terminal 5

Who says fieldtrips to celebrate Earth Day are just for elementary school kids?

One week after the release of their 2009-2010 Annual Environmental Report, the Port of Seattle gave adults a chance to reliving their days of educational outings, hosting a tour of two port-controlled West Seattle Parks Wednesday. The Port of Seattle’s Earth Day Park’s Tour, which emphasized the Port’s environmental stewardship initiatives, drew two busloads of Seattleites to Port headquarters at Pier 69 on Alaskan Way.

The two and half hour event kicked with a presentation by senior environmental manager George Bloomberg. Bloomberg briefed attendees on some of the Port’s recent contamination clean-up projects and wildlife restoration efforts with a short slideshow. After the Port’s introduction it was off to Terminal 5’s Jack Block Park, located at 2130 Harbor Avenue Southwest. The 5.8 acre public shoreline access park boasts some stunning sights of the Seattle waterfront as well as trails for biking and walking.

From a 45 foot-high viewing platform, port environmental managers discussed the environmentally conscious infrastructure redevelopment at the terminal: in adding 400 feet linear feet of container cargo pier, the port was able to enclose the majority of pollution at the site, preventing the spread contamination to Puget Sound waters. Though Terminal 5 is still classified as a superfund site—a location the federal government flags for clean-up because of its severe soil and ground water contamination—Bloomberg said the Port has managed to isolate 70 percent of pollutants in the area. Terminal 107, a public access park at 4700 West Marginal Way Southwest, was next up on the tour.