Thank all of you for being here.
This is some exciting developments and news.
We want to sort of describe it.
I want to ground this in a quote.
If I may.
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors.
We borrow it from our children.
And that's very appropriate that it's all about the youth.
It's all about our future generation.
I want to thank again,
the Seattle Public Utilities general manager and CEO,
Andrew Lee, and all of the staff at SPU
who really had the vision,
the thought, their thought leaders,
the vision for a city owned urban tree nursery.
And you thought about it.
You made it happen, and now it has become a reality.
I want to thank Ballard
High School students and their teachers,
and in all parts of the administration
for being here today to help name the facility and,
excited to unveil it today and be part of this
exciting journey together.
I'm thrilled to be here during Seattle Forest Week.
We celebrate that for the opening of,
this brand new urban tree nursery.
How appropriate is that?
This facility will hold up to 1000 young trees annually,
that will be used for the city's
planting programs, like trees for neighborhood and
plantings in Seattle's parks and right of ways and more.
I gotta digress from my notes,
Ballard, that when I was at Garfield,
a competing school, no doubt, but still I was there.
I wrote a poem about trees, and it's simply it was.
And I don't recall all the words, but the concept was
trees are one of the
few species that I sort of
projected emotions into them.
I said they don't bother anybody.
All they do is help.
They don't argue with anyone,
and they just want to be fed and nurtured and
they'll take it from there.
It was a good poem, by the way.
So okay, I digress.
That wasn't in my notes.
Urban trees are vital for the health of our neighborhoods.
They clean our air and water.
They create shade to combat heat islands.
They help manage stormwater to prevent flooding.
I'm preaching to the choir, I know that, but I'm going
to keep preaching to you because it's in my notes.
They contribute to
climate resilience and add character to our communities.
But we can't just
talk about planting the next
generation of our urban forest.
We also need to protect the exceptional trees we have now.
And that's why earlier this month,
I am proud to sign an executive order
that directed our city departments
to develop very clear policies that preserve
and our mature and outstanding trees.
And so this includes
new conservation easement programs,
working with tribes to identify
culturally significant trees and other
other cultural resources,
and creating a pest and disease resilience plan.
And I learned more about these nasty little pests
then I care about in preparing that executive order.
It also examines our permitting process
and how we can encourage tree preservation
when properties are undergoing redevelopment.
And quite candidly, candidly, that's exactly why we took it
upon ourselves to update the tree plan.
The executive order, just to be very clear,
builds on our other
holistic programs and policies to reach our ambitious goal
of 30% tree canopy coverage by 2037.
We can do it and we will do it.
This will involve
equitably distributing canopy throughout the city.
And our efforts, of course,
will involve the creation
of our One Seattle Tree Plan, which replaces trees
removed on public land on a 3 to 1 ratio.
And that is unprecedented as a city policy.
But we believe it's the right thing to do.
It will create a five year establishment plan to ensure
young trees can reach maturity.
We used a $12.9 million grant to plant trees
in under canopy areas like Beacon Hill
and the Chinatown International District,
and we expanded the trees for neighborhood program
to provide new homeowners with training on
how to care for young trees planted during redevelopment.
We don't assume everyone knows how to do that.
Now in closing,
we can't do this work alone,
and that's why all of you here
are so important to the work we're trying to do.
Our partnerships with community
are what it's all about,
and I'm proud that this nursery will create
an environmental education and job
training aspect to it, for our youth,
in partnership with Ballard High School and Earth Corps.
This space really represents our community centered vision
on something that we all can agree
on, that we love sustainability,
environmental stewardship, equity in our trees.
So at the opening of this nursery, we are planting roots
for a healthier, greener Emerald City.
And we all should be very
we should be bursting with pride
in what we're trying to do together.
So speaking
next will be Andrew Lee, our general manager
and CEO of Seattle Public Utilities.
And, your leadership has been awesome.
And let's hear a few words from you, Andrew.
So every year, we have a group that reports
to us on a study from the World Economic Forum,
and they publish a global risk report.
And I'm always intrigued
to find out what they put as their top ten global risks.
And they're far in the long term.
And ten years, this past year, in 2025,
they published this,
and I want to read off the top four long term risks.
Number one, extreme weather events.
Number two, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse.
Number three, critical change to Earth's systems.
And the number four, natural resource shortages.
And if you haven't figured it out,
all of these risks have to do with what? The environment.
Right. The environment.
I'm going to pause, actually,
because, Bill Gates just I think earlier this week, he,
he put out a statement that we need to stop measuring
the impacts of climate change in terms of degrees.
