Category Archives: Clean and Green

Clean and Green, Education

Chicks, bikes, and weeds: self-reliance classes coming to Beacon Hill

Want to raise chickens like this one? There's a class for that. Photo by Wendi.
[Edited at 4:06 p.m. to note that registration is required for the bicycle workshop. –Ed.]

The Seattle Public Library is hosting a series of “Urban Self-Reliance” workshops, including several here at the Beacon Hill Library branch. The workshops are free and open to the public, and registration is not required unless noted in the class description below.

These are the classes scheduled for the Beacon Hill Library (2821 Beacon Ave. S.):

“Bicycle Maintenance”: Basic bike maintenance techniques taught by instructors from The Bikery, a non-profit community bike project. Registration is required for this workshop; call 206-684-4711 to sign up. (1-3 p.m., Sunday, October 2.)

“Keeping Chickens in the City”: The basics of keeping chickens in the city, including starting with chicks, feeding and housing requirements, and more. (6-7:30 p.m., Monday, October 10.)

“Finding Edible Weeds in Your Garden and Lawn”: Local author and expert forager Langdon Cook will talk about how to use your backyard as an exotic produce aisle. (6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 26.)

Classes offered at other library branches include “DIY Seismic Home Retrofitting,” “Apartment Gardening with Amy Pennington,” “Introduction to Bike Commuting,” “Simple Sewing (Bags/Pillows/Potholders),” and more. For more information about the classes offered throughout the rest of the city, see the SPL website.

Clean and Green, Local Events

Neighbors invited to celebrate Beacon Food Forest final design

2 Comments

Beacon Food Forest organizers are hosting a final design celebration next Tuesday, September 20, from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Jefferson Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave. S.). Those who attend can see the final schematic design, enjoy free food, tour the garden site by flashlight, and celebrate the end of this phase of the project.

Nearly 100 community members and other local advocates of urban agriculture worked together with the Harrison Design Team on a design for up to 7 acres of land located directly west of Jefferson Park. The Food Forest will include a variety of crops, a community gathering space, and a children’s area.

The Food Forest organizers have a Facebook page with further information about the project.

Clean and Green, Meetings

Food Forest design party #2 on Wednesday

3 Comments
This is the site that will become the Beacon Food Forest. Photo courtesy of Friends of the Beacon Food Forest.
The Friends of the Beacon Food Forest invite all interested neighbors to the second of three community design parties for the Beacon Food Forest. The event is this Wednesday, July 13, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., at El Centro de la Raza. Guests will be able to view and comment on three design options for the Food Forest, presented by the Harrison Design Group. Food and drinks will be provided.

The Food Forest project will be located in a seven acre site along the west side of Jefferson Park, and will include edible perennial plants. Jacqueline Cramer of the Friends of the Beacon Food Forest describes the Forest this way: “Imagine a forest. Now substitute all these plants with fruit and nut trees, berry shrubs, fruiting vines, herbs, edible flowers, and vegetables. Now you’re thinking food forest.”

El Centro de la Raza is located at 2524 16th Ave. S. The design party will be held in the dining hall, on the lower level at the north end of the building.

Clean and Green

Mayor to announce Jefferson Park solar project today

3 Comments

Mayor Mike McGinn will be at Jefferson Park at 4:15 this afternoon with representatives from City Light and Parks and Recreation to announce Community Solar, a new solar energy program for city residents, in conjunction with new solar picnic shelters at the Park.

The new picnic shelters have roofs made of solar panels, and will not only provide sheltered picnic sites, but also produce an estimated 24,000 kilowatt-hours of of energy each year, enough to operate 3 households.

City Light customers can participate in the Community Solar project by purchasing “solar units.” A portion of the energy generated by the project will then be credited annually to each member’s power bill. Founding members will also have their names displayed at the project site in Jefferson Park. Find out more about the program at the Seattle Community Solar project website.

A workshop will be held at Jefferson Community Center next Tuesday, June 28, to explain the program and provide more information about signing up. You can register for the workshop here.

Illustration by Stephanie Bower; image courtesy of Seattle City Light.
Clean and Green

Seattle Tilth offers gardening classes, camps

Photo courtesy of Seattle Tilth.
Seattle Tilth is offering a variety of gardening classes in Southeast Seattle this summer, starting on June 22. Classes include “Go Vertical,” to learn how to grow veggies vertically to maximize your space and harvest; “Wildlife-Friendly Gardening”; “Beyond the Vegetable Garden,” which will help you add perennial edibles to your landscaping; “Be Cistern Savvy!” which will teach how to collect rainwater at home; and several more.

The list of classes may be found here. Classes are in the nearby Mount Baker neighborhood at Bradner Gardens Park.

There are also volunteer opportunities and summer garden camps for kids in Rainier Valley.

Clean and Green, Meetings

Neighbors invited to Food Forest design party 6/7

The first Beacon Food Forest community design party is this coming Tuesday, June 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Garden House, 2336 15th Ave. S.

Neighbors are invited to participate in the design process for the Beacon Food Forest (previously known as the Jefferson Park Food Forest). This is the first of three design parties hosted by the Harrison Design Team. Dinner will be provided.

The Beacon Food Forest is a planned “edible urban forest garden” on a 7-acre grassy field on the western slope of Jefferson Park. The Food Forest project received a $22,000 grant in December 2010 to create a schematic design. Tuesday’s design party is part of this design process. Future design parties are planned for July 13 and sometime in September.

Clean and Green, Volunteering and Giving

Volunteers wanted to join international visitors at Lewis Park

Christine Cole sent us info on an International Work Party at Lewis Park this weekend:

Hello Neighbors!

This Sunday, May 29, Lewis Park has the honor and privilege of hosting 18 professional delegates from 15 African nations. This special group has been selected by the U.S. Embassy in their respective countries to participate in the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. The World Affairs Council of Seattle will be hosting the delegation as they experience “Grassroots Democracy in the U.S.” in action.

  • When: May 29, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Stay for it all or come at your leisure!)
  • Where: Lewis Park (900 Sturgus Ave. S.)
  • Why: Share your stories and thoughts on volunteerism with leaders from around the world!

To RSVP for the event, please visit this link and locate “Lewis Park Restoration” on the Volunteer Calendar list. Then, click on the “Sign Up” button to register.

This is a free event and people of all ages are welcome to attend. The Friends of Lewis Park will supply gloves, tools, coffee, and snacks.

Clean and Green, Volunteering and Giving

EarthCorps work party at Rizal Park 5/14

Craig Thompson forwarded an announcement about a volunteer opportunity helping EarthCorps to improve Dr. Jose Rizal Park this Saturday, May 14. Volunteers are welcome to come at 10 a.m., and the work party will probably run until 2 p.m.

Craig also described last weekend’s efforts in the park:

“Last weekend, 35 Rainier Scholars and staff, Mountains to Sound Greenway volunteers and organizers, and a few neighbors came out in the sun to work on the orchard area at the park and an overlapping forested area. Blackberries were cut back, and the few remaining trees with ivy in the lower off-leash area were cleared with survival rings. Some basic pruning of the crab apples removed some problem branches. We opened up visibility into the area from the access road beneath, having cleared an area down to the stand of Leyland cypresses.

“We removed about three bags of trash, plus a small collection of empty bottles/cans of alcoholic beverages (about half of which are barred from the Alcohol Impact Area down the hill).

“The true apples in the orchard are beginning to blossom, so there is a good possibility that they may produce fruit this year. Please consider joining in this weekend.”