Trailblazer Recipients
#4 Cathy Tuttle
Cathy Tuttle is being recognized as our fourth Trailblazer for her work blazing a trail in grass roots advocacy and building community around important sustainability issues. Cathy encourages people to develop their interests into passions and their passions into social movements.
Director and co-founder of fast-growing Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Cathy encourages people in all 19 neighborhoods that have formed Greenways organizations to re-envision and advocate for safe healthy streets. She is especially proud of her work in 2012 to grow the Rainier Valley Greenways movement.
In 2011, Cathy was awarded Sustainable Seattle’s highest award for individual achievement, the Happiness Award, as well as the Wallingford Chamber of Commerce award for Innovation & Community Building.
Climate advocacy is Cathy’s overarching passion. As coordinator of 350 Washington State, she has produced all of the major 350.org events in Seattle since 2009 including gathering 700 people to form a giant 350 under the Space Needle in 2009 and the walk-bicycle-boat focused Moving Planet Seattle in 2011. She is looking forward to Bill McKibben’s visit to Seattle on Nov 7 to kick off his “Doing the Math” tour.
In 2007, Cathy founded Spokespeople rides for willing but wary cyclists, building many leaders who in turn fostered five new Spokespeople groups and the Seattle Neighborhood Greenways movement.
Since 2009, Cathy has been the administrative coordinator of SCALLOPS-Sustainable Communities ALL Over Puget Sound, a regional consortium of 64 communities, including her own Sustainable Wallingford. The Wallingford group has nurtured people who have developed more strong and independent groups including Community Kitchens, Cooped Up in Seattle 4H, Growing Food Growing Community, and Wallingford Walks.
Cathy is the web master, blogger and tweeter for at least a dozen other tiny but feisty non-profits. She is the staff writer and assistant editor of Urban Farm Hub and Chair of Seattle Tilth Board Advocacy Committee. Cathy believes we will live on our planet with grace and joy when we decide all life is important to us.
