We express our mission to serve through Earth Gay which has grown from a small annual service project to an ongoing program supporting LGBTQ volunteerism in our communities and natural environment.
The annual Earth Gay event started in Seattle and is now growing nationally. It is the LGBTQ community’s most visible expression of environmental activism (in addition to being a fun way to get dirty). Earth Gay fosters community for people of all orientations by tangibly making an impact in our cities and neighborhoods. Earth Gay was first organized to celebrate Earth Day, the global movement started in 1961 to combine efforts on a day in late April to care for our shared planet.
History
- 2011: 175 volunteers at one site: restoration and planting on the Cheshiahud Trail along Lake Union in Eastlake. After-party aboard the Islander (all ages), sailing around the lake.
- 2010: 100 volunteers at four sites: 1) planting shrubs at a recovery housing center in Rainier Valley, 2) park restoration in South Park, 3) planting at a community garden on Beacon Hill, and 4) removing invasive plants in the West Seattle greenbelt. After-party at Café Vite (all ages) and Havana (21 and over).
- 2009: 10 volunteers at two sites: 1) building raised-bed gardens for a youth rehab center in South Park and 2) removing invasive plants in the Beacon Hill greenbelt. After-party at Grey Gallery (21 and over).
Past Special Guests: Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn (2010 and 2011) and Seattle City Councilmembers Sally Clark, Tom Rassmussen, and Mike O’Brien (2011).
Past Hosts: EOS Alliance (2009), Cascadian Edible Landscapes (2009), Alleycat Acres (2010), Nature Consortium (2010), Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (2010), Kenyon House by AIDS Housing of Washington (2010), and Seattle Department of Transit, Urban Forestry Division (2011).
Past Sponsors and Partners: Boeing (2010, 2011), Starbucks (2011), Seattle Works (2010, 2011), Pride Foundation (2010), Equal Rights Washington (2010), Greater Seattle Business Association (2010), Pagliacci (2010), Gay City Health Project (2011), King Conservation District (2011), Tutta Bella (2011)
