By Todd Burley
Seattle Parks and Recreation’s (SPR) definition of a “park” is: healthy environmentA healthy ecosystem where everyone can use and take responsibility for public spaces in an equitable way. It is a healthy urban tree that cleans the air and soil and acts as a natural sanctuary and refuge for wildlife and people. It contributes to the well-being of the Seattle and Pacific Northwest ecosystems by creating a healthy marine environment and ocean. It is the green infrastructure that creates resilience by adapting and responding to shifting weather patterns as well as sea level rise.
We were delighted to sign up to the Trust for Public Lands in 2021, joining more than 280 cities. Campaign 10-Minute Walk to a Parkcommitting to equitable access for parks and green spaces. Seattle is currently the most populous city in the United States, with 97% of households living within this walkshed. 9ThAccess to national parks. Two properties were acquired last year in underserved areas of the city to be future parks.
SPR continues to improve the habitat in our parks by removing invasives and planting native species. We also want to make it easier to access our trails. The Green Seattle PartnershipWe have added 59 additional acres of urban forest for restoration and nearly 54,000 native plant species in 2021. This includes more than 10,000 trees. We are also examining our turf areas more ecologically, and considering converting some of them to be pollinator habitat. As part of our recognition that nature is important in reducing the effects of climate change on our city, Seattle signed up to the C40 Urban Nature DeclarationWith other cities around the globe
Healthy environments also consider the impact of our operations on the wider community and the world. They are more sustainable. We switched to using primarily battery-powered leaf blowers for our downtown parks in 2021 and developed a long-term strategy that prioritizes the use of carbon-neutral tools in all of our parks. The Miller Community Center’s solar micro-grid is nearing completion, which will provide an alternative energy source in times of emergency. We completed a waste audit on athletic fields to help us develop a waste management program. We are also piloting new recycling and waste bins at some parks to improve waste diversion.
Our recreation programs promote a healthy environment. We were pleased to bring back environmental education in person in our parks and green areas in 2021. This program provided over 100 outdoor activities. Environmental EducationPrograms with our partners SPRs Youth engaged in service (YES) The team and Environmental Education staff have been mentoring 11 youth (16-20 years) in outdoor recreation jobs and providing job training. We also hosted a celebration for Earth WeekFor both virtual and physical visitors
These and other impacts are detailed in our annual Healthy Environment Report. You can read it HERE.
We will continue this work into 2022 by looking deeper into issues such as waste management, climate resilience, and best practices in management. We look forward sharing more stories and updates throughout 2019, and we would love to hear from you about how we can help create a Healthy Environment. Send a note to our Sustainability Advisor Todd Burley ([email protected]) with your ideas.
