Happy Summer from the EA team! You’ll notice an intentional theme to the content of this month’s digest. It harkens to a favorite quote from Edward Abbey about the exigency of nature to the human spirit and well-being: nature not as a luxury or an amenity but as essential as water. The following blog posts and news items highlight this vital connection - particularly the unmistakable, disproportionate health impacts on communities that lack  this essential natural infrastructure. Nature is essential, not a luxury, if communities are to achieve and/or sustain physical, psychological, and economic well-being.

Our work is rooted in driving more investment in the protection and restoration of vital natural systems across the region AND prioritizing investments in the communities with the greatest need for this natural infrastructure. As the Biden Administration’s Infrastructure Package winds its way through Congress, by next month we hope to report on progress toward the passage of this vital plan that includes a pathway to prioritizing the communities with the greatest need.

Keep an eye out for our August newsletter featuring Grist, one of the Pacific Northwest's most prominent environmental journals and a leading global source for climate & environmental justice reporting. We will speak with Grist CEO, Brady Piñero Walkinshaw, and others on the Grist team to hear about their rebranding, where the organization is heading in a post-COVID context, their new Entrepreneur in Residence, and more. 

— Guided Summer Beach Walks with the Environmental Science Center - July 23-25 at Seahurst Park
— Community Farm Days with Pierce Conservation District - 
weekly on Saturdays at Franklin Pierce Farm

— Seattle Equity Summit - July 22nd & 23rd
— Save the Date: Orca Recovery Day - October 16th, 2021