Street tree applications are now closed, but there’s still time to apply for trees for your yard! Yard tree applications close October 10th. Please make sure you have read the information below before applying

The Trees for Neighborhoods program helps Seattle residents plant trees around their homes. Since 2009, Trees for Neighborhoods planted over 4,000 trees in yards and along streets. That’s 4,000 more trees working to clean our air and water, make our streets more walkable, our neighborhoods healthier, and our children inspired. Join the movement—plant a tree this year!

Trees for Neighborhoods participants receive:

• Free trees (up to 4 per household). We offer a variety of small, medium, and large trees appropriate under power lines, along the street, and in the yard. Check out this year’s AVAILABLE TREES
• A watering bag for each tree
• Training on proper planting and care
• Assistance applying for street tree planting permits
• Ongoing care reminders and workshop opportunities, such as pruning

Trees are distributed in October and November. All participants must attend a tree planting workshop to learn about proper planting and care. Participants are responsible for planting and all future care of their trees.

Evaluate your property for available planting space. If you have a large space in your yard, consider one of the larger evergreen trees on this year’s list (e.g. Douglas fir, incense cedar, shore pine).Before You Apply

1. Read the planting considerations page carefully to learn more about this year’s program details and what you should consider before making your tree selections.
2. Check out this year’s available tree species here. Pay close attention to the information about height and spread at maturity and imagine your tree in 30 years—will there be enough space for the tree to thrive?

How to Apply

Trees for Neighborhoods is a very popular program and we process applications in the order they are received. For the best chance at receiving a tree, apply early! If you apply for trees that are currently sold out, you will be added to a waitlist. In 2013, approximately 30% of waitlisted participants ultimately received a tree.

Trees can be planted either in your yard or planting strip. Trees planted along streets are considered “street trees”, and require a permit from the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to plant. On your application, you will be asked if you wish to plant a tree along the street. We will submit a permit request on your behalf, but we cannot guarantee that it will be approved. Read more about the street tree permitting process here.

When submitting an application, please use your physical address where the trees will be planted (not a PO Box). Trees must be planted at this address. They cannot be given away to others.

Apply Online or Download the PDF application and mail back.

Take a few cranks on the apple press and enjoy the sweet resulting cider. That’s just one of our “hands-on harvesting” activities in the urban farm area at this year’s Sustainable Ballard Festival. We’ll be making cider with the Seattle Tree Fruit Society.

You can also winnow seed with the King County Seed Lending Library. Caitlin Moore will have seed from cilantro, arugula, lettuce, spinach, phacelia and other plants, along with the necessary equipment. Learn how to clean the seed and conserve it for sharing.

Or you could harvest mason bees. Crown Bees will be on hand with lots of mason bee cocoons in sleeves. By removing the cocoons from the sleeves for storage, parasitic mites can be destroyed and more bees will survive the winter. The activity does not include buzzing bees, but you can learn how these gentle bees can greatly benefit early-spring pollination.

Other attractions at the urban farm include a cloche and cold frame display by Cool Season Gardener author Bill Thorness, and live goats courtesy Lacia Lynne Bailey of the Seattle Farm Cooperative.

Join local families who use their bikes as transportation and try out their family biking setups, including an electric-assisted Madsen bike, an Xtracycle, a Big Dummy, a trail-a-bike, a front mounted child seat, a bike trailer, a tandem, a recumbent trailer bike and more. Ask questions and enjoy the delight of riding with your kids! There will also be maps and route information, and information about the rest of Familybike Seattle‘s programs (cargo bike rentals, family biking seminars, and riding classes).

It is still warm out now, but fall and winter are around the bend, so it’s not too soon to start taking steps to make your home warmer and more energy efficient, and save you money on those heating bills.

Seattle City Light customers* who live in oil-heated homes or 2-4 unit buildings may be eligible to participate in Community Power Works, a one-stop program providing low-cost energy audits, City-approved contractors, loans, customer service, and quality oversight for your home energy upgrade project.

For a limited time, customers living in oil-heated homes can take advantage of Community Power Works’ high-efficiency heating incentives and save significantly on heating costs with a new, efficient heating system. Customers interested in weatherizing their home may qualify for weatherization rebates.

How it works:

Get started today! Learn more about energy audits, rebates, financing, and contractors.

Questions? Give Community Power Works a call at 206.449.1170 or email.

About Community Power Works
Community Power Works is an energy efficiency program that helps customers make their homes more efficient, healthier and safer, warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, and less expensive. Whether your home was built in 1905 or 2005, chances are good that you could take steps to improve its energy efficiency. If you live in a single-family home or a building with 2-4 units, you may be a candidate for Community Power Works.

• A deeply-discounted energy audit for electrically-heated and oil-heated homes (value $400).
• A pool of City-approved contractors to install efficiency upgrades such as windows, insulation, advanced heating and cooling systems, and more.
• Financing options for up to 100% of the cost of your upgrade with affordable rates and hassle-free loan payments on your Seattle City Light bill.
• Ongoing customer service and energy expert support, as well as complimentary quality oversight to ensure that the job is done right.

*Seattle City Light serves residents living in Seattle, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, and parts of Burien, Normandy Park, Renton, SeaTac, and Tukwila.

Have an outgrown car seat you’d like to pass along to a family in need? Looking for a place to recycle your expired or damaged car seat? Bring your unwanted children’s car seats to the Sustainable Ballard Festival on Sunday, September 28th, 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., and we’ll make sure they are either safely reused or recycled. A $5 voluntary donation is requested to offset the cost of recycling.

This year, Reuse and Recycling is a dominant theme at the Sustainable Ballard Festival, with car seat recycling, trash fashion, a kid’s bike and pet parade, a local coffee cup campaign and more. Car seats will be collected in the AmericanWest Bank parking lot near Joann Fabrics.

