What is 35 miles wide, 35 miles long, and 300 feet deep? Well, according to an article posted on the Popular Mechanics website on November 13, 2008, that is how big the landfill would be if America put all of its garbage for the next 1000 years in one place.
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Landscaping for Wildlife
This article was published in the Summer 2008 issue of the Green Living Journal. With suburban sprawl fragmenting and reducing wildlife habitat, what we do in our yards is very important for the survival of wildlife. Suburban yards are usually stripped of most of their topsoil and little concern is given to wildlife when planning a new landscape. The typical yard has a large lawn area with a few ornamental plants providing little ecological value. By landscaping with nature we can provide some of the necessities for wildlife survival, as well as, creating an aesthetically pleasing environment for people. When designing an ecological landscape, the vertical levels should be emphasized…
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Use Green Products This Year While Spring Cleaning
Spring cleaning season is almost here: It’s the time of year to clear the clutter, give the home a deep cleaning and get ready for spring and summer festivities. Granted, most of us need more than this annual event to keep our homes free of clutter and germs, but it gives us the push we need to tidy our homes. The City of Portland wanted to raise the recycling rate to 75 percent by 2015. Portlanders can help by using green services and making informed choices. If you don’t want to use a local company like Maid in Portland Eco-Friendly Cleaning, LLC, you can do the hard work yourself and…
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Lean, Green, and Working from Home
Environmental, Social and Economic Effects of Your Commute Do you love to leave your warm house every morning and get into a cold car? Does rush hour traffic fill you with joy? Do you enjoy donating thousands of dollars to the petrochemical companies in exchange for their gasoline? If so, this article is not for you. If, on the other hand, you wish there were real alternatives to car-based commuting, read on. Best to Worst – Ways to Get to Work #1. Work from home. The number one most environmentally benign way to get to work is to walk into the next room. There is no commute. You’ll get more…
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Stress, What is it Good For?
Absolutely nothing. Ok, so that’s not entirely true. But 99.9% of reactions to stress nowadays are harmful and unnecessary. Most of us have heard that the physiologic (body) response to stress has evolved to run away from woolly mammoths or saber-tooth tigers or something along those lines. Here’s a whirlwind tour of what stress is doing to you and your body, why it sucks, and what you can do about it to have a happier, more kick-ass life. Well, ok, great, but we were also club-swinging unibrow-sporting troglodytes (word of the day for ya). Things have changed. So why on earth would morning traffic and work deadlines cause the same…
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Mr. Graunke and His Dream Car
There are some dreams that just never die and there are some people that will never quit pursuing them. Gary Graunke had such a dream and for the last 46 years he has been pursuing it. The dream began in 1966, when two representatives from General Motors came to Gary’s high school and talked about electric drive fuel cell vehicles, which they believed were “just around the corner”. In an electronics shop course, Gary was already working with electric drive motors to propel a large three-wheeled robot, so it was easy for him to see the potential for an electric car. The quest was on, but he was a little…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
