Blog Archive: September 2011

The Honolulu office presents a bi-monthly lunch-and-learn program we call WATG-U. Each session builds upon previous presentations and keeps our designers, managers and technical staff engaged in lively conversations about contemporary design techniques and processes. It's a great opportunity to learn … without exams or papers! In this session, the legendary George Berean shares his experiences in working with Pete Wimberly and inspires all of us to think about how we approach design in this day and age.

We had an amazing turnout for parking day. Though the morning started out a bit chilly, the sun eventually arrived along with hundreds of Seattle pedestrians willing to give our Plinko game a try!  WATG's parking-day "park" was bustling for the entire six hours of operation, reaching its peak at lunchtime when most of the WATG Seattle staff came out to lend a hand. By 2:30 pm we had given away more than 300 wildflower seed bombs and 50 tulip bulbs for residents and visitors to plant this fall.

While many people only had a minute to spare on their way to work, some passers-by stopped for longer to hang out and chat, and several people contributed to our green promise tree, committing to personal conservation efforts like walking and recycling.

The best part of parking day was watching the expressions of people who were initially skeptical about our no-strings-attached fun and free prizes. But when most people left the park they were ecstatic about having avoided signing their name to a cause while still leaving with a free seed to plant. The idea of reclaiming a parking space for public use was also entertaining and positive for people, and we definitely converted some skeptics, who may make a park themselves next September in the streets of Seattle.

PARK(ing) Day 2011 is in a few days, and the Seattle team is in full swing preparing for the big reveal. Our theme embraces environmental issues regarding green spaces in keeping with the organization's mission, in a fun way. Our concept is Give & Take: WATG's Seattle office will Give a Seed & Take a Promise of giving back to the planet. Passersby are encouraged to write down that promise on the spot as a reminder. Seed balls are being made in-house as the handout. It's all meant to be fun & informative without being overwhelming. Fun is key -- a giant PLINKO game is being constructed! The temporary 'park' will be on 1st avenue, near the famous Pike's Market and will take up two parking spaces.

Stay tuned as we continue to prepare and actually participate!