Parsons PR Helps the Chimpanzees! July 22, 2008

What in the World does Parsons PR have to do with Chimpanzees in Cameroon? The connection was made through our dear friend Mary Perin who serves on the board of In Defense of Animals-Africa (IDAA). Of course we were interested in supporting the cause when we learned that there are fewer than 150,000 chimpanzees living in their native African countries, instead of the 2 million that resided there in the early 1900’s. 

Last Thursday we attended the annual fundraiser, which was held aboard the Skansonia overlooking Lake Union. Joanie, Pam, Megan and I had a blast sharing a table with the fabulous Xeko team.  The event was a success and we felt great donating $400 to help those amazing animals of Africa reside safely in the Sanaga-Yong Center.  Our money will go directly toward airing commercials to help educate the country on the significance of protecting chimpanzees and eliminating the illegal bushmeat trade. It’s so inspiring to know about organizations in Seattle that are doing so much to help a global cause.  We applaud all of the hard work being done through IDAA!

Megan, Pam, Joanie, Sarah

Bike to Work Month Paid Off! July 15, 2008

After a successful Bike to Work Month, the Parsons team was awarded the Highest Percentage of New Bike Commuters for the Teams of 7 Category! We are proud that we all had the stamina to stick with it and in fact, we’ve made a commitment to continue incorporating it into our weekly commuting schedule.  Not only does it help protect the environment and save money with high gas prices, it’s helping us all to get into better shape for the summer! Check out our certificate:

How much do you spend on gas? July 11, 2008

I know this is a sensitive topic for most of us, but I have even more depressing statistics to share about how much Americans are spending annually on gas.  An interactive tool from the Center for Neighborhood Technologies (think gloomy Walk Score) shows how annual household spending on gasoline has grown over the past eight years in major metropolitan areas throughout the U.S.:

Across the 52 areas studied, residents spent a combined $107.4 billion more on gasoline in 2008 than in the year 2000 – an average increase of 155%.  That is quite a chunk of change!

Makes you want to seek out alternative forms of transportation even more, doesn’t it?

 

  From Sightline.

Greendrinks: Fourth time’s a charm July 9, 2008

Yesterday evening, Parsons Public Relations had the pleasure of hosting Greendrinks for the fourth time.  Greendrinks has gotten to be such a HUGE success over the years that it has outgrown our Phinney Ridge house.  Fortunately, this month’s event was split up into neighborhood Greendrinks throughout the city – in addition to our Greenwood/Phinney festivities, there were groups in Ballard, Belltown, Capitol Hill, the Central District, Ravenna, South Seattle, and West Seattle.

On what turned out to be a hot summer evening, we had about 60 “greenies” at our office.  Everyone enjoyed hanging out in the backyard, talking shop with old and new friends, drinking beer or wine and eating some of the tasty treats we had to offer.  We have some very cool and very gracious neighbors to thank for making the event such a success:

Terra Bella Flowers for the GORGEOUS bouquet of flowers, Honey! I’m Home! Catering for the scrumptious brownies, Fresh Flours for the adorable cookies, and The Shop Agora for putting together yet another delicious assortment of Greek food 

When I wasn’t chatting it up, I snapped some photos.  Enjoy!

Everyone loves Greendrinks in the sun

Get the Most Out of Your Neighborhood…We Sure Do! July 3, 2008

We love Phinney Ridge.  Although we come to work from all over the city, us Parsons gals enjoy hanging out in our neighborhood and supporting the local businesses.  Whether it’s grabbing lunch at the new Greek deli The Shop Agora, picking up a cute dress from The Frock Shop, or hitting up happy hour at Oliver’s Twist or the 74th Street Ale House, we are always out and about around here!

What helps is that our office has a walk score of 77 which is unusual for a suburban business. Within one mile, we have multiple grocery stores, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, schools, bookstores, a hardware store, and even a Zoo!

Discover what’s new in your neighborhood by checking out WalkScore.