Right.
And we need to start measuring
the impacts of climate change based on suffering.
Right.
Suffering to people
suffering to environment, suffering to our ecosystems.
At SPU,
we see the effects of climate change every single day.
We see it in terms of droughts.
We see it in terms of wildfire risk in our watersheds
where we're having drinking water from.
We see it in terms of the impacts on salmon
in our creeks, in our rivers,
and we see it in terms of extreme weather events,
flooding, sea level rise in the Duwamish,
and as a water and waste utility,
we are focused on advancing community and environmental
health and building resilience to these changes.
Which brings me to this site.
This site and the trees for neighborhood
program is an incredibly powerful example
of our community joining together
to put something that's going to be
in the forefront of the fight against climate change.
It is going to improve environmental health
and our city,
our region,
and enable us to respond
to all the environmental changes around us.
I'd like to talk about this site just a little bit.
If you're not aware,
we're actually standing on top of Piper's Creek, literally.
Pipers Creek runs right underneath your seats.
If you go to kind of
the north end of the site, you can actually
walk over there and you can hear it.
It travels through Carkeek Park and into Puget Sound.
And, and many of you are aware
this is where salmon enter Pipers Creek and to spawn.
And, in fact, on November 22nd, just in about a month,
I want to invite you to Carkeek Park
throughout the month of November for Salmon Season
and join our salmon celebration on November 22nd.
It is on this Pipers Creek site.
That's Seattle Public Utilities Trees
for neighborhood program will store
as a mere mention about a thousand trees
that will be planted across Seattle.
And just for your awareness, if you're interested,
we actually have about 150 trees today,
that we're willing to give out.
And so, I'm going to ask Bria to raise her hand
right there.
Bria, if you are interested, we have sawtooth oak trees,
Douglas Fir,
Grand Fir, and Deodar Cedar trees.
So after you’re finished talking find, find Bria
and she can hook you up on the tree.
If you're interested.
I do want to.
I'm a geek, right?
I love trees in general.
I never wrote a poem about trees.
But I love the fact they absorb carbon dioxide.
You know, that's because of photosynthesis.
They have tremendous benefits to stormwater.
Their root structures actually absorb metals
and other compounds that are harmful
to the environment before it goes out to Puget Sound.
They have this amazing cooling effect.
I remember one,
one bio, biologist talked about trees
as kind of a natural air conditioner.
That's why when you go out into forest,
it feels cooler, right?
It's because of the trees and their transpiration.
They serve as habitat for wildlife and insects.
And then the incredible cultural, societal, personal
emotional value
that trees have. So many benefits
that we're trying
to really reinforce here through this program.
In addition, we plan on using this site
to grow our community
in terms of environmental stewardship.
So the Seattle Opportunity Work Corps and the Dirt Corps
built this demonstration rain garden.
That's right over here,
that we're going to be using to train contractors
on how to build green infrastructure.
This pavilion that we're standing
under is going to be used for community program.
And we're super excited about the partnership
with Ballard High School,
who will use this site to further their studies.
So I'd like
to close just by saying a few thank yous.
First, a huge thank you to Mayor Harrell,
for his steadfast
support for the trees for neighborhood program..
Yeah.
Let's clap, absolutely.
There are so many pressing needs throughout the city,
and we know those housing, public safety, affordability,
and the mayor has been
an incredible advocate for all those needs
and for protecting the environment
and being at the forefront
of our fight against climate change.
So thank you, mayor, for prioritizing
and supporting this important work.
Without you, this doesn't happen.
I also want to thank you to say thank you to the SPU
staff who created a vision for and built out this site.
I want to recognize our logistics team.
If you could raise your hand, if you're
part of the logistics team.
[applause]
And then also our trees for neighborhood program.
The folks that are involved, the trees for neighborhood.
Please also raise your hand.
Again, these are the heroes who daily are working
this fight to put more trees into our neighborhoods.
And, and lastly,
I just want to recognize
our partners like Earth Corps and Ballard High School,
who are going to help us operate this site.
We're so indebted to your partnership,
and it's going to really help advance this work.
So thank you.
With that, I'd like to introduce our next speaker,
who is Elizabeth White from the Earth Corps.
I mean, what a fantastic day,
What a fantastic reason to get together.
I just want to take a minute and appreciate the sun.
Yeah.
I'm Elizabeth White, and I'm the program director
at Earth Corps,
which is a local social impact nonprofit that envisions
a world where all people and nature thrive together.
