Serving It Up at FareStart October 10, 2009

Looking for a fun volunteer experience? Volunteer at FareStart’s Guest Chef Night! As part of our Parsons GoodWorks program, we choose to volunteer at FareStart every year because we love the opportunity to support the students participating in the program. We recently helped raise more than $1,000 in tips and donations, which go directly to fund the training and services provided to FareStart students.  And overall, FareStart raises between $7,000-$9,000 every Thursday. Well-known Seattle chefs donate their time (and even donate the majority of the ingredients) to make amazing meals for people to enjoy.

 

The best part of volunteering at FareStart is not only doing it with amazing co-workers, but bringing in friends and family. This year, we had the pleasure of hanging with Amanda’s son and friend, as well as our pals Leah and Willis. To learn more, visit www.farestart.org.

“Small is the New Big” September 16, 2009

That was definitely one of the underlying themes discussed among panelists at the Future Shack event on Sunday, a new residential architecture program developed by the American Institute of Architects Seattle. The event was upbeat and engaging, as moderator Steve Scher (longtime host of KUOW’s current events show “Weekday”) discussed the future of Washington’s residential architecture with panelists including author Knute Berger, activist Kent Kammerer and real estate maven Bob Melvey, among others.

So, here’s how the program works: earlier this summer, two juries (one professional and one public) reviewed dozens of residential housing projects and chose 11 that exemplified “progressive solutions for urban living.” Projects selected by both the professional and public juries include:

• 5th & Madison: A residential tower in downtown Seattle, which informally got the award for the highest density, with 576 units/acre (and is also a client of ours!). One panelist noted “If Seattle’s going to keep growing, we have to do a lot more 5th & Madison’s.”
  

  5th & Madison

• Sky Ranch: An 800 sf caretaker’s unit on top of a 62,000 sf warehouse roof at Stimson Marina.
• The Cobb Building: The renovation of an 11-story building built in 1910, preserving its historic nature and encouraging downtown living.

Of course, I also have to give a shout-out to our client Johnston Architects, as their project Boulders at Green Lake was selected by the public jury. It was described as “townhome style of cottage living.” Click here to see pictures.

City Councilmember Sally Clark joined the panelists which added an interesting perspective regarding city codes. Panelists also talked about the responsibility that architects have to preserve the character and culture of our communities. Also, with the change in family structures (33% of families are headed by single parents), panelists noted that housing choices need to catch up with this, as there aren’t as many options for those that do not fit the mold of the traditional family.

Future Shack was definitely an event worth attending and if you didn’t make it this year, be sure to check it out next year. To learn more, visit  www.aiaseattle.org/futureshack.

UPDATED: Parsons GoodWorks Teams Up With Water 1st July 31, 2009

Safe Water Saves Lives

Mark your calendars! Our next GoodWorks  Social Hour is right around the corner. Join us September 22nd from 5-8pm to enjoy some refreshments in our garden and to learn more about Water 1st International, a Seattle-based organization which provides safe water to families living in the poorest communities in the world.  Here’s why you should care:

• 2.5 billion people lack access to safe water and a sanitary toilet – the most basic ingredients needed to sustain life
• Due to resulting illnesses, over 5 million people die each year (mostly children under the age of 5)

With the belief that water projects are the foundation on which strong communities are built, Water 1st International implements community-managed projects that integrate water supply, sanitation, and health education.

Click here to learn more about Water 1st and we’ll see you next month!

The Best “UnConference” of the Year April 7, 2009

Do you consider yourself a forward-thinking and revolutionary green builder, contractor, architect or design professional?  Or do you just want to be?  Either way, you need to be at Living Future (May 6-8 in Portland, Oregon).  This annual “unconference” of the best and brightest in the industry is centered around the Cascadia Region Green Building Council’s Living Building Challenge – a deep green building concept that has already resulted in at least 60 proposed Living Buildings in the design or construction phase throughout North America and beyond.  Some of these project teams will be presenting at Living Future, which will provide you with an opportunity to explore this concept a bit more.

By attending Living Future, you will be among creative, out-of-the-box designers and builders who agree that it is possible to build something that acts like a plant: creating its own water and energy, and mimicking nature and its systems in ways that are wildly innovative and offer the potential for far more environmentally friendly buildings than has been thought possible.

Taking place May 6-8 in Portland, Living Future is a smaller and more focused event, enabling attendees to participate in forward-thinking conversations. Among those who are headlining the event are keynote speakers Janine Benyus, renowned author, innovation consultant and co-founder of Biomimicry Guild; S. Richard Fedrizzi, CEO and Founding Chairman of the US Green Building Council; and Jason F. McLennan, CEO of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council and author of the Living Building Challenge.

Let us know if you would like additional information about the event – we hope to see you there!

