Press release:
Sustainable West Seattle will be giving a Spanish version of its presentation “Don’t Feed the Tox-Ick Monster,” this Saturday, Nov. 12th from 2:30 – 3:30 PM at the White Center Community Cultural Center (aka St. James Annex), 9421 Eighteenth Street SW.  Free pizza and prizes will be available.
 
The group has been giving this hour-long presentation, which informs citizens how to be stewards of Puget Sound, at venues across West Seattle.  Attendees of this weekend’s ¡No Alimente Al Monstruo! event will be eligible to win $500 in prizes including rain barrels, Pink Elephant car wash gift certificates, Alki Auto oil change gift certificates, landscaping materials from the West Seattle Nursery, biking gear from Alki Bike and Board, and more!  
 
With winter rains come streams of water that wash over our streets and driveways collecting a toxic mix of oil, soaps, fertilizers, heavy metals, and even dog poop, that are carried down our storm drains and directly into Puget Sound.  According to Department of Ecology, this runoff from our roads and other hard surfaces is the No. 1 threat to the health of Puget Sound and to our regions most emblematic species: salmon and orcas.
 
“Most people I talk to think that polluted runoff from our streets and driveways go to facilities to remove contamination,” said Cate White, leader of Sustainable West Seattle’s toxic runoff outreach group. “However, that isn’t true.  Most runoff is not treated. Our campaign helps people understand how they can reduce that flow of toxic runoff.”
 
This hour-long educational event will teach audience members about seven simple actions they can make in their lives to reduce the flow of toxics.  To learn more about the issue, visit www.tox-ick.org
 
About Sustainable West Seattle
Sustainable West Seattle is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that educates and advocates for urban sustainability in our local community.