Trees and People Coalition

Home
United States
Seattle, WA
Trees and People Coalition

Directions Website Contact the organization

We aim to educate & engage people to grow & protect Seattle's urban trees for the benefit of all
(1)

08/25/2026

Share Your Favorite Tree Story this Saturday

There is still space in this workshop - please spread the word.

What to Expect:

Explore storytelling through listening, reflection, and shared connection.

Experience how one story can spark another through shared memories, experiences, and ideas.

No need to prepare a polished story. A memory, anecdote, image, encounter, or moment of inspiration is enough.

Share as much or as little as you’d like. It’s always okay to pass.

Participate in thoughtful conversations and discover connections through close listening.

Led by Jesica Vega, an editor, workshop facilitator, and community arts organizer dedicated to amplifying stories from and about the margins. She hosts Tacoma’s monthly storytelling event, Bar Stories, produces live performances with One Table Show, and is currently writing her first novel.

Snacks will be provided.

07/21/2026

Seattle Times published this op-ed by Trees and People Coalition board member, Lois Martin.

Lois Martin is a lifelong Central district resident and Community advocate focused on anti-displacement and environmental justice in Seattle's historically Black neighborhoods.

The freedom to be heard before the City rewrites the rules for our neighborhoods. That is what CB 121215 would take away, and community voices just pushed the vote back to July 28.

The $120 hearing examiner appeal is the only affordable way ordinary people can make the City study displacement, health, and impact BEFORE major land use decisions become law. It is the same tool that turned an I-90 freeway trench into Sam Smith Park. Take it away, and accountability belongs only to those who can afford a lawyer.

We can't move - Cut us loose. We are not anti-housing. We are pro-accountability. Reform the process. Do not repeal our voice.

Before July 28:
📣 Email council: NO on CB 121215 as written
📣 Demand a Racial Equity Toolkit first
📣 Reform, don't repeal

Read the complete article at the 🔗 👇🏽

07/05/2026

I am here to oppose CB 121215.

If the City’s Environmental Impact Statement is unimpeachable, why eliminate the appeal process? A sound EIS does not need to be protected from challenge. It withstands challenge.

The data proves the existing system already works. Of 28 SEPA appeals filed between 2016 and 2026, the vast majority were dismissed or withdrawn, averaging 52 to 69 days. Only cases with legitimate merit moved forward. The system filtered out weak claims on its own.

Instead of defending the adequacy of the EIS, proponents have resorted to name calling, labeling appellants and those in opposition as weaponizers and bad actors. They call us privileged. That is not a defense of the EIS. That is a deflection from it. It takes real privilege to discover a housing crisis only when it affects your own life choices, while Black, Indigenous, and working class communities have been living that crisis for generations.

Silencing critics instead of letting due process play out is not a democratic value. It is a tactic we have watched the MAGA movement use against the courts, the press, and anyone who challenges those in power. Legislating silence is not democracy. It is suppression.

The communities with the most at stake in rigorous environmental review are low-income residents, renters, and communities of color who have historically borne the environmental costs of inadequate review. Those communities fought to stay in this city. They should not be told their right to challenge inadequate environmental review is an obstacle to progress.

If the City’s environmental review is sound, prove it in front of the Hearing Examiner. Let the evidence speak.

Reject CB 121215. Seattle’s communities deserve process, not promises.

Thank you.

Lois Martin
Trees and People Coalition Board
7/1/26

06/30/2026

Seattle City Council's Land Use and Sustainability Committee will hold a public hearing on Council Bill 121215, a proposal that would strip Seattle residents of their right to challenge inadequate environmental reviews before major zoning decisions are made.

📍July 1 at 9:30 a.m.
📍Seattle City Hall.

Seattle residents who believe in the right to meaningful environmental review are encouraged to attend and testify. Written comments can be submitted to the full City Council.

We call on the City Council to reject CB 121215 and to preserve the public's right to challenge inadequate environmental decisions through an accessible, low-cost, expert forum. Seattle's communities deserve process, not promises.

🔗 in bio

Please reach out with any questions. Thank you South Seattle Emerald for sharing this Op-Ed.

