Posts Tagged ‘Salmon-Safe’

A Tale about the Swale on Yale

Wednesday, 01 February, 2017 09:56 Written by Stewardship Partners
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Block 11, located in the Cascade Neighborhood in South Lake Union is one of the next in a series of Vulcan projects slated to be certified under Salmon-Safe Urban Standards. Designed by Runberg Architects, the proposed development at 1255 Harrison Street will add considerable punch to the fight to clean up our waterways through public private innovation.

This 384-unit, full-block development includes the installation of the second half of the Swale on Yale, a joint venture project with Seattle Public Utilities to treat stormwater before it reaches Lake Union. The newest two block-long swales will be situated on the eastern and western margins of the development, along the Pontius and Yale Avenue sides of the block. The first half of the Swale on Yale was completed in 2013, alongside Vulcan’s former property, Stack House and Supply Laundry development, one block north.

Together, the four swales will treat stormwater from 435 acres of Capitol Hill streets and sidewalks annually. The Swale on Yale project works by slowing and capturing the stormwater in a diversion vault.

A primary design goal of the project is to create pedestrian-friendly community spaces by connecting with Cascade Park to the west and aligning with the alleys of the Stackhouse apartments to the north and blocks to the south.

Green roofs will be installed on top of the new building and at the first level. All other roof drainage, not captured by one of the green roofs will be directed to one of five bioretention planters, the total size of which exceeds the optimal size for this type of best management practice according to the City of Seattle’s green stormwater infrastructure guidelines. These features provide additional stormwater management benefits beyond regulatory requirements. Other strategies of the project which contribute to meeting the Salmon-Safe standards include native drought tolerant landscape design, on-site rainwater harvesting for irrigation; high performance irrigation and water fixtures for conservation and a commitment to Integrated Pest Management in long term operations. The contractor for the project is Exxel Pacific, a Salmon-Safe Accredited Contractor.

City Habitats: Introducing the new Puget Sound campaign working to green our urban world

Tuesday, 15 November, 2016 11:32 Written by Stewardship Partners
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On the heels of last February’s first of its kind Green Infrastructure Summit, Stewardship Partners entered into a collaborative effort to develop a new campaign aimed at reinventing the way Puget Sound residents engage in their urban landscapes. Six months later, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, Washington Environmental Council and City of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment, with help from dozens of other groups and hundreds of insightful stakeholders, that campaign is emerging as “City Habitats.”

Cities are where the vast majority of human habitat exists and, simultaneously, it is where natural habitats are most altered and diminished. Realizing that these dense, vibrant places are where nature’s services are most needed but also where people’s power to create, cultivate and curate nature is most available, a new question emerges. It is no longer “can we coexist sustainably with nature?” We are asking: “how best can we partner with nature?” and “what innovations will provide the most and the best benefits?” This call to innovation is at the heart of City Habitats.

This campaign resonates with Stewardship Partners’ mission and our distinct way of connecting people to the land and waters and place where they live. For you, our friends, partners, supporters, these ideas are not radical or new. But this collaboration provides a vehicle for more people to catch onto optimism and see opportunity. With innovation and emerging technologies, we can combine the urban and natural into a radically new kind of habitat.

Stay tuned as this campaign rolls out across the Puget Sound region. Stewardship Partners’ focus will remain the same but opportunities will expand. You can participate in both small and larger ways by choosing Salmon-Safe products in your local grocery or restaurant, volunteering for Snoqualmie River riverbank restoration and salmon habitat projects, building a rain garden or using other water management tools at your home or business, or by building and retrofitting better buildings.

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Preventing Pollution, Protecting Our Water

Tuesday, 11 October, 2016 14:34 Written by Stewardship Partners
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Our partners at King County recently released an educational info-graphic titled “Preventing Pollution, Protecting Our Water, Surface water management: a complex issue with a complex  solution”.

King County Surface Water Infographic

King County Surface Water Infographic

This info-graphic presents hard data associated with stormwater pollution around the Puget Sound. Did you know that 1/3 of the pollution threatening Washington state’s water is from stormwater runoff? King County is committed to improving water quality, and so are we! Whether its a rain garden at a school, a Salmon-Safe certified building, or a restored buffer in the Snoqualmie Valley, our programs offer solutions for cleaner water! Thank you to King County for this smart info-graphic which shows why we all need to do our part in using green infrastructure to manage water pollution!

 

End of Summer Events

Wednesday, 16 September, 2015 16:30 Written by Stewardship Partners
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What a weekend! Not only did we educate people about 12,000 Rain Gardens at Tilth we also spent Sunday at King County’s ‪#‎CHOMP‬! We loved sharing our work and signing people up to ‪#‎volunteer‬, and get involved with Salmon-Safe, Snoqualmie Stewardship and 12,000 Rain Gardens!

Talking 12,000 Rain Gardens at Tilth Harvest Fest!

Talking 12,000 Rain Gardens at Tilth Harvest Fest!

Looking to get out and about a few more times before we kick into Fall? Come see us at Seattle Summer Parkways / Sustainable Ballard Fest at the RainWise booth located at the Ballard Commons Park from 11 to 2 pm.  Stop on by!