Celebrate Your Love for Animals at PAWS’ Wild Night March 4, 2009

Join us at the upcoming Wild Night gala, a benefit for PAWS, being held at the downtown Sheraton on Saturday, March 14. The event starts with cocktails and includes dinner as well as a live auction. The Parsons table was a blast last year and a good time is sure to be had by all at this year’s gala!

PAWS has been saving homeless pets and rehabilitating injured/orphaned wildlife in the northwest since 1967, and this great organization could really use our help this year as their shelters are full while donations have dropped off due to the tough economy. If you are interested in joining us, please send me an email at sarah@parsonspr.com.

Hope to see you there!

A New Era of Hope! January 21, 2009

The Parsons office was buzzing yesterday. I will fully admit that we took a moment mid-day to play some of our favorite Aretha tunes to commemorate her rendition of ’My Country ‘Tis of Thee’ at the Inauguration.

 

Although we all had to wake up super early, it was well-worth it to secure our *nearly* front row seats at Town Hall to watch Obama’s Inauguration. His words were inspiring and filled with hope:

 

“We will extend a hand if you will unclench your fist.” 

 

“To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.” 

 

Below are some photos of us at Town Hall.

 

 

 

 

 

We hope that your day was as joyous as ours.  Here’s to a new era of hope!

Dia de los Muertos Celebration at the PNA November 10, 2008

Parsons Public Relations is fortunate to be located across the street from one of Seattle’s most prominent community centers, the Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA). As an active part of our community, PNA often hosts events to foster neighborhood involvement.  Friday, as I was walking back to the office after having dinner with a friend, I came across a parade and festival for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Crowds of people from the neighborhood were gathered in the street watching music and dance performances and honoring this traditional Mexican celebration of life and death. The performance troop moved inside PNA’s building and I was curious enough to join the crowd.  Inside, I found an entire set up of art, food, crafts and a community altar.

It was such a nice treat to mingle with our neighbors. I encourage you all to check out PNA’s list of upcoming events, which include beer and wine tastings, concerts, garden tours and more.

West Coast Green September 30, 2008

If you’re into green building, the place to be last weekend was West Coast Green, held this year in San Jose, Calif.  Architects, designers, planners, contractors, builders, environmentalists, design professionals, students and homeowners met for a few days of educational workshops and cutting-edge exhibits.

 

Parsons Public Relations has had a long involvement with West Coast Green. Kathleen Warren, from our office, attended this year and was inspired and energized by speakers including scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki and former Vice President Al Gore. 

 

Interesting information that she picked up along the way included advancements in LED lighting and the best ways to avoid risks in green building (such as not to overpromise on energy and water savings and building performance.

 

While they’ve been around for a long time LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are just now emerging as a practical, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional lighting and compact fluorescent lightbulbs. They are extremely long-lasting—with a possible life span of more than 25 years in a residential function, and are recyclable and mercury free. And they are highly energy-efficient; Parsons is working with a client, currently experimenting with LED lights, that is seeing 70% energy savings with this technology.  While the efficiency and longevity differs between various types of LEDs, it is important to pay attention to the light measurement standard given by the Department of Energy. Look for LM-79 as it’s been the version proven to meet expectations in both energy savings and life span.

 

Another exciting part of the conference was the Harbinger House—a show house made from reused shipping containers. Built by SG Blocks and designed by The Lawrence Group, the Harbinger House is a model of fast, sustainable and stylish building. Check out the SG Blocks website to see more innovative projects. Who knew you could do such cool things with old shipping containers?

 

And as a final thought from West Coast Green, we’ll leave you with a quote from Al Gore’s speech: “Use your moral imagination to see a future that embraces the green revolution.”

 

Pedal On, Portland! August 19, 2008

I was so excited to read an article in the Seattle Times Monday that a gym is finally turning pedaling power into energy! Opening September 1st, Portland’s Green Microgym will harness human energy created by the use of fitness bikes and convert it into electricity - with the goal being to have the entire gym eventually run solely off of the electricity it creates.  Although Hong Kong and London have similar spots, this will be the first in the US!

Check out the article in the Seattle Times to read more….

Pedaling for energy at Seattle's Green Festival

Unwanted phone books, no more! August 13, 2008

I am so tired of having pounds and pounds of pesky phone books delivered to my front door.  I understand that not everyone uses the internet but come on! To make matters worse, my neighbors always leave their phone books just sitting around the bottom of the mail boxes, waiting for them to miraculously disappear until I finally get tired of looking at them and throw the soaking wet blobs into my recycling bin.

Is it just me, or does it seem like phone books can be such a waste? I’m not criticizing phone books that are in use, but according to the Product Stewardship Institute, about 660,000 tons of phone books are thrown out each year.

Finally, there’s a solution: Call 877-2-GET-DEX to cancel Qwest phone books and alleviate the frustration of soggy, wet, unwanted mounds of wasted paper.