This Earth Day, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) joins you and others around the world to celebrate our planet and dedicate ourselves to stewarding it well. One of SPR’s central values is to support a thriving environment. By this we mean a healthy and resilient ecosystem that provides clean air and water, habitat for wildlife, and accessible places for all people to connect to nature. A thriving environment is not a “nice to have,” but a critical element of life for our community.
SPR supports a thriving environment in many ways, from our capital developments and renovations, to our land care and restoration efforts, and through our programs and education. We seek to create sustainable parks, sustainable facilities, and provide nature connection.
What does this look like on the ground? We manage our parks as healthy ecosystems, restoring habitat through programs like the Green Seattle Partnership (volunteer this month), installation of pollinator gardens, and prioritizing native plants to provide the components necessary for urban wildlife to thrive. We also adapt our planning and maintenance to the realities of climate change by integrating green stormwater infrastructure, creating opportunities for people to cool off, and adding more climate-resilient plants and evergreen trees. And we use sustainable management practices such as pesticide reduction, transitioning to electric equipment, mulching in plant beds, and recycling and composting to divert waste from the landfill.
SPR also seeks to support a Thriving Environment through the design, development, and operations of our many facilities. We are reducing carbon emissions in support of the City’s Climate Action Plan through energy efficiency measures, decarbonization of our heating systems, and exploring solar power opportunities. We also use green cleaning products, have installed water reuse systems, and reduce waste through recycling and composting at all our buildings.
Urban parks are an ideal place for people to connect with nature. SPR’s Environmental Education programming connects people of all ages to nature right in the city. Check out some of their up-coming programs and get involved in learning about and helping your local park in this recent blog post.
Increasing equitable park access is an important part of a Thriving Environment and Seattle is proud to have parks within a 10-minute walk for 99% of residents. Green jobs programs like the Seattle Conservation Corps and Youth Green Corps create economic benefits to individuals while also supporting environmental goals.
SPR’s Thriving Environment value is a statement of our commitment to stewarding a sustainable parks and recreation system. It is a central to future planning, requests for funding, best management practices, and more. Our call is clear – we cannot wait to advance sustainable solutions. Today is the best day to lean into leaving a Thriving Environment for our community. Learn more on our website. Happy Earth Day!