In previous visits we had heard a little about bioswales and green streets, but raingardens had yet to be mentioned, until we visited with Sustainable Seattle. Sustainable Seattle is a non-profit working with community, government and business organizations to promote sustainability across Seattle. One of their proudest projects is the Sustainable Rain program, in which raingardens are installed in the various neighborhoods of the city and help to control roof runoff. They are constructed with rich soils and native plants that can handle changing water levels and help to slow and clean runoff before it reaches Puget Sound.
Another of their projects is the Happiness Initiative. Sustainable Seattle was the first organization in the US to develop local indicators of well-being as an alternative to GDP. Now they are developing a set of happiness indicators for any city in America to use as a catalyst for citizen dialogue and action in pursuit of happiness.
An interesting project mentioned was the Tool Library, an initiative that provides tools to neighborhoods through a system similar to checking out library books. Citizens can check out tools for a time free of charge and return them by a due date.
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