Washington State Department of Ecology

@ecology.wa.gov

8094 Followers 215 Following

Official Washington state Department of Ecology account. Protecting, preserving and enhancing Washington's environment for current and future generations. ecology.wa.gov

White barrel with red funnel in the top and sign that says "reclaimed solvent use for cleaning only."
A meme of Spider-Man pointing at another Spider-Man shows Jimothy the raccoon and Kevin the marmot agreeing on wanting you to throw your trash in a trash can.
Map of air monitors in the Spokane area, showing unhealthy air quality conditions next to the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale.
A yellow sign on a beach that says "Warning! Bacteria levels exceed health standards. Contact with this water may cause illness.
An air quality index map in Spokane and Spokane Valley show readings between moderate (51-100) to unhealthy (151-200).
Fire station with a fire truck parked out front, with a circle showing an air sensor on the roof.
Hard boom and oil-absorbent material contains an oil spill at Vigor Shipyard in Seattle while a vacuum skimmer removes visible oil from the water.
Hard boom and oil-absorbent materials keep an oil spill contained at Vigor Shipyard in Seattle while a vacuum skimmer removes visible oil from the water.
Electric vehicle charging in a parking lot with mountains in the background.
Boom around the USS Samspon in Elliott Bay.
A chart shows a spike in poor air quality during the 4th of July weekend. A meme of Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story says, "Fireworks pollution, fireworks pollution everywhere."
A firefighter watching a wildfire burn trees at night.
Director Sixkiller sits at a table with Governor Bob Ferguson while signing the linkage agreement. A group of people stand behind them smiling and observing.
A piece of plywood from an unsecured load lodged in a shattered car windshield.
Map showing Columbia River with Clover Island in the middle of image.
Large white vessel tied up to a slip is surrounded by white adsorbent boom. A Seattle Fire Department vessel is next to the former ferry. Two firefighters crouch on the dock near the boat.
Hands holding a pile of soil with vegetable scraps and eggshells in a compost pile.
There is a montage of the Ecology Litter Corps picking up trash along the highway for the World Cup. There are three before and after shots that show the roads full of litter and then cleaned up. Ecology asks that everyone does their part to continue to keep our roads clean long after the World Cup is over.
A green sign on a beach that says "Swimming beach water quality: This beach is monitored from Memorial Day to Labor Day to ensure bacteria levels in the water are safe enough for water contact."
Photo of a boat with a red bottom, white top, covered with a brown tarp grounded on the shore of a beach.
A screenshot of a text conversation with the boss, where they ask for ways to remind people to avoid algae in lakes and rivers. The employee responds with a bunch of silly rhymes about algae.
A yellow sign on a beach that says "Warning! Bacteria levels exceed health standards. Contact with this water may cause illness."
This is a blooper reel that shows several clips of Kevin the marmot in scenarios like a blanket being thrown on him, him trying to use ratchet straps, him happy dancing, and him peeking out of a truck bed. The message is to secure your load before hitting the road.
A graphic of a home with a light bulb and text: Hey homeowners, do you quality for an energy assistance or bill discount program? Join one of our focus groups! Share your thoughts on energy use, energy affordability, and get a $100 gift card for participating. Choose a virtual meeting that fits you schedule on June 23, 25, or 29.
There is an image of people in kayaks cleaning up a lake. The millennial PR team would say, “Working with our partners at Thurston County and State Parks, we removed delta arrowhead, an invasive aquatic plant, to help restore biodiversity in Deep Lake at Millersylvania State Park. These collaborative projects help us keep Washington’s water clean and healthy for all.” The gen z social team would say, “locked in to clean the lake. this plant is cooked fr.”
A group of people sitting at tables applaud during a presentation.
People sit around a table and share their experience with reducing organic waste.
People sit around a table and discuss organics management.
Scenes of wildfire smoke with a text overlay that reads "Wildfire smoke? Dangerous. DIY box fan air cleaners?" The video cuts to montage of someone making a clean air fan with colorful text, emojis, and other special effects. The text overlay says "Simple, affordable, effective" and walks through the steps to make your own. Lay a 20 inch box fan face down, get a furnace filter rated MERV 11-14, put the filter on the back of the fan, make sure the flow arrows line up, and attach it with a bungee cord. Make sure you run the fan in a small room with closed windows and doors, change the filter when it gets dirty, and turn it off when you're not home.
A dog with adorably large ears lays in the grass. The text says, “Keep a plan: evacuation orders? Take me with you fur-ever!!”
A husky dog sits on the beach. The text says, “How to stay S.M.O.K.E. Ready: advice from the pets who love you.”
Kevin, la marmota, impide que su amigo Travis se ponga en marcha sin antes asegurar la carga en la parte trasera de su camioneta. Comienza un montaje de ellos asegurando su carga, y terminan con un ceremonioso choque de puños. Se marchan mientras Kevin chilla de alegría.
Kevin the marmot stops his friend Travis from hitting the road without securing the load in the back of his truck. A montage of them strapping down their cargo begins, and they end with a ceremonious fist bump. They drive away while Kevin squeaks with joy.
