Community Roots Housing has signed onto the Puget Sound Pledge, a movement led by Salmon Safe to protect water quality and wildlife habitat in tributaries across Puget Sound.
Salmon Safe is a Portland-based nonprofit whose mission is to influence land management practices in watersheds across the West Coast so they might better support the health of salmon and their respective ecosystems. Community Roots regularly implements environmentally friendly practices into development projects and is excited to further this commitment by partnering with Salmon Safe.
“The Pacific salmon is sort of like a regional identity, and I think a lot of times people don’t really think about the stuff happening underneath the water,” said Molly Ray, Puget Sound Director of Salmon Safe. “When the salmon aren’t thriving, it has this whole domino effect on animal habitat throughout the Puget Sound. It’s not like some other sustainability issues that are more in your face. It’s easy to look out and say ‘ the water looks great.’ But there’s so much urban development here, and we have to make sure we balance out all the development we’re doing that’s not natural to this region… There’s also a human health aspect to thinking about toxic materials, pesticides, things like that, and nowhere would understand the importance of that more than affordable housing.”
In committing to the Puget Sound Pledge, Community Roots will build upon stormwater management infrastructure implemented at projects like the Liberty Bank Building, and will continue to employ water conservation and healthy construction techniques at upcoming projects such as the White Center HUB.
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