Soil & Water Stewards are King County residents of varied backgrounds and ages who share a passion about the local environment, food systems and the health of our communities.
The Soil and Water Stewardship program offers a comprehensive, eight-month training in regenerative food systems and environmental stewardship. Stewards apply what they learn through hands-on projects like building garden beds and compost systems, installing rainwater catchment and creating habitat for wildlife at community gardens, schools and parks in King County.
Learn How To…
- Support food equity and environmental justice in your community
- Grow food organically using sustainable practices
- Assess soil issues and improve soil health
- Reduce toxic runoff and protect Puget Sound through green infrastructure
- Design regenerative landscapes using holistic landscape design principles
- Conserve water by installing water catchment and drip irrigation systems
- Incorporate Native Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge into land care approaches
Training Schedule
Participants will meet one Wednesday evening and one Saturday each month, March – October. Wednesday sessions, via Zoom, will explore local environmental issues with Tilth Alliance educators and guest speakers. Saturday projects will take place at different community partner sites, primarily in South and East King County, where participants will build community, practice new skills and provide meaningful support to local food projects.
- Wednesdays, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. (via Zoom): March 25, April 22, May 13, June 24, July 22, August 19, September 23, October 21
- Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (in-person): March 28, April 25, May 16, June 27, July 25, August 22, September 26, October 24
This year’s training session is in progress. If you’d like to receive a notification for when we’re recruiting for our next cohort, see the Recruitment Alerts below.
Qualifications
- Interest in environmental and food systems issues.
- Enthusiasm for collaborating with community members and partner organizations.
- Willingness to commit to the entire program. This includes both the Wednesday evening sessions and the Saturday hands-on projects, March – October.
- Reside in King County (Seattle residents may also consider the Master Composter/Sustainability Stewards training program).
- Commitment to community service and engagement as a means to promote positive change.
Please note:
- Participants contribute a materials fee to the program, which will go towards community projects. This is on a pay-what-you-can sliding scale from $0-$300.
- A limited number of stipends (up to $50/month) are available to help offset barriers to participation, such as the cost of transportation, arranging childcare, etc.
Get Soil & Water Stewardship Recruitment Alerts
Enter your name, zip code and email address and we’ll let you know when we’re recruiting for our next cohort of Soil & Water Stewards.
"*" indicates required fields
Questions?
For more information, contact Anita Waghani or Alex Soleil.
Training and community resources are made possible by funding from: Cascade Water Alliance and the WaterWorks Grant Program funded by King County Wastewater Treatment Division.