Group Projects
CEP students engage as a community in projects, issues, and service learning opportunities throughout the Puget Sound and beyond to complement their classroom experiences. Here are a few group projects thatCEP students have been engaged in the past.
The Tarboo Watershed Plant-A-Thon
An Ideal Community Restoration Project
A group of Cepsters (juniors, seniors, alumni, faculty and friends too!) jumped on the Kingston ferry this January to take part in a "Plant-a-thon" at Tarboo Creek, hosted by Northwest Watershed Institute. Early on January 27th, we caravanned out to Dabob Bay (the estuary that opens up into Hood Canal) and learned a bit about the geology and ecology of the area. Cindy gave us a brief history of the recent Tarboo watershed 
restoration before we headed over to the creek site. The weather was perfect! The plant-a-thon itself is meant to be a day dedicated to planting trees purchased through school fund-raisers so upon arrival, we were greeted by a crowd of smiley kids eager to get muddy!
After some basic training, we began parceling out our little section and determining the proper placement of the various trees and shrubberies that we were assigned to plant. Quite a few people in our group had previous restoration experience and were able to coach those of us that were new to the game. About midday, we took a break for a real country buffet outside the old barn that serves as a sort of toolshed for the project. The food was amazing and everyone was able to sit out on the field and mingle with the school groups and the community members participating.
Once every last seedling was in the ground, Cindy led 
the group literally off the beaten path and into the woods. We ended up climbing up and over the roots of one of the oldest Spruce trees in the region. The roots themselves had formed a bridge over the creek and each of us teetered across to join up in a group "tree-hug"! It took eleven of us to stretch around the entire trunk!
After one last stop at the estuary at low tide and a little off-road adventure in the vans, the group headed back to the ferry terminal andwatched the sunset as we crossed the Sound.
The Duwamish River Watershed
The story behind an invaluable ecosystem
On a Friday afternoon a group of CEP students, along with Cindy and her friend Jelte, loaded up into vans and headed out for what would be a wonderful and informative field trip. We started out talking with James Rasmussen, an active member of the Duwamish tribe in the Seattle area. He explained the long history of the Duwamish people in this area, and their commitment to restoring the balance of life in the highly polluted industrial waterway. “The salmon are my cousins,” he explained, trying to make us understand that every part of our ecosystem is ultimately a part of us.
After that, we spoke with a woman from the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition. She told us all about some of the failed cleanup efforts of the waterway, and the effects of the huge rainstorms on Seattle's stormwater management. Together with James, she explained that in order to clean up the Duwamish we cannot just focus on the industries along the river. The industries are getting cleaner and cleaner; the real problem is in residential pollution and runoff. Before any cleanup can be attempted though, we need to identify the source and stop pollution there.
We then piled back into our vans and headed down to South Park, where we met with a member of the community involved in environmental justice. She works as a translator for the Hispanic community in South Park, and she works within the community to educate children about environmental justice, toxins in the river, and ways to work for change in South Park. She told us about how many of the members of the community do not feel like they have a voice, partly because of the language barrier, and partly because they have concerns about the INS. Her work is to empower this low-income and minority community.
We got back in the vans for a quick hop over to Marra Farm, an urban community garden. This farm is not only a P-Patch, but it also houses Lettuce Link and Seattle Youth Garden Works. Lettuce Link is an organization that grows food at the farm and donates it to food banks. Seattle Youth Garden Works is a program for homeless and at-risk youth that empowers them through garden-based education and employment. We walked around the garden, and Sarah talked about her time volunteering at Marra Farm.
Finally we headed back to Gould Hall, our field trip complete.
