By Todd Burley Across the planet, cities are stepping up to the plate to incorporate nature into their communities, recognizing the value that green spaces in cities have for broader biodiversity, climate, and health goals. Through such efforts as ICLEI’s CitiesWithNature and Journeys for Life, the C40 Cities Urban Nature Accelerator, and UNEP’s Generation Restoration, Seattle is at active part… [ Keep reading ]
By Todd Burley Poem of the One World – Mary Oliver This morning the beautiful white heron was floating along above the water and then into the sky of this the one world we all belong to where everything sooner or later is a part of everything else which thought made me feel for a little while quite beautiful… [ Keep reading ]
By Todd Burley People visit parks for a host of reasons, but one of the most popular ones is to just be in nature. In the midst of an urban area, our parks and green spaces offer respite that is vital to our personal and social health. They also offer… [ Keep reading ]
By Todd Burley and the Sustainable Operations Team Seattle is a national leader in clean energy thanks to our ample hydropower and local investments in solar and wind power. Yet as our population grows, and electricity demands increase, we need to think creatively about how to provide more power while… [ Keep reading ]
By Todd Burley Seattle has a vast network of nearly 500 parks all over the city, from Puget Sound in the west to Lake Washington in the east. Unless you happened to write the book on Seattle’s parks, it is unlikely that you’ve had a chance to visit them all,… [ Keep reading ]
Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group (CIG) present Climate Change & Seattle’s Parks, a webinar to explore expected impacts on Seattle’s parks from climate change. In this presentation and conversation, we will examine how climate change is affecting Seattle’s parks and share some… [ Keep reading ]
Expose by Todd Burley February is a month of love, and Seattleites love their parks. We see this every two years when Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) conducts a survey, and the support for our public parks is always extremely high. SPR appreciates this amazing support and works daily to… [ Keep reading ]
By Todd Burley Seattle has about 500 public parks, and they all offer something special to residents and visitors alike. Yet Seward Park stands out (and up!) as a remarkable place that has offered recreation and respite for over 100 years. In recognition of this, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR)… [ Keep reading ]
By Todd Burley and Craig Chatburn Seattle has a large parks system, with nearly 500 parks spread over 6,400 acres. It includes saltwater coastlines, old growth forests, playfields, plazas, meadows, and more. With such a diverse and expansive system, making broad changes can take some time. So, Seattle Parks and… [ Keep reading ]
by Todd Burley Shel Silverstein’s classic book The Giving Tree shows the enduring lesson of selfless love, as embodied by a tree. Trees provide so much – for humans, for other animals, for ecosystem health, and for the world overall. They provide clean air, clean water, habitat, food, shelter, shade,… [ Keep reading ]
