April 14, 2008 1:11 pm
|    Comments Off on Want free trees? New offer from the city
 |   Environment | Transportation | West Seattle news

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

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Students reveal the realities of riding a bike cross-country
April 13, 2008 7:33 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Environment | West Seattle people | West Seattle schools

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.

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Tuesday afternoon greenery: 3 notes
April 8, 2008 4:43 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

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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

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“Inconvenient Ride”: Updates online
April 3, 2008 7:38 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Environment | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

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.

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New city crackdown proposed: Bag tax, foam ban
April 2, 2008 2:06 pm
|      32 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

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.)

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Phone books – how not to get them – revisited
April 2, 2008 8:56 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Environment

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.

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Don’t just “toss it”: West Seattle park recycling bins in place
April 1, 2008 8:14 pm
|    Comments Off on Don’t just “toss it”: West Seattle park recycling bins in place
 |   Environment | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

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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.

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CoolMoms launches West Seattle group: 1st meeting tomorrow
April 1, 2008 11:01 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Confused about climate change? A Seattle-based group has a website coolmomgrab.jpgwhere 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

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Earth Hour: West Seattle didn’t exactly go dark
March 29, 2008 9:22 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

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.

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Earth Hour 8-9 tonight: What you might see from West Seattle
March 29, 2008 4:32 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

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.

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Seattle to participate in “Earth Hour” this year
March 27, 2008 1:29 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Environment

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.”

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Local students ready for “An Inconvenient Ride” — cross-country!
March 25, 2008 7:02 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle schools | West Seattle video

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

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