Green-Duwamish Watershed Symposium Panels
Panel 3: Fostering Collaboration - The Spark That Grows
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro
No great idea or effort was born alone, but came from connecting with other's ideas in new ways. We must work together to create the watershed we desire to live in now and in the future. These presentations highlight how diverse partners connected to create a shared vision which exponentially increased the power of the project in making a lasting difference.
Environmental Justice through Transformational and Inclusive Partnerships
Alberto Rodriguez, City of Seattle
For years, the communities in the Duwamish Valley have experienced documented inequities. To better align and coordinate efforts in this geographic area to advance environmental justice, address racial, reduce health inequities, build community capacity, create stronger economic pathways and opportunity was the development of the Duwamish Valley Action Plan, a City-community shared vision to promote collaboration and guide the City’s work and investments in the Duwamish Valley for years to come. Come learn how, through a transformational and inclusive partnership, government and community will work to advance priorities related to
Beyond the Signs: Building a Community Based Program in Communities of Diversity in the Lower Duwamish
Rebecca Chu, Sinang Lee, Phung Nguyen, EPA &King County Health
EPA's recent Fishers Study found that, although a seafood consumption advisory has been in place within the Duwamish Superfund Site since 2003, more than 20 ethnic groups currently fish in the Duwamish River. The Study found that the fishers who eat the polluted seafood are primarily from immigrant/refugee and non-English speaking communities. Through the program, community members were engaged to educate their friends and families, by helping in designing culturally-appropriate health promotion tools and building community capacity for sustainable outcomes.
One of the key strategies of this program is to build the capacity of Community Health Advocates that can conduct peer outreach and engagement in their communities, while empowering themselves to advocate for protection of their health.
Building a Community of Stewardship of Water Monitoring
Eric Adman, Sno-King Watershed Council
SKWC started a Community-Based Water Monitoring program 2 years ago with goals of fostering watershed stewardship and community connections, collecting and sharing water quality data, providing first alert data to agencies, providing environmental education, and increasing public awareness. We now have approximately 30 volunteer water monitors conducting monthly monitoring of variables including air and water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, hardness, alkalinity, and bacteriological contamination. We are adding additional monitoring to include nitrates and phosphates, zinc and copper. We use an annual assessment of benthic macroinvertebrates as long-term indicators of stream health.
Our program is growing. We are currently partnering with Puget Soundkeeper and Unleash The Brilliance Teens as they move to bring community-based water monitoring to the Green-Duwamish Watershed and connect with underserved youth. In our presentation we will describe the history and goals of the program, success, issues, challenges, and collaborations, and ways in which the Green-Duwamish watershed community can use community-based water monitoring to advance their goals of improving the health of the watershed
Partnering with Businesses of Diversity
Cathy Buller, ECOSS
Working in communities of diversity with small to medium sized businesses to provide environmental education, resources and technical assistance in the areas of stormwater permit compliance, recycling and food waste, energy efficiency, Brownfields, Green Stormwater Infrastructure, and outreach, ECOSS has successfully engaged these multicultural communities to become more sustainable and equitable through programs such as Puget Sound Spill Kit program.
The primary goal for the Puget Sound Spill Kit Program is to increase awareness and understanding of stormwater management among business owners, managers, and employees, and encourage businesses to practice pollution prevention and best management practices. As an incentive to responsibly address onsite spills, each new business will receive a free spill kit containing either universal or oil-only sorbent materials capable of cleaning seven gallons of liquid.
Green Infrastructure Jobs of Tomorrow
Hannah Kett, Aaron Clark, Nature Conservancy & Stewardship Partnership
Green infrastructure is an important tool for supporting a healthy recovery of our ecosystems and watersheds. It can also be a significant driver for the economy, generating and sustaining multiple types of jobs. Stewardship Partners and The Nature Conservancy, will share the results of the 2018 youth forum and Green Infrastructure Summit which focused on the green infrastructure jobs of today and the future. These youth voices are essential to creating a just, equitable, and accessible green job market within the Puget Sound region, including the Green-Duwamish Watershed. The audience will be able to take home actionable steps that will respond to youth-voice priorities
Questions and Answers to Follow
Panel 3: Fostering Collaboration - The Spark That Grows
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro
No great idea or effort was born alone, but came from connecting with other's ideas in new ways. We must work together to create the watershed we desire to live in now and in the future. These presentations highlight how diverse partners connected to create a shared vision which exponentially increased the power of the project in making a lasting difference.
