• scary spider
    Think Piece

    Safe Green Pest Control Methods for Winter

     Get Ahead of the Bugs and Varmints While They Are Dormant Winter is a time of reduced pest pressure. This is a well-known fact. What isn’t so well known is that it is also a time for greatly impacting pest activity in the coming year. At this time, with the exception of rodents, pests are not as mobile. Indeed, most insects and spiders go into a dormant state that renders them completely immobile. The key thing to impacting next year’s pest populations is to know where they are and how to deal with them. Integrated pest management companies know where they are and the most effective ways to reduce overwintering…

  • Car Wash
    Reuse,  Think Piece

    Are Commercial Car Washes More Eco-Friendly?

    In the last decade, Americans have been encouraged to take a second look at their recycling habits, what eco-friendly products they buy and how they are supporting environmentally friendly companies. Did you know cleaning your car in a commercial car wash is considered far more eco-friendly than washing it in your driveway? Located in the heart of Portland, EcoCarwash is one of many places you can take your car to make it sparkle like new, while doing something good for the environment at the same time. Here are a few reasons why taking your car to any car wash is a good call to make. Saving Water While Washing When…

  • COMMUNITY,  Community Gardening,  FOOD

    Portland’s Urban Food Zoning Code

    In June of 2012, Portland City Council made a significant step toward increasing access to healthful, affordable food for all Portlanders by adopting the Urban Food Zoning Code Update. The new regulations address community gardens, farmers markets and market gardens, as well as alternative food distribution methods such as community sponsored agriculture (CSA) and food buying clubs. Because even a small cost can be a barrier for some, this proposal has very little in the way of permit fees, land use reviews and the like. Almost all activities will be allowed outright if standards are met. This action puts Portlanders in position to take advantage of the ideas proposed by…

  • BUILDING,  COMMUNITY,  Community Investment,  Community Projects,  Construction

    Turning a Brown Field Green

    The land at NE 82nd and Siskiyou has a checkered past. It is a former landfill, capped in 1982. Many of those living and working in the Madison South and Roseway neighborhoods have seen this area attract unwanted activities and attention. The site has remained derelict, despite its tremendous potential for the neighborhood, city and region. The Dharma Rain Zen Center, a Soto Zen Buddhist temple, sees great potential in the Siskiyou property for a new campus that is sustainable, beautiful and benefits their congregation and the neighborhood alike. They plan to create an attractive, compatible, low-impact campus that serves the community. They will: Restore the 14-acre parcel to a…

  • Bio trimming handbag
    FOOD,  Food Waste,  RE-THINK

    Food Waste is Fodder for Fashion in the Bio-trimmings Project

    London-based Hoyan Ip, a 2012 MA Fashion graduate, observed that food waste could help offset fashion industry waste. So, she set about using discarded food to make buttons, buckles, and other garment trims. Ip says, “Fashion represents change. Bio-trimmings are unique products that act as an object to educate and make good changes towards both sustainable fashion and ethical living for the future.”