The sign post that read “I’m an Oregon Native” was the first thing that caught my eye as I drove up to the Oregon native plant nursery, Bosky Dell, located at 23321 SW Bosky Dell Lane in West Linn, Oregon (about 25 minutes southeast of Portland). 

I am a self-confessed city girl who like thousand of others heard the “Portland calling” and moved here on a whim. It’s now five years later and I’m starting to understand the concept of “native” as I appreciate all of Oregon’s natural surroundings. More...

Cheryl Janis explores local businesses, many with coupons in Chinook Book. Artemisia, a store of art and garden curios, has a coupon for $5 off and many surprises.

I had walked by Artemisia Garden Nursery and Gallery (110 SE 28th Avenue) a few times on my way to the grocery store before I actually ventured in.  

The dazzling window display is a design lover’s dream, and each time I looked in, I felt like a child gazing into the window of a candy store. It was a magic and wondrous moment.

I specifically remember standing outside of the store in the rain, my head moving from side to side, my eyes peering in the window, wanting to see more, and promising myself that I would return. Yet, somehow, I felt a bit intimidated. After all, while I am proficient in many things including design, I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to things plants and garden, I have a beginner’s mind and a not-so-green thumb. More...

It doesn't take a genius to understand how the manufacturing process of any product can take its toll on the environment through things like the release of chemicals down the drain, which often end up in our rivers and/or oceans. It's just something we often don't think about.

Right here in our backyard, the period lighting store Schoolhouse Electric has a manufacturing process committed to reducing the impact of chemical processes we take for granted when admiring items like brass. Schoolhouse Electric’s high standards are evident in details like their closed system manufacturing, recyclable fixtures, and reusing of chemicals. More...

Decorating our personal spaces with the earth in mind is a green city attitude that Portland dwellers are famous for. Almost every neighborhood in the urban zone boasts some kind of used furniture and home accessories vintage store (including the well-known Rebuilding Center, coupon here) that is in no way boring or dull. Quite the contrary. These boutiques are hip, fashionable, stylish, affordable, and most importantly are considered green, keeping unnecessary items out of the landfill.

For example, the mid-century modern, retro, used furniture, and home accessories boutique Lounge Lizard (1310 SE Hawthorne Blvd.) is a funky place for people who don't want their home decor to come from the same catalog as their neighbor's. The store is packed from top to bottom with velvet couches, ceramic lamps, retro coffee tables, psychedelic wall art... and that's just the entrance! As owner Christopher Twombley says, "Each piece tells a story. More...

After dusting off my snow packed boots and entering the fair trade gurus Ten Thousand Villages (coupon) Portland store located in the center of the Pearl District (914 NW Everett Street), I suddenly felt myself traveling through exotic lands far, far away. The rich colors in the fabrics of Pakistan and the dark wood grains of Indonesian wood tables made my heart sing.

I could almost feel the beating heart of the various nations represented in the vast array of beautifully handcrafted home accessories and furnishings.

Behind the volunteer-based non-profit organization that boasts 150 stores nationwide, and 50 in Canada, is an intimate story connected to each fairly traded and sustainably handcrafted item, that when purchased serves to help others (often women) in third world countries earn a living wage. That translates to the ability to make a huge difference in the lives of others with little cost to you and I.

Here are some highlights. More...

When it comes to beautiful and earth-friendly gift ideas for the holiday shopping season, I am reminded of how lucky I am to live in one of the greenest cities in the country. With easy access to local, sustainable, and fairly traded products that support the local economy and contribute to good old fashioned planetary healing, shopping for holiday gifts for family and friends now carries with it an opportunity to make a difference. That, plus it's a lot of fun to take a piece of Portland to people in other places.

Stumped on where to start? Let me help. Here are three of my current favorite green gift ideas that also make wonderful stocking stuffers: More...