What:  Car Seat Recycling at Sustainable Ballard Festival
When:  Sunday, Sept. 28, 11 am – 6 pm
Where:  AmericanWest Bank (formerly Viking Bank); 2237 NW 57th Street (between 22^nd Ave NW & 24^th Ave NW), Seattle, WA 98107
To enter:  If driving, please enter from 56^th Street; if walking, please enter from 57^th Street
Donation:  A $5 donation per seat is requested (Up to 10 seats per person maximum; call 206-441-1790 if you have larger quantities)

Zero Waste Washington and CoolMom are partnering on this one-day event with WestSide Baby and Total Reclaim. Car seats that have not expired and have not been in an accident will go to WestSide Baby. Those that are safe to reuse will be provided to agencies for delivery to low income families who need them.

Car seats that can’t be reused will be sent to Total Reclaim for disassembly and recycling. Each car seat contains about 15 pounds of rigid plastic and metal that can be made into something new. That means fewer valuable materials in the landfill and fewer greenhouse gases!

Zero Waste Washington and CoolMom are delighted to work with our partners to make this event possible. However, ongoing drop-off opportunities and sustainable financing will be needed to make car seat recycling viable for the long-term. We’re continuing to work toward that goal and toward having a pilot car seat recycling program available in Seattle and King County by mid-2015. Look for the launch of our new website about car seat reuse and recycling soon.

This project was funded through a grant from Washington State Department of Ecology. While these materials were reviewed for grant consistency, this does not necessarily constitute endorsement by Ecology.

Join a full-day summit to mobilize with regional citizens and design solutions that will address the vulnerabilities of our growing urban communities, our infrastructure and our businesses.

Date: Thursday, October 2, 2014

Location:  Husky Union Building (HUB) at The University of Washington – Lyceum Room (#160); 4001 E. Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105.

Map … Campus Map … Directions

Tickets:  Early Bird, before September 12 – $99; Regular, before September 26 – $115; Week of – $130.

More information and registration.

This summit is presented by Sustainable Seattle.  Sustainable Seattle has focused on the long-term health and sustainability of the greater Seattle area since 1991. We work with individuals, organizations, and businesses to revitalize our environment, build community and accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices. Our programs use environmental action, education and inspiration to build a thriving and livable future.

Climate change has a variety of negative effects on the economy, and according to award-winning journalist Naomi Klein, the time has come to shift the debate from climate to climate economics. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climateanalyzes the current fight against global warming, how “disaster capitalism” makes things worse, and why the “free market” structure needs to be dramatically altered. She’ll give insight into how reducing greenhouse emissions could solve a variety of inequalities in society and rebuild local economies. According to Klein, climate change is “the fight of our lives” and it’s up to us to change the direction the world is headed. The author of The Shock Doctrine, Klein is also a contributing editor forHarper’s. Klein will be introduced by KC Golden, Senior Policy Advisor with Climate Solutions.

Presented by: Town Hall and University Book Store, as part of the Civics series and Town Green sub series, sponsored by The Peach Foundation and Wyncote Foundation NW. Series supported by The Boeing Company, the RealNetworks Foundation, and the True-Brown Foundation. Series media sponsorship provided byThe Stranger and KUOW.
Tickets: $5. Tickets go on sale to the public on Thursday, August 7 at 12:00 p.m.
Town Hall Member Benefits: Priority seating, discounted onsite book sales.
Doors open: 6:30 p.m.
Learn more: About the author.

More good people are still needed to make our Annual Festival this Sunday run smoothly!

• Would you enjoy engaging kids with arts and crafts and games?

•  Could you sell raffle tickets for the electric bike ?

• Would you enjoy helping visitors make household cleaning products from simple natural ingredients?

• Could you oversee activities at our Taste of the Fest Quick Demo stage for an hour or two?

• Would you serve coffee and treats to volunteers at the Hospitality Tent?

• Help welcome exhibitors?  Greet visitors?  It’s easy and fun!

Sign up for a 3-hrs. shift and be our hero for the day (at least)!

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!

Join the team!

You’ll have fun, meet people, and get good karma points, as well as goodies!  Volunteers receive a free cool t-shirt, treats, and an invite to an exclusive party!

For more details on where help is still needed, to pick a shift and sign up, please look here:   http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044cadae28aaf58-2014

Or just join us at the

VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION

THIS EVENING, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 7PM – 9PM

Nyer Urness House, 1753 NW 56th St.

Hope to see you there!!!

Thank you!!!!!

For more than a decade, The Homeless Remembrance Project–a collaborative community effort facilitated by the homeless women of WHEEL–has created places of hope, healing, and beauty to honor and remember homeless people who have died in King County.  The Project has two parts:  A beautiful “Tree of Life” sculpture and gathering place at Victor Steinbrueck Park (north of Pike Place Market), and “Leaves of Remembrance,” with names, embedded in sidewalks throughout the City.

 ALL ARE INVITED TO WITNESS AND CELEBRATE the September 28th dedication of six new “Leaves of Remembrance” around Ballard Commons Park (where 25 Leaves already are).

We’re remembering these beloved community members:  Jeffrey Parker Bouck, Kenny Stoddard, Will Johnson, Cecil “Marty” White Face, Michael “Mike” Sheely, and Marvin “Marv” Hosking, Jr.  We’ll also rededicate/place a pre-existing Leaf for Karen Lee Pedersen.

Please visit www.fallenleaves.org for stories and photos!

The event starts with a 3:30 PM Ceremony at the Park.  Then there’ll be a chance to share stories, memories, and refreshments at a Reception hosted at the nearby Bridge Care Center (at St Luke’s Episcopal Church, 5710—22nd Avenue NW).  Please join us!