Okay, the headline of this post is only partially correct. More accurate would be the “Tuesday North” collection area won $50,000, which includes mostly Ravenna, Bryant, Roosevelt, and a portion of Wedgwood. This was part of a year long race to reduce, which Ravenna and neighboring communities took an early lead and never let go, as we shared here and here. While the taste of defeat still lingers in our proverbial mouths, let us rejoice for our neighbors as they now have the difficult task of trying to come up with projects to use the $50,000 for.
Here is part of the Press Release:
Between September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011 the residents of these neighborhoods decreased their waste by 400 tons, a 4.7% improvement over the same period the previous year. The runner up was CleanScapes’ “Tuesday South” collection area (Queen Anne and Magnolia) with a reduction of 325 tons.
Every year CleanScapes challenges neighborhoods in the municipalities it serves to reduce their waste footprint in this annual competition. Working together, Seattle neighborhoods in CleanScapes service area lost a total of 1,226 tons in 2011 – an impressive waste reduction accomplishment and a huge step toward the City of Seattle’s 2020 Carbon Neutrality and Zero Waste goals.
“This program is about making the connection between waste reduction and enhancing the communities we serve,” says CleanScapes president Chris Martin. “It is really important to us that representatives of the winning neighborhoods choose a project they feel would serve the most people and have the highest value for the $50,000 award.”
Starting today through January 31, 2012, all Seattle residents are invited to submit a project proposal for the $50,000 reward. To be eligible for consideration, projects have to meet four basic criteria: the project is a capital improvement, located in the winning neighborhood collection area, easily accessible by the public and the total cost of the project does not exceed $50,000.
If you have any great ideas for projects, you can see download the project requirements and proposal form HERE. A volunteer group of community members from the collection area will select the winning project.
Congratulations to our friends in Ravenna, Bryant, Roosevelt.