350 West Seattle -Community Edible Garden for International Day of Climate Action
24 October 2009 - 10:00am
Join West Seattle CoolMom and Sustainable West Seattle at C&P Coffee House at 10 AM to create a community edible garden. C&P has graciously donated a gardening space in the back of their coffee house. So, bring a shovel and rake and dig in to help create a community edible garden in honor of that all important number 350!
Details of the event:
CoolMom, C&P Coffee House, Urban Land Army and Sustainable West Seattle are partnering to create 4 large (3x6 feet) edible garden beds in the back yard of C&P Coffee.
One of these 4 beds will be built on October 24th with the plan of creating the other 3 on a quarterly basis until completion in the Summer.
The beds will grow vegetables and edible flowers to be consumed by the public and including possibly a local food bank. We are also looking for sponsorship by several gardening facilities to help supply the cement blocks and cedar cap that is needed to build the bed. We are getting the soil and compost donated by Cedar Grove.
The purpose of this community project is to provide and ongoing community edible garden and to highlight the very important number of 350, the number scientists believe to be the safe upper limit of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere, in parts per million. Our current level in the atmosphere is 385, so you can see we really need all communities participating in reducing our carbon footprint. These edible gardens can contribute in several ways:
*growing locally grown vegetables to be distributed to families and a possible local food bank.
*creating a community garden for teaching purposes, i.e. "how tos" on creating your own garden, by having these gardens built throughout the year, we will highlight how to grow your own local home grown vegetables for those new to gardening. Each bed will highlight what can be grown each season. We are envisioning garden parties of some sort (more planning is taking place around this idea).
Growing vegetables locally and organically as you know, is one of the ways to reduce carbon footprint created by food production.
***Later on that day Join Stu Hennessy of Alki Bike and Board to bike ride over to Seattle Center at 12:30pm to attend the 350 Seattle Center event. Our participation goal will be to bring at least 350 spokes to the event at the Seattle Center (about 6 bikes worth) or 350 tires (you do the math!).
The ride leaves from Alki Kayak Tours at the Seacrest Marina, 1660 Harbor Ave SW, and end up at the 350.org rally against global warming at the Seattle Center International Fountain.
Ride pace will be a moderate 10-15 mph average using more interesting "alternative routes" from West Seattle to the Seattle Center. We'll be returning at 4:30 pm. Maps will be provided but it is preferred that we ride together. Helmets and lights are required, locks recommended.










