I have gone to a couple of the Illahee Lectures over the years.  Next week (Thursday, February 28, 2008) looks particularly interesting to anyone interested in trash: it is titled "Why We Buy" by Juliet Schor.

The other Illahee lectures I have attended have been pretty good.  They are held at the First Congregational Church (1126 SW Park).  The church has some pretty neat architecture and has a cozy, semi-circle layout.  Peter Schoonmaker, the president of the organization, gets up and gives a nice introduction of the speaker.  Then the speaker takes it away.  Then, there's time for questions and answers.  Pretty standard format; I don't really know why I am sharing this information, but there ya go.

Most people buy the entire set of the Illahee Lecture Series tickets.  If you can't do that (like myself), individual lecture tickets go on sale a week before the event. 



I like Illahee for a few reasons. 

First, Peter Schoonmaker gave me an informational interview when I first moved to Portland and I didn't have a clue about anything.  All I knew was that I wanted to work with trash.  He was very nice, and pointed me in the direction of a couple of folks in the waste management industry.  He introduced me to The Coffee Plant, which is a nice coffee shop directly below Illahee's offices.

Second, I like their mission statement:
"A non-profit organization, Illahee provides participants with practical tools for understanding the nature of our home here in the Pacific Northwest, and for taking care of it. We provide the region opportunities for science-based, policy-relevant environmental inquiry." 

Third, in response to one of my $10 donations, I got a very nice hand-written thank-you note.  I am a sucker for thank-you notes.  Illahee will probably get $10 from me every year, despite the fact that the first three letters of their name look ridiculous next to each other.  From my perspective, Illahee presents a nice cross-section of science, policy, conversation, and community development.  

Even if you can't make the "Why We Buy" lecture, try and check out some other topics.  The Illahee 2008 Lecture Series runs through May. 

That's the ticket,
Meredith