06/17/2026

🎤Announcing Canopy Awards Honoree for New Residential Multifamily Development 🏡

Crow Woods Cohousing Community

Ecological stewardship and dense housing define this cohousing community. Jane Lester wanted to create a forested cohousing community. She wasn’t sure she’d find the right property in Seattle. But when she found two lots for sale in the Northgate neighborhood, she knew she’d found an urban nest for herself and others who chose to join her. Architect Rob Humble helped her realize her dream. 10 mature Doug Firs and Western Red Cedars were protected by building the 9 cohousing units on the perimeter of the lot and by limiting their foot print to between 1,000 and 1,500 square feet.

06/11/2026

Seattle Residents for Thoughtful Growth Presents: ReVision Seattle

Monday, June 15, 6-8pm

Mount Baker Community Club

Please join a public forum on Mayor Katie Wilson’s One Seattle 2.0: a Taller, Denser, Faster plan for high density development that will affect every neighborhood of Seattle.

In this second phase of the city’s long-range growth planning, zoning has been guided exclusively by representatives from the builder, urbanist and development sector. Advocates of density as the cure for inequality and high housing costs are determining the policies that will shape Seattle for decades to come. Monday’s forum offers an opportunity to hear alternative perspectives that have not been heard.

The keynote speaker will be Patrick Condon, whose groundbreaking book on housing, Broken City: Land Speculation, Inequality, and Urban Crisis has been a lightning rod for the understanding of how cities deal with the pressures of growth, while expanding affordable housing. Market-driven density, when purely guided by the principles of trickle down economics, leads to gentrification, displacement, and the erasure of nature from the urban environment.

There are other paths.

Come to learn how Seattle can grow sustainably and equitably, welcoming families, elders, and all levels of income, while maintaining its environmental sustainability for a long-term future! The evening’s presentation will update Seattle residents on where the Comprehensive Plan stands now and what is being planned by the city as well as ways to connect with advocates for thoughtful growth.

Professor Condon will be introduced by Lois Martin. Lois is a Board member and officer of the Trees and People Coalition. She is an educator, mentor, and long-time Central Area business owner, community activist, and leader.

Registration required 🔗 in bio.

06/05/2026

We're proud to feature winners of our inaugural
Canopy Awards - a unique recognition program established this past year to honor architects,
landscape designers, developers, urban planners, community organizations, and educators who demonstrate excellence in preserving and enhancing Seattle’s urban tree canopy. Awards were presented in 4 categories to honor outstanding projects and programs that integrate tree preservation, planting, and environmental education:

🤝Community Outreach and Educational Programs
🌳Excellence in Innovation Award

🌲Robert Eagle Staff Forest
🌿Represented by Sarah Lappas

The Robert Eagle Staff Forest is an outstanding model of curriculum-driven ecological restoration. Its
innovative approach, deep community engagement, and substantial ecological benefits position it as a leading
educational program. The project beautifully delivers significant community, cultural, and environmental value.

05/25/2026

Council member Eddie Lin just sponsored CB121215 to prohibit citywide environmental appeals (Type 5 appeals) in response to appeals like the Orca Appeal.

During the Orca Appeal hearing, Judge David S. Mann (Court of Appeals Division I) explains that the state has preserved the ability to file some city-wide environmental appeals. Appeals ensure city council have the best information in front of them. Public comment on the environment during the comprehensive plan was largely ignored. Appeals are the only real voice and oversight the people of Seattle have.

The city belongs to all of us. The public can take back their voice. Developers have been meeting privately with Seattle's Department of Construction for years, but denies that right to environmental groups and anti-displacement groups. It's time that Seattle walks the equity talk.

Stay tuned for upcoming hearings on CB121215.

Read the Seattle Times article on the Orca Appeal 🔗 below.

05/09/2026

Excellent editorial from the Seattle times: "No more closed-door City Hall meetings on Seattle growth strategies"

TPC Board member, Lois Martin, and our fiscal sponsor, , were interviewed for this piece.

Read the complete article at the 🔗 below.

Address

980 S Nebraska St
Seattle, WA
98108

Website

https://www.treesandpeople.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Trees and People Coalition posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Trees and People Coalition:

Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization in Seattle?