Category: Uncategorized

Community Solar provides an opportunity for Seattle residents to buy in to a “community” array and earn their money back via credits on their electricity bill, thus making it much easier for a wider range of people to participate in a solar project  while also supporting a great cause!  Our current project is a 26kw system located atop the Holiday Apartments, which is one of Capitol Hill Housing’s affordable housing properties. In 2020, once everyone has earned back their investment (and, we hope, a little extra), it will be donated to Capitol Hill Housing to continue to support much needed affordable housing.

Here’s the latest information:

We’re over half way there! Thanks to your enthusiastic support, we’ve passed the half way mark—over 513 units of our Community Solar array have been sold!

The 26kW system located atop the Holiday Apartments went LIVE in late November and (even with our gray weather) has been producing clean, locally generated, renewable energy for the grid ever since!

You can view real-time data from the system here.

Want to join in on the fun? Sign up today (starting at $150)!

Community Solar is a way for residents to participate and receive the benefits of solar without having their own solar arrays on their roof—and in this case also supports a great cause! Here’s how it works:

1. Buy Solar Units: Any City Light customer can sign up, starting at $150
2. Get Paid Back: Earn your investment back via credits on your bill until 2020
3. Feel Good: This project produces clean energy, supports the regional economy (all of the system components and labor are locally sourced!), and reduces the long-term operating costs of affordable housing.

Read more.

The Free Letters Home project has been going strong for almost two years at Nyer Urness House. The residents there are so appreciative of these monthly opportunities to re-connect with a loved one.  We would love to expand this program within Ballard.

Perhaps you can organize a monthly visit to a second location.  Our lead organizer Bev will secure the site and make sure there are plenty of supplies, and Sustainable Ballard will help to line up volunteers.  Can you, or you and a partner, commit to leading at this second site once each month?

Contact Bev for more information.

Please join us for the first Open House of the New Year!

• Meet Your Sustainable Ballard: the 2015 Board Members, Project Leaders and Staff — bend our ears … we want to hear what you have to say about Sustainable Ballard, your ideas and hopes, where you’d like to see us prioritize our resources — we’ll be there to listen!
• Be part of the celebration as we toast Sustainable Ballard’s leaders
• Hear about our priorities for the new year, and tell us about yours

• Learn more about the projects we have cooking … come find out what we’re all about and sign up for something that interests you

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Ballard Public Library

You are invited to this fabulous movie on food waste.

Come share in an exciting discussion about the topic, including local food justice initiatives, practical solutions, action steps, etc.
Not to mention great resource people and healthy snacks.

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Greenwood Senior Center

Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church
2400 NW 85th St., Seattle, Washington 98117
Doors / refreshments open @ 5:30pm; Screening begins @ 6pm

The Washington Toxics Coalition and Earth Ministry will be holding a screening of Toxic Hot Seat as part of their state tour building energy for the 2015 legislative session. This effort is a collaboration between the Toxic Free Legacy Campaign, local Fire Departments, and faith leaders who want more people in the community to see this important film and learn how we can, by working together, ban toxic flame retardants in Washington.

Toxic Hot Seat follows a courageous group of firefighters and mothers, journalists and scientists, politicians and activists as they fight to expose a shadowy campaign of deception that left a toxic legacy in our homes and bodies – a campaign so cunning, it’s taken nearly 40 years to unravel. More about the movie and how to stream it: https://streamingmoviesright.com/us/movie/toxic-hot-seat

FREE.

Climate Action Festival: Resources for Change

Saturday, January 31, 1-4pm

Come explore resources and vendors that will help you understand and take action against climate change. Test drive a Tesla or electric bike, learn about solar panels, and calculate your carbon footprint. Explore ways to reduce your footprint and help encourage action by individuals and the community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Scheduled exhibitors to date include Seattle City Light, Tesla, 350.org, Puget Sound Solar, RainWise, Sierra Club, Sustainable Northeast Seattle, Seattle Electric Vehicle Association, CarbonWA, Seattle Electric Bike, a carbon calculator*, and more.

*To figure your carbon footprint, you need the following: energy bills (electric, gas, oil) and vehicle mileage for the past 12 months, and square footage of your house.

The University Unitarian Church and its Climate Action Team present a series of events focused on climate change January 25-31. These events are free of charge and open to the public. The church is located at 6556 – 35th Ave NE in Seattle. More information is available at uuchurch.org/social-justice/climate-action/.

Join us for the Biggest Sustainability Party of the Year!

Sustainable Seattle and the community will come together on January 23rd for the Annual Sustainability Leadership Awards! The Awards dinner is a wonderful celebration where we honor our Top Nominees and Award Winners, those in our community who stand out for their inspiring accomplishments this year.

Our annual Holiday Party and Barter Fair would not have been a success without the support of these local businesses to whom we are most grateful.  Attendees enjoyed donated pizza, kraut, beer and wine, and lucky raffle winners took home gift cards.  Our thanks to:

• Golden Beetle for four $25 gift cards

• Cupcake Royale for a gift card for one dozen cupcakes

• Skillet Diner for a $25 gift card

• Shakti Vinyasa Yoga for a gift card for two free classes

• Firefly Kitchen for three jars of kraut and a signed copy of “Fresh and Fermented”

• Eat Ballard for a $50 gift card

• Zayda Buddy’s for four large pizzas enjoyed at the party — yum!

• Sunergy Systems for donating the beer and wine

• Michael Good for providing lovely music at the party

City Fruit is launching a series of hands-on work parties, classes, and workshops to help you care for your fruit trees! 

This session will take place in Ballard and focus on young trees (the specific address will be sent closer to the date).  A master pruner will lead the session, with assistance from one of City Fruit’s Master Fruit Tree Steward participants!  Attendees are encouraged to bring their own pruning tools, dress for the weather, and wear sturdy shoes.

The Prune-a-thon session will cover: the background and importance of pruning, the best and appropriate tools for pruning, and best practices for beginner level pruning on various types of fruit trees.  Each participant will walk away feeling confident in their ability to care for their own fruit trees. Secure your spot here!