Tag Archives: Earth Day

by Syris Valentine

Clouds couldn’t keep the crowd away. Over four less-than-sunny hours on April 22, an estimated 400 people flowed through Yes Farm — the one-and-a-half-acre urban farm on Yesler Terrace stewarded by the Black Farmers Collective — to celebrate Seattle’s second annual Black Earth Day with food, music, and good old-fashioned gardening. The event was co-organized by the Black Farmers Collective and the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle to celebrate Black people’s contributions to the environmental movement, provide a green space that’s welcoming for Black people who feel disconnected from the land, and encourage more people to get involved in the environmental justice movement.

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Community

Earth Day in the South End 2023

April 20, 2023 Editor

Honor and Connect with the Earth, and Each Other, on Earth Day

by Mark Van Streefkerk

Earth Day, April 22, is the only yearly U.S. holiday the Earth gets, but as many people have pointed out, when you live on this planet, every day is Earth Day. Before white settler colonialists came, the Seattle area was an important ecosystem, home to the Coast Salish peoples, who are still here and have taken care of the lands, watersheds, and local ecosystems since time immemorial. Today, as we assess the impacts of colonization and its displacement or erasure of Indigenous peoples, it becomes evident that environmental degradation and the climate change crisis are interconnected with systemic oppression, racism, and poverty.

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News

Environmental Activists Hold Earth Day Protest as Biden Visits Seward Park

April 22, 2022 Editor

by Ronnie Estoque

The Emerald blows loudly as the royal trumpet, signaling that there is indeed life abundant. It’s the sound of information, the sound of challenge, the sound of change and — maybe most importantly — the sound of hope. Join me in supporting the Emerald as a recurring donor during their 8th anniversary campaign, Ripples & Sparks at Home, April 20–28. Become a Rainmaker now by choosing the “recurring donor” option on the donation page!

—Marcus Harden, Educator, Author, & Rainmaker

On Friday, local community members showed up in droves to watch President Joe Biden’s arrival at Seward Park. Environmental activists representing the “Ship It Zero” campaign were in attendance for the event and held various signs encouraging Biden to commit to zero-emission shipping by 2030. The event also included advocates in support of vaccines for children under the age of 5.

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Community

Duwamish Alive! Coalition: Stewards of the River

April 22, 2022 Editor

by Patheresa Wells

The Emerald blows loudly as the royal trumpet, signaling that there is indeed life abundant. It’s the sound of information, the sound of challenge, the sound of change and — maybe most importantly — the sound of hope. Join me in supporting the Emerald as a recurring donor during their 8th anniversary campaign, Ripples & Sparks at Home, April 20–28. Become a Rainmaker now by choosing the “recurring donor” option on the donation page!

—Marcus Harden, Educator, Author, & Rainmaker

The Duwamish River’s (Dxwdəw) history is as complex as the river and its watershed. Over time, it has changed, much like the land and people around it. Though it was once a vital ecosystem home to the Duwamish people, as the area’s urbanization occurred over the years, the river and its watershed became polluted. Eventually, the pollution caused the Lower Duwamish Waterway to be designated an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site. These sites include “the nation’s most contaminated sites,” which are targeted for investigation and cleanup.

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News

Town Hall Seattle, Black Farmers Collective Host Panel Dedicated to Black Liberation

April 28, 2021 Editor

by Chamidae Ford

In honor of Earth Day, Town Hall Seattle and the Black Farmers Collective (BFC) hosted a virtual panel dedicated to Black liberation.

The Black Farmers Collective is made up of three Black farms: YES Farms, Brown Egg Garden, and Small Axe Farm.

“Our vision for the organization is envisioning a future of Black liberation through food sovereignty,” Cameron Steinbeck, the BFC board secretary said, “in spaces built on cooperation and connectedness with the environment and community, where our knowledge and creativity are boundless. Our mission is to build a Black-led food system by developing a cooperative network of food system actors, acquiring and stewarding land, facilitating food system education, and creating a space for Black liberation in healing and joy.”

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Community

Photo Essay: For Community Organization ‘Got Green,’ Earth Day is Every Day

April 25, 2021 Editor

by Susan Fried

It was a perfect day to celebrate Earth Day on Thursday April 22, and Got Green, an organization that has been fighting for climate justice in its own unique way since its inception in 2008, celebrated by organizing a full day of events. The day included a garden work party with Nurturing Roots, canvassing Beacon Hill and Rainier Beach, holding a virtual event with WA BLOC for 300 Rainier Beach High School Students, and having a community dialogue with Got Green and the Duwamish River Clean-up Coalition.

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News

NEWS GLEAMS: Vaccine Updates, Calls for Artists, Earth Day Zoom Rally, and More!

April 7, 2021 Editor

curated by Emerald Staff

A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

Vaccines: Here’s the Latest — UPDATED 4/7 @ 11:30 a.m.

This Week, the City Will Vaccinate a Record 30K People — The City of Seattle will administer approximately 30,000 vaccines across multiple sites this week including Lumen Field Event Center, the Rainier Beach and West Seattle Community Vaccination Hubs, and via Seattle Fire Department Mobile Vaccination Teams (MVTs), which will visit locations where formerly homeless adults live in permanent supportive housing. The MVTs will also administer second-dose shots to older adults living in affordable housing.

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