Green community-building projects around Seattle

GREEN MARKET

COMMUNITY IS your neighborhood, your work, your school. And building it is about coming over, saying hello, helping out.

As we seek to discover community this year, we explore ways that folks can connect with neighbors and strangers through volunteer activities that also benefit the environment. Green community-building, if you will. Here's a sampling of some "shovel ready" projects around Puget Sound:

Fix up your 'hood. EarthCorps, an organization that seeks to build global community through environmental service, puts together volunteer restoration projects every Saturday around the Seattle area. The season usually dictates what kind of work the organization does in partnership with governments and land-management agencies. In the spring and summer, crews often work in parks and stream habitats to remove invasive plants and help with general maintenance. This spring, volunteers will focus on restoration in West Seattle's Lincoln Park, the Delridge Natural Area and the West Duwamish Greenbelt.

Volunteer program manager Chris LaPointe says that when families volunteer with EarthCorps in their neighborhood parks, it helps create ties to the land. If you're interested, visit www.earthcorps.org/ or call 206-322-9296, ext. 217.

Sing while you weed. If you're looking for a way to experience art in the natural world, consider volunteering with the Nature Consortium's Arts in Nature Festival in late August. The weekend event at West Seattle's Camp Long showcases performances by an eclectic group of musicians, dancers and artists. Wander the grounds and see art that celebrates the environment and depicts how nature can influence art. Volunteers are needed to collect tickets, set up and tear down sets and help throughout the festival.

The grass-roots organization also holds work parties several times a week to tackle invasive-plant growth in the West Duwamish greenbelt. Don't be surprised to hear the swoon of a Japanese flute or hip-hop vocals in the forest while you pull Himalayan blackberry. Musicians often perform while volunteers labor as part of the group's mission to connect people, arts and nature. To get involved with either activity, visit www.naturec.org/ or call 206-923-0853.

Skate in, spruce up. Hey skaters, gardeners and anybody else interested in doing good: Volunteer to help plant and maintain native habitat around the new River City Skate Park. Local people pushed to build and finance this park near South Park Community Center in Seattle as a place for young people to skateboard without hassle. The park is designed to have a low impact on the environment by capturing rainwater and slowly releasing it on-site, says Kevin Burrell, executive director of the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, a nonprofit that's organizing spring landscaping and maintenance at the new park. Volunteers can help plant low-maintenance natives. For information, visit www.ecoss.org or call 206-767-0432.

Help a farm, help us all. If you fill your cloth grocery sack with fresh, local fruits and veggies, consider supporting your farming neighbors through PCC Farmland Trust. The nonprofit group helps local farmers by securing, restoring and maintaining farmland around the Northwest. Volunteers focus on keeping the farm habitat healthy by pulling invasives, restoring stream beds and planting natives. The goal is to make sure the land stays healthy for the long haul, says Lynne Jordan, development and outreach associate. The farms are all family-owned, so curious volunteers can learn a thing or two about running a small farm. You might even get lucky and get to pet an alpaca. Visit www.pccfarmlandtrust.org/ or call 206-547-9855.

Jump in, plant, pull, revive. On the fence about which group is right for you? Consider signing up for a project with Seattle Works. The group organizes and leads volunteer projects throughout the Puget Sound area, working with groups such as Seattle Parks and Recreation, EarthCorps and the Nature Consortium. All projects are easy to jump into as a first-time volunteer, says executive director Tara Smith. You can lay mulch, plant young trees, flowers and shrubs, pull out invasives and restore trails around the city's green spaces.

If you're looking for a regular commitment, try joining Team Works, a group of 15 that volunteers together one Saturday a month for four months. One of these outings involves a green project. More information at seattleworks.org or 206-324-0808.

Michelle Ma is a Seattle Times online news producer. Erika Schultz is a Times staff photographer.