Earth Corps and SPU go way back,
and we have worked together since the 2009
launch of The Trees for neighbors program,
which is more than 15 years of collaboration.
SPU has been a major supporter of Earth course
green jobs training, for which creates pathways for
emerging environmental leaders to gain professional skills
in ecological restoration and community engagement.
Our program provides paid, field based experience
for young adults from diverse backgrounds, preparing them
for careers in environmental restoration, forestry,
natural resources management, and community engagement.
Participants practice tree planting, habitat restoration,
nursery operations, and community event support,
all while developing leadership and teamwork skills
and our partnership with the SPU trees
for neighborhoods program.
In 2026,
Earth Corps will provide year round
support for nursery operations
including tree health monitoring, irrigation,
vegetation management, and tree inventory.
Our crews will assist in tree receiving, tree
care, and delivery, ensuring that
the approximately 1000 trees
that are gonna live here for a little bit
will reach residents, schools and businesses.
Earth Corps and
SPU will also partner to host
community engagement events here at the nursery,
including hands on volunteer days
and educational
programing to connect you all with urban forestry
and with climate resilience efforts.
This work directly supports Earth Corps’ mission
to restore ecosystems and train environmental leaders
while advancing SPU’s trees for Seattle initiatives
to grow a healthier, cooler, and more equitable city.
Our executive
director, Christine Tang, was supposed to be here today.
She completely lost her voice.
And so I am here in her stead.
But I wanted to bring some words, from her to you.
And she shared that this new space embodies
Earth Corps’ vision of people and nature thriving together
and partnering with SPU at this nursery
helps us advance our mission
to work in partnership toward environmental justice,
creating opportunities for skill building
and tree care fields.
Every tree planted here is an investment in the community
and in climate resilience.
A promise of cooler neighborhoods
in the summertime, cleaner air, and healthier futures.
For us all.
Together, SPU and Earth Corps
are advancing climate action and workforce development,
ensuring that local environmental solutions
also strengthen community resilience and equity.
We are so excited to continue our partnership
with the trees for neighborhoods program
and this really exciting new way.
Thank you all.
[applause]
Thank you Elizabeth.
We pray that Christine gets her voice back.
Oh, I can imagine if I lost my voice.
I'm sorry.
I know there's some people to work with
and say they'd love it if I lost my voice.
We're going to hear from some ninth graders at Ballard.
And, I was I was talking to some other kids the other
the other day,
and I don't know if this applies to Ballard’s
ninth graders, but I said that when you're
in the ninth grade, as I was once
and many of you were, you're like a sponge.
You just soak up
this knowledge, you're looking for advice,
and you're learning every single day
you got out of middle school and you're
you had to start all over again and meet new friends.
But by the time you are senior, you know everything.
You've learned everything.
And then as I got older, I
realized they don't know everything.
They're still learning.
So I'd like to introduce
our ninth graders, James Ivins, Hazel Meurn,
Hovaness Mesrobian
who are ninth graders at Ballard High School,
and they chose the winning name for the nursery.
So come on up, young people.
[applause]
We created the name for this,
nursery.
By, learning its connection
to our city and,
connection to our city.
And it's, the history of the land.
It's built on.
[applause]
We are really excited to be contributing
to this new part of our community and learning
and watching it grow as we grow and learn and turn
into new adults.
[applause]
Do you want to take a shot?
You say hi, you say hi.
We named it after the western red cedar tree.
That's
where the name comes from, and it's pretty cool. See?
See?
All right.
They did really well.
Let's give them another hand.
I asked them if they're nervous.
You have to know that
the number one fear
that everyone shares is public speaking.
And you just did a great job of public speaking.
My trick is always just bluff it.
That's my trick.
So in closing, you did hear that
you are entitled to get a tree and we wanted to commemorate
this great day.
You know,
I close by saying this and the craziness that we're
seeing in this world right now.
The abuses
coming from the White House, the abuses of due process
violations, the denial of climate change,
the denial
that it's days like this where we remember who we are.
Here in Seattle, we are one Seattle.
We talk to one another.
We do not have to disagree on everything,
but we don't have to be disagreeable.
We don't have to agree on everything.
But we learn to,
we learn from trees.
As I started with that
great poem that I wrote in high school,
they don't bother anyone
they just want to help. Here in Seattle,
that's what we want to do.
We want to save the planet.
We want to build it for our next generation
of leaders and scholars.
And we want to love in the process is we can love a tree.
We can love every human being. So thank you for being here.
We're really excited.
And let's go get some trees.
All right.
Thank you.
[applause]