Category: Uncategorized

The Edible Garden Tour is coming up on June 29th and we could use a few more gardens to round out the map! If you live between 15th and 24th and south of 75th and north of 57th have a productive garden with fruit, veggies, herbs, nuts, chickens, bees, goats and want to show it off, let us know! We’re looking for creative solutions too. Raised beds, container gardens, apartment plots, shared spaces. Contact Paula for more details.

We’re thinking all those teenage organizations look pretty cool compared to us so, we thought it was time to update our look.

New Website!

We think you’ll like it! We’ve updated our content and preserved all the good old links. We’ve improved navigation and are making it really intuitive for first time visitors.

Big Thanks are in order to: Jodi Newton for spearheading the project and doing the lion’s share of creating the new look, to Richard Palmer and Fulvio Casali for technical expertise and assistance, and to the Communications Team (Eric Thomas, Julia Field, Jenny Heins, Emily Thousand & Courtney Rosenstein) for direction and content.

Updated Logo!

Yes, we are making our logo more readable and usable too! Thanks to Scott Bilstad for pro-bono design work.

New News!

Starting soon, our newsletter will come out with the same look and feel as the website. (Yes! even pictures!) We are doing some Spring Cleaning as we transfer your information over into a new, more flexible system, we’ll be asking you to let us know your interests so that we can send you only what you want!! You’ll be hearing from us in the next few weeks about that.

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Jodi Newton rocks!!! Thanks to her incredible energy and dedication, we have a new website!  We are absolutely blessed to have her as a part of the Sustainable Ballard family.

We’re in the final stretch of showing the city that we can reduce our garbage tonnage as much (or more) than the next neighborhood. The neighborhood with the lowest garbage collection tonnage at the end of March will win $40,000. As the end of January we were in 4th place but within striking distance of the top 3 neighborhoods.

Please consider these March Waste Reduction Tips to see what you can do to reduce what you send to the landfill. And join us for our Spring Cleaning Supplies Swap in late March!

We’re forming a team to get Ballard certified with the National Wildlife Federation as a “Community Wildlife Habitat.” Community Wildlife Habitats are organized by a team of 5-10 people, who not only help create habitat, but also hold workshops about gardening for wildlife and organize community events such as stream or trail cleanups.

We need to put our team together and register by May 1st in order to get a $500 to support the work of certifying 160 backyards, schools, parks, community gardens, places of worship and businesses as Wildlife Habitat. Please contact Jenny if you’d like to participate.

This time of year, winter gives way to, well, more rain, making spring ideal for refreshing your home and renewing your commitment to the environment. As spring crops up, so do more opportunities to reduce your waste. Consider these helpful tips while spring cleaning.

Cleaning Supplies

Repurpose old brushes for cleaning.

Save money and avoid harsh chemicals, hazardous waste and extra packaging by making your own cleaners. With tips on how to make everything from all-purpose cleaner to silver polish, these websites will help you start:

• http://www.clearwater-fl.com/gov/depts/solid_waste/docs_pub/wrtips.asp
• http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm
• http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/natural-homemade-house-cleaner-2672.html

If you must use harsh chemicals, check the inventory at Seattle’s South Transfer Station. Residents of King County may bring and borrow everything from oil-based paint to antifreeze. Learn more.

Use reusable rags, cloths, sponges and brushes instead of paper towels.

Share or borrow cleaning supplies and tools that you seldom use with your neighbors.

Recycling Opportunities

Donate used bicycles and parts to BikeWorks in Columbia City. They also accept donations at the North and South Transfer stations: BikeWorks donations

Host a yard sale or clothing swap with your neighbors. Donate any unwanted items to a local charity.

H&M stores will recycle old clothing in any condition (even torn and stained). Learn more here.

Rebounces re-energizes flat tennis balls. Consider mailing them your flat tennis balls or purchasing their re-energized balls. Learn more at: rebounces.com.

The Take Back Your Meds program offers convenient locations throughout Seattle to bring back your unused and expired medications – vitamins, over-the-counter medicine, prescription medication, pet meds, inhalers, samples and liquid medications. Find the closest drop-off here: Take Back Your Meds.

Donate magazines to schools, gyms, day cares and doctors’ offices.

King County’s Take It Back Network offers a few locations to recycle mattresses: Take It Back.

Repurposing, Repairing and Reorganizing

Repurpose shoe boxes and gift boxes for storage. Reuse glass jars to keep nails, screws and other small supplies.

Before throwing a broken appliance away, look up local repair technicians. Many in Seattle can fix everything from furniture to cell phones. If you prefer to replace your broken item, donate it to a local technician for parts.

For a fun, useful and waste-free activity, host a clothing swap, where participants exchange items they no longer wear with other participants.

Earth911.com lists blogs specializing in do-it-yourself projects. With these projects, you can repurpose or upgrade what you already have. Get inspired here: Earth911.com

Maintaining

Reduce even more waste by taking care of what you already have.

Sharpen knives.

Care for clothes properly. Type F offers great tips to extend the life of your jeans and other clothes. Type F

Clean home appliances. To prolong appliance life and reduce energy costs, remove dust from your refrigerator coil and freezer and lint from your dryer, furnace and vents.