Seattle — On February 24^th several local organizations will be honored by Salmon-Safe and its Seattle-based outreach partner, The Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (NBIS), for their commitment to protecting wildlife habitats and improving water quality in the Puget Sound region. Properties receiving Salmon-Safe certification include the UW’s Seattle campus; REI’s headquarters, distribution center and downtown flagship store; the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park; and PCC Natural Market’s Edmonds store. In addition, Turner Construction will be recognized as the first Salmon-Safe accredited construction management company.

Salmon-Safe, which began as a program designed to help farmers restore salmon streams, is the only certification program in the country specifically dedicated to protecting water quality and habitat for salmon. “These environmentally innovative landowners are adopting healthier practices so that salmon can once again thrive in Puget Sound’s urban tributaries,” said Dan Kent, Salmon-Safe’s executive director. “We hope that these projects in the urban core of Seattle will inspire other landowners to take action to reduce watershed impacts in cities and suburbs across the region.”

Prior to the establishment of the urban program Salmon Safe was mostly focused on certifying farms and vineyards, having certified over 80 farms in the Puget Sound region.  Building upon that success, Washington’s Salmon-Safe urban initiative was launched in 2007 by the Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (NBIS) with support from the Puget Sound Partnership and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. A 2008 pilot round of Salmon-Safe certifications included the UW’s Bothell campus, Port of Seattle Parks, and Washington State Department of Ecology’s headquarters near Olympia.

More than a decade after first certifying farms in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Salmon-Safe has become one of the nation’s leading regional eco-label programs with more than 60,000 acres of farm and urban lands certified throughout Oregon, Washington, and California. Recognizing that rapid growth in the urban landscape is the biggest single factor affecting the Puget Sound ecosystem, NBIS joined with Salmon-Safe in 2007 to launch the Puget Sound urban initiative. Salmon-Safe standards for urban properties help landowners develop comprehensive management plans and innovations that capture and treat stormwater on site, reduce water consumption, and eliminate harmful fertilizers and pesticides.

To qualify for Salmon-Safe certification, each organization went above and beyond local and state regulations to adopt significant measures to restore in-stream habitat, conserve water, protect streamside and wetland habitats, reduce erosion and sedimentation, and reduce the use of chemical pesticides.

The University of Washington, for example, is receiving Salmon-Safe certification in recognition of a campus-wide stormwater management program, innovative irrigations systems, and commitments to drought tolerant landscaping and to integrated pest management of gardens and athletic fields.  The University is also committed to Salmon-Safe design and construction management for future campus expansion projects and will undertake additional shoreline restoration projects to improve habitat for migrating salmon.

PCC Natural Markets is earning Salmon-Safe certification for its environmentally innovative redesign and development of a three-acre former supermarket site in Edmonds. Specifically, PCC’s Edmonds store is being recognized for harvesting rooftop rainwater for irrigation and other reuse, incorporating low input landscaping, and for treatment of parking lot runoff through rain gardens. PCC Natural Markets was the first Washington state retailer to support and promote Salmon-Safe’s certification program for farms and vineyard operations. With the certification of its Edmonds store, PCC is the first Washington retail store to become Salmon-Safe certified.

REI is receiving certification for three Puget Sound area sites and for system-wide plans to reduce fertilizer and pesticide use. REI has also committed to increase water conservation across its operations by installing rain gardens, wetlands and other measures to treat stormwater runoff before it reaches streams adjacent to REI’s headquarters in Kent and its distribution center in Sumner. REI’s flagship store in Seattle will also be recognized for its design, which includes native plants, pesticide-free landscaping, and the collection of rainwater for use in the property’s waterfall and stream feature.

The Olympic Sculpture Park will be awarded Salmon-Safe certification for restoration of a former brownfield site and the adjacent beach and inter-tidal areas. The park is also being recognized for use of native plant beddings and the use of interpretive signs, as well as efforts to conserve irrigation water and treat stormwater runoff through restored soils.

The event to honor the organizations receiving certification will be held on Feb. 24, 2011 at the University of Washington’s Seattle campus. Hosted by the University of Washington, expected guests include:  Phyllis Wise, interim president at the University of Washington; Mark Comstock, Vice President of Real Estate and Store Development, REI; Derrick Cartwright, Director of the Seattle Art Museum; Tracy Wolpert, CEO of PCC Natural Markets and Jack Beaudoin, Vice President and General Manager of Turner Construction. The media are invited to attend the event, which will begin at 3:30 p.m.

