“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” — Gandhi
» Getting Involved & Informed |
» Volunteer opportunities |
» Community resources and links
If you’ve done everything you can in your personal life to protect your urban ecosystem,
you might be inspired to influence others to do the same.
Volunteers are vital to Seattle. Citizens serve on dozens of boards that advise the city on
land use, urban sustainability, libraries, race and justice, historic preservation, technology,
utility rates, building codes, ethics, elections and the arts. Others belong to nonprofit
organizations that support job training, housing, food, literacy and the environment.
Partnerships leverage our resources and enrich our community. City agencies and civic
organizations team up for neighborhood cleanups. Parks and schools use each other’s facilities
free of charge. Corporations give grants and get their employees engaged in their neighborhoods.
Nonprofits such as EarthCorps recruit young people, especially kids in ethnically diverse
neighborhoods, to work on environmental projects.
Supporting progressive programs at the ballot box is also important. Seattleites love their
parks and green spaces so much that they have voted 12 times to tax themselves to acquire and
improve them.
Closer to home, neighborhood organizations provide ongoing opportunities for residents to
pitch in. Seattle has more than 200 neighborhoods, each with a distinct character. The City
of Seattle provides hundreds of opportunities to get informed, get involved and volunteer.
City of Seattle
http://www.seattle.gov/
City of Seattle — Office of the Mayor
http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/
City of Seattle — Environment
http://www.seattle.gov/html/CITIZEN/environment.htm
Office of Sustainability and Environment
http://www.seattle.gov/environment/
Seattle Public Utilities
http://www.seattle.gov/util/services/
Seattle City Light
http://www.seattle.gov/light/
Seattle Parks and Recreation
http://www.seattle.gov/parks/
Department of Neighborhoods
http://www.seattle.gov/html/CITIZEN/housing.htm
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
http://www.pscleanair.org/
Puget Sound Action Team
http://www.psat.wa.gov/
Citizens Service Bureau
http://www.seattle.gov/CitizenService/
Call (206) 684-CITY
Seattle Channel — cable television channel 21 or 28
http://www.seattlechannel.org
City of Seattle Event Calendar
http://www2.cityofseattle.net/events/
City Council Legislation
http://www.seattle.gov/council/legdb.htm
City of Seattle Boards and Commissions
http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/boards.htm
Your government — Get involved
http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/html/boardsportal.htm
Bicycle Advisory Board, City of Seattle
http://www.cityofseattle.net/sbab/
Board of Park Commissioners
http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/parkboard
Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission
http://www.cityofseattle.net/light/environment/SEEC/
Pedestrian Advisory Board
http://www.cityofseattle.net/spab/
Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority
http://www.cityofseattle.net/neighborhoods/preservation/pikeplace.htm
Urban Sustainability Advisory Panel
Contact OSE: OSE@seattle.gov or (206)615-0817
Even with all the opportunities provided by the City of Seattle to get involved, you may want to look for other ways to exercise your activism. Hundreds of nonprofit organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are looking for volunteers and funding to achieve their specific goals.
A list of Seattle-area non-profits can be found at:
http://www.seattleataglance.com/list_nonprofits.htm.
A more focused list of Seattle area environmental groups is available at
http://www.iloveseattle.org/ils/groups-main/environment.html.
To volunteer:
Adopt-A-Street
http://www.seattle.gov/util/Services/Garbage/Reduce_Garbage_&_Litter/...
Animal Foster Care and Seattle Animal Shelter Volunteer Program
http://www.seattle.gov/animalshelter/fostervolunteers.htm
Environmental Grants
http://www.seattle.gov/util/Services/Drainage_&_Sewer/...
Neighborhood Matching Fund
http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/projects/nmf/
P-Patch Program, Department of Neighborhoods
http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/volunteer.htm
Seattle Parks Foundation
http://www.seattleparksfoundation.org/jobs_volunteers.htm
Parks and Open Spaces
http://www.seattle.gov/parks/Volunteers/index.htm
Recycling — Volunteer to Increase Recycling
http://www.seattle.gov/util/Services/Recycling/...
Seattle Public Utilities
http://www.seattle.gov/util/About_SPU/Management/...
Storm Drain Stenciling
http://www.seattle.gov/util/Services/Drainage_&_Sewer/...
Traffic Circle Program
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/traf.ccircles.htm
Tree Steward Program
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/outreach.htm
Urban Creeks Stewards
http://www.seattle.gov/util/Services/Drainage_&_Sewer/...
Woodland Park Zoo
http://zoo.org/zoo_info/involved/volunteer.htm
City of Seattle
http://www.seattle.gov
Seattle Aquarium
http://www.seattleaquarium.org
Saving Water Partnership
http://www.savingwater.org
Natural Lawn & Garden Hotline
206-633-0224
info@lawnandgardenhotline.org
King County Solid Waste Division
http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd
Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County
http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste
Seattle-King County Health
Department Hazards Line
(206) 296-4692
Washington State Department of Ecology
http://www.ecy.wa.gov
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
http://wdfw.wa.gov
U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR Program
http://www.energystar.gov
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
http://www.pscleanair.org
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation
http://www.rbrc.org
Center for Invasive Plant Management
http://www.weedcenter.org
Seattle Audubon Society
http://www.seattleaudubon.org
Industrial Materials Exchange
http://www.imex.com
Computer Take Back Campaign
http://www.computertakeback.com
Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association
http://www.hpba.org/communications/facts.shtml
Built Green™
http://www.builtgreen.net
American Solar Energy Society
http://www.ases.org
Solar Washington
http://solarwashington.org
Burn Smart, Burn Clean
http://www.burningclean.com
Global Footprint Network
http://www.ecofoot.net
Puget Sound Online
http://www.psat.wa.gov
Green Roof Resource Page
http://www.greenroofs.com
Northwest EcoBuilding Guild
http://www.hadj.net
Washington Toxics Coalition
http://www.watoxics.org
Washington Native Plant Society
http://www.wnps.org
EarthCorps
http://www.earthcorps.org
IvyOUT
http://www.ivyout.org
Second Use Building Materials
http://www.seconduse.com
International Society of Arboriculture
http://www.treesaregood.com
Forest Stewardship Council
http://www.fsc.org/en/
Sustainable USA Network
http://www.sustainableusa.org
Northwest Product Stewardship Council
http://www.productstewardship.net
Earthwise
http://www.earthwise-salvage.com
American Plastics Council
http://www.plasticsresource.com
Reusablebags.com
http://www.reusablebags.com
Direct Marketing Association
http://www.dmaconsumers.org
Consumer Research Institute
http://www.stopjunk.com
Flexcar
http://www.flexcar.com
National Clean Boating Campaign
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/nmc/clean.htm
Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition
http://pugetsoundcleancities.org
Northwest Biodiesel Network
http://www.nwbiodiesel.org
Seattle Biodiesel
http://www.seattlebiodiesel.com
EarthCorps
http://www.earthcorps.org
Woodland Park Zoo
http://www.zoo.org
Wildbirds.com
http://www.wildbirds.com
