Capitol Hill throws a party for the Earth

Capitol Hill residents made a case Sunday for a more sustainable neighborhood by throwing a street party that had everything from solar energy to organic iced tea.

What would a more sustainable Capitol Hill look like? The inaugural festival didn't offer one vision, but the hip urban neighborhood likely would have more composting restaurants, urban farms -- rooftop gardens and pea patches -- more cyclists and fewer cars.

Sunday's street party was the latest push by Seattle's growing urban sustainability movement. While Sustainable Capitol Hill sponsored the festival, there are dozens of similar groups around the city, such as Sustainable Ballard, Sustainable West Seattle and Sustainable Queen Anne.

"We (Seattle) are a lighthouse in the country for this movement," said Tova Ramer, who manned a booth for the Interra Project, a nonprofit that, among other things, encourages consumers to buy local and environmentally sensitive products.

For five hours, the event drew a steady stream of sympathetic visitors, such as Sean and Julie Congdon, who already have four chickens at their one-story rambler, bought a used stroller and clothes for their baby and often bike to work.

While the couple applauds Seattle's efforts, they say a lot more needs to be done.

"We can't be the only ones doing this. We need everyone doing this," said Julie Congdon, 38.

Sunday's event, though, was as much about community as compost, as impromptu dance lessons, bike repairs and face painting spread out across a block of Thomas Street and 10th Avenue.

Essentially, organizers suggest that if neighbors hang out together and shop at local stores, then they are part of a more sustainable neighborhood. It is a philosophy that goes well beyond environmentalism to encourage economic and social connections.

"We really want to bring the community together," said Gabriel Scheer, one of the festival's organizers. He wants to encourage people to "do most of their living where they live."

The event came together in only six months, receiving a push when the city's Department of Neighborhoods give it a $15,000 grant.

Instead of laying out a blueprint for action, organizers hope the event will spark hundreds of smaller actions, everything from harvesting backyard fruit trees for food banks to buying vegetables at the Sunday farmers market.

"In a lot of ways it is relearning things we already know," Scheer said.

To inspire neighbors, organizers scattered six topics around the festival's two blocks covering community economy, climate change, local food, transportation, housing and development, waste reduction and recycling.

But, perhaps the recycled tank tops best captured the festival's goals.

At the back of the street party, Tanks2Tote handed out free bags made from tank tops by sewing together a shirt's base.

The bags tackled two sustainability goals at once, offering shoppers a new way to carry groceries and recycle clothes.

To learn more, check out sustainablecapitolhill.org and Sustainable Communities All Over Puget Sound at scallops.sustainableballard.org.