On a mission to foster community connection and support the environment, Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) recently contributed to Mayor Harrell's One Seattle Day of Service, collaborating with a range of organizations and locals. According to a report, OSE staff were among the thousands who participated on May 18 to bolster community-driven environmental initiatives.
The OSE's Climate Justice Data & Finance Program Associate, Sunny Ysa, partnered up with teams from REI Tacoma, United Way of King County, and residents from Rainier Beach and Skyway neighborhoods in the collective efforts aimed at distributing Discover Passes with Braided Seeds, a group dedicated to removing outdoor access barriers for BIPOC communities and a grantee of Seattle’s Environmental Justice Fund.
Meanwhile, the OSE's Urban Forestry Advisor, Lauren Urgenson, lent a hand at the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, where her day consisted of tending native plants, sowing seeds in a children's garden, spreading mulch, and creating a bee-friendly pathway. The Cesar Chavez Garden on Beacon Hill saw the leadership of Suzy Knutson from OSE's Fresh Bucks program guiding volunteers through a productive day; the garden not only serves as a learning site, but it also supplies fresh produce to the food bank at El Centro de la Raza and to a public free pantry.
At another end of the city, OSE Director Jessyn Farrell was spotted at a City Year backpack event, while the Climate Justice Team participated in The Common Acre’s Native Plants Celebration, another Environmental Justice Fund beneficiary. This grassroots group, led by Urban Unangax, is dedicated to bridging the gap between Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and their affinity with the land and culture. "The Native Plants Celebration was part of a workshop series supported by the EJ fund which centers cultural preservation and connection for Indigenous people," the OSE report detailed. At the celebration, participants engaged in activities like transplanting camas bulbs and attending a workshop focused on chocolate lilies and salmon.
