Transformational Lecture Series: Towards an American Architecture
Featuring Robert Young, this lecture will outline four topics crucial for Oregon: close at hand food production, transportation networks, diminished reliance upon imported energy sources, and urban regions growing compactly and responsively to the availability of local resources. More...

Holiday Jewelry Shopping and Wine Tasting at EcoTrust
Siri Jewelry and Scott Paul Wines will showcase their wares and wines during a celebratory event. RSVP requested at kellykarr@scottpaul.com.
Fri, Dec 4, 6pm-9pm
EcoTrust Building, 2nd Fl, 721 NW 9th Ave

Green Day Forum with Bill Bradbury
Green Day Forum offers a unique opportunity to hear regional leaders discuss cutting-edge strategies, policies and technologies needed to guide the building industry towards meeting the Architecture 2030 Challenge of achieving carbon neutrality. Space is limited, register early.
Fri, Dec 4, 7:30am-6:30pm
Earth Advantage National Center, 16280 SW Upper Boones Ferry Rd

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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...

Your number one green building resource is the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, which is hosting an Ecoroof Vendor Fair free to the public on April 25th. But we know that these times call for cash, so we've gathered your top money back options to aid your green remodel.

4 Areas to Check
Have you used our Personal Energy Analyzer yet? If you don't own a Chinook Book, you can download it right here. Reducing your water heater temperature, lowering your thermostat (or raising it this summer), and eliminating phantom power suckers can save you money with zero cost up front.

Cash and Tax Incentives
Review the list of cash incentives from Energy Trust for home weatherization, heating and cooling, water heating, and renewable energy.

• Clothes washer: $75-$100 back
• Refrigerator: $50 and $30 to recycle your old model
• Solar water heating: Up to $1,500
• Duct sealing: Up to $400 (Use Energy Star's DIY guide to insulation and sealing)

Energy Trust can help you navigate the Oregon Residential Energy Tax Credit, where you can save up to $1000 on appliances and heating improvements. Finally, be sure to check the Energy Trust allies page for incentives on installation of windows, heaters, and more.

Using water also uses the electricity needed to pump it to you and through your home. Apply for a $100 WaterSense toilet rebate if you purchase a certified toilet and install free faucet aerators, low-flow showerheads, and toilet displacement bags from the Portland Water Bureau.

Get a Professional Audit
Get a free 1 hour home energy review, conducted by a professional, through Energy Trust. More...

With Valentine’s Day come and gone, you may begin pondering just how many artificial ingredients are in those little candy hearts. Amongst the flowers and teddy bears, it’s impossible not to notice all the red and pink candy displays at the market.

It’s also impossible that all that packaging doesn’t end up in the garbage.

Here are some ideas on how you can cut down on waste and find creative gifts made from what is normally thrown away. More...

I started thinking about what to write for this month’s article, and the topic of New Year’s resolutions inevitably came up. What better way to put an old saying into practice, “out with the old, in with the new,” than by composting? I’ve been meaning to start composting for a long while now, and always find some sort of excuse. Usually it’s because 1) I live in an apartment building and don’t have the space, e.g. a yard, or 2) I’m a little freaked out that a pile of food waste under my sink will start to smell and attract flies and offend my guests! Well, this year I told myself no excuses and set out to find some answers to these concerns. It turns out both of these concerns can be promptly discarded. More...

It's a busy Thursday here while we work to get out our September newsletter and coupon offers (you can sign up in that box in the upper right corner), so this time we'll inspire you and send you on your way to local salvage shops.

Recently, a Martha Stewart email caught our eye with this crafty repurposing of window shutters as an entryway organizer. Salvage stores always have oodles of weathered, sunbeaten old shutters which would look great for this project. Secure the slider and screw them to the wall, then slip cards and notes in. Vintage hooks could be affixed to the bottom to hold keys. I plan to use an even number of shutters to create a trompe l'oeil style window in my windowless entryway. Below are your local salvage shops and coupons, including a free online coupon for paint! More...

Sitting in the Urban Grind Coffeehouse talking about natural building with Lydia Doleman, owner of the Portland-based natural building company Flyer Hammer Productions, I could feel my jealousy of her job coalescing. I had just completed her class An Introduction to Carpentry for Women, which I’d taken through The Rebuilding Center, and was ready to trade in my computer – my current primary tool – for a table saw. Inspired and empowered by the possibilities that my new skill presented, I was compelled to find out what it’s like to be a woman in a (stereo)typically male profession and to understand the spin that natural building puts on the construction trade.

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Join the Portland chapter of Green Drinks for a special presentation and get a Chinook Book at half off! Green Drinks is a Yahoo group. To join the email list or sign up for the group visit the Yahoo Green Drinks page.

From the press release:
Please join us at 7 pm on Tuesday, June 3rd for a special Green Drinks and Net Impact
event - "Secrets of the Green Hiring Professionals" presented by Willamette Week and
Ecometro. More...

Need building materials, craft materials, or maybe just to get out of the house? Have you heard of the ReBuilding Center? Trust me, once you visit this place, just off Fremont, at 3625 N. Mississippi, you will never go back to that horror of all horrors, Home Depot.

This weekend, Jeremy, Selah, and I all piled in the Volvo and headed out. Jeremy needed some building supplies for a volunteer project he is heading up, and thought he would at least start at the ReBuilding Center. I was just curious. Selah is an involuntary participant in whatever we do. More...