SEATTLE — An ecosystem thrives among the sidewalks and streets of Thornton Place.
"It's really interesting to help people learn to identify the plants in those different stages," said Carolyn Wheeler, who's leading a walking tour through the Northgate neighborhood.
She's pointing out the natural wonders hidden in plain sight, from edible and medicinal plants, to the cleansing properties of a water-filtering urban wetland.
"It's in the city and a lot of people drive past it, or they go to the theater, or they're going to the mall," Wheeler said. "They don't really notice it."
The tour is part of PNW Climate Week, a series of events designed to highlight the perils of our climate crisis and the promise of people coming together.
"If you want to go to a happy hour, you can do that. If you want to go to a mindfulness event, you can do that," said spokesperson AnnaMaria White. "There's a tour of the Climate Pledge Arena. We have stuff for everybody. We have events for everybody. We have fun events, we have educational events, we have motivational events, we have community-building events."
More than 2,000 participants, stretching from Portland to Vancouver - and beyond, are finding strength in numbers as they gather during this unusually hot early summer weather.
"It is apropos that we are having this week this year in one of the earliest heat waves that we've experienced in the region," White said.
Person-to-person, PNW Climate Week is setting out to change the course of a changing climate.
"The majority of events are free and open to the public and everyone is welcome," White said. "We have a lot of events this week focused on wellness and how can you maintain your optimism and your hope while also really focusing on climate action."
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