A graphic of four boats with winding paths that lead to pumpout tips. The text says: Did you know that Puget Sound is a No Discharge Zone? That means you need to pump out your boat sewage instead of dumping it. Remember to pump out your boat before you leave the marine. Make sure your Y-valve is secure. Lock it. Zip-tie it. Check it. You can schedule free mobile pumpouts that bring the service to you. You should always know where the nearest pumpout is. There’s an app for that!
Kevin the anti-littering marmot looks at an old photo album with text on screen: “Getting emotional remembering that before we had Kevin…” It cuts to a montage of past litter crews picking up litter in high-vis vests and hard hats. The text says, “...we had the Ecology Youth Corps picking up litter across Washington. And even though it’s now called the Ecology Litter Corps, and we only work with adult crews, we’ll never forget where we came from.” The montage of vintage litter crew photos continues, with text celebrating the 50th anniversary of Ecology Litter Corps.
Two crew members collect water samples and record data while standing in a green tidal channel.
A collage of tips for healthy garden maxxing, including: peeling and scraping your veggies, using clean topsoil, not tracking dirt inside, gardening in raised beds or containers, wearing gloves, washing your veggies thoroughly, and getting your soil tested at one of our SoilShops.
A woman looks distressed while on her phone. Next to her is an image of some food scraps being dumped into a compost bin. The text below reads, “Is your teen texting about composting? LOL = Layers On Layers (use a balanced mix of browns like dead grass and twigs and greens like yard, garden, or food waste). OMG = Oh My Greens (too many greens? Add browns!). ILYSM = I Love Your Scraps, Mmmm (fruit and veggie scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds). OMW = Oils? Meats? not on my Watch (attracts pests to backyard piles). BTW = Bring The Worms (for vermicomposting). ICYMI = It’s Compost, You Mix It! (turn your pile to let it breathe).”
A larger and smaller sea star with text that reads “#3 Arctic sand stars belong to a small group of sea stars known for their specialized parental care. Instead of releasing their young into the universe to fend for themselves, the mother stars carry them around on their top aboral surface, where the spiky paxillae protect them from potential predators.”
Luke Skywalker holds a lightsaber facing an orange sea star with text that reads “3 reasons Luke Skywalker has beef with the Arctic Sand Star”
Under a blue sky and clouds, a river runs alongside a road between yellow and brown canyon hills.
There are images of the NextCycle WA cohort 1 winners holding up their award certificates.
Kevin the marmot walks onto a baseball field and spots a piece of litter. He picks it up, pitches it to his teammate, and she hits it straight into the dug-out trash can. They high five victoriously, and the video cuts to Kevin waving in the stands with text: “We’ll see you at the ballpark! Don’t forget to stop by our booth for a free car litter bag.”
Graph of Washington's greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2022, alongside a timeline of Washington's climate policies.
A montage of Ecology staff working outside in streams and lakes, fixing air monitors, flying drones, planting trees, performing inspections, and interacting with the community. Text on the video reads “POV: every day is Earth Day at Ecology”
A map of Washington snowpack, showing many of the state's river basins below 50% of normal.
Video description: A montage of photos and videos at a baseball game. Kevin the marmot poses with baseball gear in the stadium, Ecology staff throw the first pitch, hand out litter bags, and talk to people about preventing litter at their info table.
Watershed health crew members hike across a field, with text that reads “It’s a seasonal field job, where will I go from there?”. The camera goes underwater and cuts to photos of past crew members. Each photo features the jobs that they work now after getting seasonal experience on our watershed health crew: “Quantitative fisheries scientist, hydrologist, environmental specialist, ichthyology masters student, effectiveness monitoring specialist, biological science assistant, and Fulbright Chile Science Initiative Grantee”. The camera emerges from the water to see crew members measuring and catching fish in a net, with text that reads “Looking to launch your career in the environmental sciences? Join our summer field crew!”
An overhead view of a driving range next to the Beacon Hill air monitoring station, with the Seattle skyline in the background.
A golf ball sits on top of an air monitoring device, with a putting green and golf flag in the background.
An image of Kevin the marmot next to a baseball glove and baseballs on a baseball field. The text reads, “Kevin’s going on tour with Your favorite minor league baseball teams. Get a free car litter bag! Everett AquaSox: Friday, April 10; Saturday, April 11; Sunday, April 12. Tri-City Dust Devils: Wednesday, April 29; Thursday, July 9. Spokane Indians: Wednesday, May 6.”
A cartoon character called “Washington” happily reaches for a yellow bubble that says “A mild and warm winter”. In the next frame, a big character called “statewide drought” lurks behind the “Washington” character who looks surprised and nervous.
A map of Washington snowpack, showing many of the state's river basins below 50% of normal.
An old, dirty, rusty wood stove on the left and a new certified wood stove on the right.
A rocky spot along a river with tall trees running along each side.
A city skyline in the foreground with a marine environment in the background
There are four panels for each person in Lord of the Rings. The first person says, “You have my sword.” The second person says, “And you have my bow.” The third person says, “And my axe!” The fourth person is Kevin the marmot holding a litter bag. He says, “And my litter bag!”