To learn more about Salmon-Safe certification and other participating organizations and products, visit www.salmonsafe.org.

About Salmon-Safe
Salmon-Safe is a registered and independent 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to protecting water quality and the Puget Sound’s waterways and to enhancing the region’s overall environmental health. Salmon-Safe works across the West Coast through a partner network consisting of place-based conservation organizations and watershed groups as well as collaborating certification organizations. For more information, visit www.salmonsafe.org.

About NBIS
The Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (NBIS) is the Northwest non-profit dedicated to enabling professionals and businesses in driving profitable sustainability.  Since 2003, NBIS has been providing educational, networking, coaching and leadership development programs to accelerate sustainable best practices in companies and organizations throughout the Northwest.  NBIS’ diverse range of programs leverages business leadership for strong economies, sustainable communities and healthy ecosystems.  Visit NBIS at www.nbis.org

About Stewardship Partners
Stewardship Partners is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that helps private landowners restore and preserve the natural landscapes of Washington State. The Stewardship Partners mission is to work with diverse interest groups to build bridges and find solutions that achieve mutual goals of environmental protection, economic health, and community well being. Our projects restore fish and wildlife habitat, improve water quality, protect open space, and “green up” the built environment while maintaining working landscapes of farms, forestland, and livable communities throughout the State. www.stewardshippartners.org

In addition to these Western Washington organizations, Salmon Safe includes an alliance of seven other environmental non-profit organizations from Marin County to northern British Columbia.

While the new standard eco-friendly choices–bamboo, reclaimed wood, marmoleum, clay finishes–are already in mind, I find myself lingering over the concept of glass as a design feature. I’m not talking about nice little squares of recycled glass tiles that no one can see unless they’re taking a shower or against a backsplash. I’m talking about thick glass slab countertops so beautiful they may cause an uncontrollable drooling response.

While most humble homebuilders tend to think of glass as an accent attraction, Tish Oye and Steve Shahbaghlian of Glassworks in Seattle have taken the concept of interior glass to new and glorious heights. Founded over thirty-five years ago as architectural glass fabricators for the building and design industry, Oye and Shahbaghlian have developed a profound appreciation for glass as functional art. Deeply committed to sustainable building practices, the duo now offers a beautiful series of recycled glass countertops that not only create amazing impact but are fully functional as well.

Recycled green cast glass

Made from discarded shower doors from a local manufacturer, Glassworks melts the glass down and re-purposes it into gorgeous green cast glass slabs. Ranging from one to two inches thick and up to twelve feet long, these exquisite countertops are an ideal kitchen feature and work in bathrooms, home offices, and anywhere else a dramatic design statement can be made. Born from a from a unique arrangement with one of the nation’s premier glass shower door fabricators, the recycling project offers builders and remodelers a fresh option in sustainable building. “As part of their quality control process, the company used to send any doors identified with scratches or small dings to the landfill,” explains Oye. “Under our new program, they ship the doors directly to us. From there, we turn them into something beautiful and useful.”

The tempered glass used for shower doors is a perfect “raw” element for the recycling process. When the shower doors arrive at Glassworks, they are broken into small, pebble-size pieces. The pieces are then put into a mold and re-fired. Under the heat of the Glassworks kiln, the “pebbles” melt together to form translucent cast glass. “The end result has the same integrity and beauty of glass made from non-recycled materials,” continues Oye, “But these pieces have the added benefit of not contributing to a landfill.”

But Oye is no Greenie-lite. An accomplished businesswoman, Oye recently earned her LEED certification. Determined to do all she can to make her company and their fabricating process more sustainable, she’s about the little things smaller companies can do to lower their carbon footprint and be a good neighbor at the same time. With a shy determination, she’ll tell you about her plan to heat the Glassworks shop with the heat from the kilns they use. Or how when a client refers Glassworks to a potential customer, as a thank you, Glassworks makes a donation in that client’s name to the good works organization of their choice.

Any builder or remodeler looking to find that one gem that sets their design apart should highly consider recycled cast glass counters. Having a Glassworks designed countertop in your home or building is like owning a unique piece of commissioned art that is beautiful, functional, and sustainable. The perfect building troika for the modern age, its just one way small business is shining the light on making our world a better place.

Above: Images from the Glassworks portfolio, prior to using recycled glass.

View all their transparent creations at: www.glassworksinc.com