Environmental Justice through Transformational and Inclusive Partnerships
Alberto Rodriguez, City of Seattle
For years, the communities in the Duwamish Valley have experienced documented inequities. To better align and coordinate efforts in this geographic area to advance environmental justice, address racial, reduce health inequities, build community capacity, create stronger economic pathways and opportunity was the development of the Duwamish Valley Action Plan, a City-community shared vision to promote collaboration and guide the City’s work and investments in the Duwamish Valley for years to come. Come learn how, through a transformational and inclusive partnership, government and community will work to advance priorities related to
- public safety
- healthy environment
- parks and open spaces
- community capacity
- mobility and transportation
- economic opportunity
- affordable housing
Beyond the Signs: Building a Community Based Program in Communities of Diversity in the Lower Duwamish
Rebecca Chu, Sinang Lee, Phung Nguyen, EPA &King County Health
EPA's recent Fishers Study found that, although a seafood consumption advisory has been in place within the Duwamish Superfund Site since 2003, more than 20 ethnic groups currently fish in the Duwamish River. The Study found that the fishers who eat the polluted seafood are primarily from immigrant/refugee and non-English speaking communities. Through the program, community members were engaged to educate their friends and families, by helping in designing culturally-appropriate health promotion tools and building community capacity for sustainable outcomes.
One of the key strategies of this program is to build the capacity of Community Health Advocates that can conduct peer outreach and engagement in their communities, while empowering themselves to advocate for protection of their health.
Building a Community of Stewardship of Water Monitoring
Eric Adman, Sno-King Watershed Council
SKWC started a Community-Based Water Monitoring program 2 years ago with goals of fostering watershed stewardship and community connections, collecting and sharing water quality data, providing first alert data to agencies, providing environmental education, and increasing public awareness. We now have approximately 30 volunteer water monitors conducting monthly monitoring of variables including air and water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, hardness, alkalinity, and bacteriological contamination. We are adding additional monitoring to include nitrates and phosphates, zinc and copper. We use an annual assessment of benthic macroinvertebrates as long-term indicators of stream health.
Our program is growing. We are currently partnering with Puget Soundkeeper and Unleash The Brilliance Teens as they move to bring community-based water monitoring to the Green-Duwamish Watershed and connect with underserved youth. In our presentation we will describe the history and goals of the program, success, issues, challenges, and collaborations, and ways in which the Green-Duwamish watershed community can use community-based water monitoring to advance their goals of improving the health of the watershed
Partnering with Businesses of Diversity
Cathy Buller, ECOSS
Working in communities of diversity with small to medium sized businesses to provide environmental education, resources and technical assistance in the areas of stormwater permit compliance, recycling and food waste, energy efficiency, Brownfields, Green Stormwater Infrastructure, and outreach, ECOSS has successfully engaged these multicultural communities to become more sustainable and equitable through programs such as Puget Sound Spill Kit program.
The primary goal for the Puget Sound Spill Kit Program is to increase awareness and understanding of stormwater management among business owners, managers, and employees, and encourage businesses to practice pollution prevention and best management practices. As an incentive to responsibly address onsite spills, each new business will receive a free spill kit containing either universal or oil-only sorbent materials capable of cleaning seven gallons of liquid.
Green Infrastructure Jobs of Tomorrow
Hannah Kett, Aaron Clark, Nature Conservancy & Stewardship Partnership
Green infrastructure is an important tool for supporting a healthy recovery of our ecosystems and watersheds. It can also be a significant driver for the economy, generating and sustaining multiple types of jobs. Stewardship Partners and The Nature Conservancy, will share the results of the 2018 youth forum and Green Infrastructure Summit which focused on the green infrastructure jobs of today and the future. These youth voices are essential to creating a just, equitable, and accessible green job market within the Puget Sound region, including the Green-Duwamish Watershed. The audience will be able to take home actionable steps that will respond to youth-voice priorities
Questions and Answers to Follow