Cirque du Cycling, the Portland bike parade, came and went like…well…a parade. People lined up and down Mississippi Avenue to witness the spectacle of collected bike groups. Our family rode with a group of cargo/utility bike users. Aside from all being larger bikes, this group shares the belief that bikes are superb vehicles for moving large objects from place to place. James--seen in the photo below with his dog Louie who sits in a custom made box atop his Xtracycle--made our banner, which pretty much summed up our group’s thinking: WeGO Cargo! More...

On Art Mondays we bring you innovative, inspiring examples of artists working with and for the environment.

Sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor creates cement figures from models--including students and a BBC presenter-- and then places them underwater as artificial reefs, where sea sponges and worms can collect on the hard surface and attract fish and other underwater residents searching for a stable home. Check out the images of the works changing over time, it's both eerie and beautiful how the sea overtakes the forms.
One more image after the jump. All images courtesy Jason deCaires Taylor. More...

If you haven't participated in Pedalpalooza, a month of exploring Portland by bicycle, start by bringing your bike tomorrow for the City Green Building Ride hosted by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. I'm still reading through the draft Climate Action Plan from the City of Portland, and looking forward to this ride to shed some light on the details. See you there!

From Shift2Bikes:
CITY GREEN BUILDING RIDE
Ecotrust, 721 NW 9th Avenue (3rd floor deck)
3:00pm - 5:00pm

Waterfront tour of green buildings starting at Ecotrust and ending at South Waterfront.  Visit a mix of new and existing certified green buildings while visualizing a carbon-neutral future through the lens of the City's proposed High Performance Green Building Policy and Climate Action Plan.

Vinh Mason, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, 503-823-3246 More...

After an extended, gray winter, Seattle is now enjoying the kind of summer that reminds us why we live here.

As the long-awaited sunshine pulls us from our fleece cocoons and recharges our vitamin D levels, THIS SPACE is here to remind you that sunshine also offers one of the simplest, low-investment opportunities for saving electricity -- the solar clothes dryer. You might recognize this energy-efficient technology better as a clothesline.

Hanging clothes to dry used to be a commonplace event, but largely disappeared with the arrival of affordable, convenient appliances.

That convenience comes with a cost, which you can turn into a savings. More...

By Carrie Treadwell, Community Outreach Manager

For an easy weekend escape, spend a day in the splendor of old growth trees in the Mt Hood National Forest. Some of the largest and most magnificent trees in Oregon are located along the Salmon River in Welches. Take Hwy 26 east to Welches and turn right on Salmon River Rd. Follow Salmon River Rd into the Mt Hood National Forest. There are several areas to park, and many easy walking trails to explore along the river. Perfect for families and folks of all ages. Great for biking too!

Don’t forget your camera- the surrounding scenery is definitely worth capturing!

Image: Flickr/Creative Commons More...

I want to add the phrase “everyday cycling” to our language. I first heard this when I was a guest on the KBOO Bike Show (May 2009) with hosts Ayleen Crotty (organizer of Filmed By Bike) and Tori Bortman (owner of Gracie’s Wrench). Before the show, I head Tori use everyday cycling, and being the word geek that I am, I asked about the nuances of her phrase. A discussion ensued, and I am now convinced that everyday cycling needs to be part of our language.

There is a sizable group of people who fall under the term everyday cycling, myself included, but my riding habits are usually described as bike commuting. Until now.

Image used with permission of metrofiets.com. Pictured: Ella Ross and Phillip Ross. Picture taken by Maile Leithea. Check out the Metrofiets photostream! More...

You're a member of our community who knows green, knows us, and can review local merchants to help others be in the know, too. ecometro.com has the most complete, mappable and robust directory of green products and businesses in Portland, but it depends on reviews from savvy locals like you.

In exchange for your opinions on businesses you love, we are offering a Chinook Book to readers who write five merchant reviews on our site.

Ready? Set? Go! Here are your instructions: More...

Becki Walker writes about farmers market manners on Fridays and crafts recipes. We're running a recipe a day until May 22nd.

I consider myself a somewhat philosophical person, as do, I imagine, a goodly number of people who read this blog.  Chewing over questions in our brains is a good exercise for our mental mastication muscles, but I’ve taken the teeth out of one question: for the purposes of this blog, the chicken comes after the egg. Yesterday we ventured into the shelled world, today we’ll focus on our feathered friends. More...

Today we celebrated the birthdays of Carrie T, Community Outreach Manager, and Kyla B, Sustainable Business Accounts Manager (at right). The Organic Martinelli's, white wine, and mini cupcakes made for a Friday afternoon party! That's Eric L, Director of Business Development, pouring the bday wine.

Happy weekend from Chinook Book! More...