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The 20 on Hawthorne

SE 20th and Hawthorne is now host to “The 20 on Hawthorne” a 51 unit complex of LEED silver certified homes.  The homes feature energy efficient lighting and heating, low VOC paints and surfacing, and Energy Star appliances.  The complex also boasts Portlands first (and the nations largest) puzzle lift parking garage (See the video here).  A large eco-roof with drought resistant indigenous plants tops the whole complex off reducing rainwater runoff and further insulating the building. See more on this complex at Seeing Green.

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Bicycle Highways in Copenhagen

Did you know that over half of Copenhagen’s residents commute by bike daily? To support and encourage this, Copenhagen has announced plans to spend $47 million on a project to build bicycle superhighways between central Copenhagen and its suburbs. Imagine extra-wide, extra-smooth, bike paths equipped with service stations so you can have some water or re-inflate a flat tire. Best of all is the Green Wave feature, which allows cyclists to hit only green lights if they maintain a certain speed (about 20 km/hr). Anyone who bikes knows it’s kind of a pain to have to stop and start all the time, hence the trackstand heroics you see bikers performing at red lights around town (ok, ok, some of that is just showing off). These bike highways will surely make the typical Copenhagen commute even more comfortable and efficient, even luxurious.

The more bicycle infrastructure is built, the more commuters will prefer to bike rather than drive. Anyone who rides the Springwater Corridor, Portland’s bike ‘highway’ (actually a multi-use path) between the central Eastside and Gresham, knows it hardly measures up to Copenhagen’s criteria for what constitutes a bike superhighway (more on that at TreeHugger). I love the Springwater but it’s a bumpy ride with some downright sketchy intersections. I can’t really see a Gresham commuter finding it a comfortable, efficient way to get to work.

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1.5 Gigawatt Wind Farm in China

Jiuquan city in the Gansu province of China will be getting 500 megawatts of wind power this year, with another gigawatt to come shortly after.  The total 1.5GW farm will reduce Chinas carbon emissions about 3.5 Gigatons a year while supplying over a million homes with clean renewable electricity.  This news follows shortly after news of about 2 more gigawatts of wind power planned for the Inner Mongolian region of China.  The China Huaneng Group will be building the wind farm which they hope will bring them up to their goal of having a 10 Gigawatt renewable energy portfolio by the end of 2010.

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Southern Utes Invest in Algae

In nature, nothing is wasted. One organism’s waste stream becomes anothers source of energy. Wouldn’t it be great if that principle was applied to our carbon dioxide emissions? Natural gas plants, for instance, vent huge quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Research on capturing that carbon, feeding it to carbon-loving algae, and harvesting the resulting algae oil to be the feedstock for biodiesel has been underway for some time. Check out a diagram of that process here. Recently, Solix Biofuels, an alternative energy start up based in Colorado, has capitalized on this research by installing an algae farm at a natural gas plant on the Southern Utes Indian Reservation. According to the New York Times, the Southern Utes have invested heavily in the project. Since the tribe makes its investment decisions with many future generations (not just quarterly profits) in mind, they had the long-run vision needed to make the project profitable.

Maybe every power plant needs an algae farm.

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Solarize Portland

Solarize Portland is a new take on San Francisco’s 1 Block off the Grid project that helps entire neighborhoods band together to buy solar parts, planning, and installing solar panels in bulk.  The residents of Mt. Tabor are going to have the opportunity to attend several planning meetings where the Energy Trust of Oregon will give homeowners the opportunity to have their home estimated for a solar panel installation.  The obligation free estimate and site survey and planning information will give the opportunity to see if a solar installation is possible for their budget.  Though the homeowner has to cover the entire installation out of their own pocket, up to 80% of the money will be refunded using solar rebates from the local and federal government funds. See more at Neighborhood Notes.

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Nena Baker, author of The Body Toxic, To Speak at Powells Thurs, 8/20

Investigative journalist Nena Baker, author of The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Wellbeing, will be speaking at the downtown Powells this Thursday, August 20 (two days from now!) at 7:30 pm. Her work reveals a disturbing underside to many of the modern items we take for granted. What are flame retardents and waterproofers and other wonders of modernity actually doing to our endocrine systems? If you think there’s already someone regulating these complex chemicals, think again. Baker’s work provides a much-needed and slightly disturbing (though not alarmist), reality check for consumers.
Read the book, meet the author!

Location: 1005 W Burnside St, 97209

Time: Thursday, August 20th, 7:30 pm

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Rooftop Wind Turbines in Portland

Southwest Windpower has just installed 4 wind turbines to the new residential tower on 12st street in downtown Portland, Oregon.  The 4 wind turbines will power a portion of the buildings electrical needs and will serve as an experiment for the viability of rooftop wind power.  The Energy Trust of Oregon paid for the turbines atop the LEED Platinum certified tower where they will only provide about 1% of the total power for the building.  See more (including a video) at Jetson Green.

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Hanes Embraces Hemp

Portland based Naturally Advanced Technologies has come up with a natural enzyme based process that makes hemp fiber as soft as cotton.  That would launch hemp fiber into the mainstream as a competitive alternative to cotton as the softness is the only thing keeping this crop from being the biggest and most sustainable way to make fabrics for cheap with less environmental impact.  Hemp can grow in harsher conditions, grows faster, longer, and produces far more (the whole plant can be used rather than just bits of fluff from the pods).  All of this makes hemp a very cheap way to have organic fabrics for the masses.  The only environmentally friendly alternative to mainstream cotton at this time is organic cotton.  Although organic cotton does exist, it is over 60% more expensive than regular cotton and has nearly zero market presence because of that.  If the Crailar hemp technology takes flight, then you can expect to see denim, paper towels, paper, and clothing fabric all to be made out of hemp in the future.  Hanes has already taken notice, so the next time you pick up a pack of tightie whities they might just be made of hemp instead of cotton.

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Amazing mini habitat for your home

Brick Habitats change a vertical wall of your home into the perfect habitat for both plants and animals.  Birds can rest, bathe, eat, and nest in the specially designed bricks that can be placed onto your home.  Different styles have different purposes, like nesting for different species of birds, or a different shape to host the perfect environment for planting a climbing vine.  Its like having a mini condo complex for birds and a garden right on your home.

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Portland Flocks to Hear Joel Salatin Speak

Today, August 13 is likely your best opportunity to see the gregarious and visionary Joel Salatin speak in person. Founder of Polyface Farm, Salatin is a small-scale organic farmer whose pasture-based method of raising meat and eggs and selling them directly to consumers offers an ecological alternative to polluting, diseased, anonymous, corn-fed animal products. He will be giving a talk tonight from 7 to 9 pm at Friendship Masonic Center. Proceeds benefit Hollywood Farmers Market.

Salatin is worth seeking out as has a unique gift for communicating how urgently we need to overhaul our food production systems, all the way from the farm to your table. According to Salatin, he is “…in the redemption business: healing the land, healing the food, healing the economy, and healing the culture” (from his farm’s website). Salatin’s work has been popularized by Michael Pollan in The Omnivores Dilemma. He was also featured in the movie Food, Inc..

In addition to being a slow food darling, Salatin’s written quite a few books of his own, including the following:

Pastured Poultry Profit$: Describes the how and why one would keep chickens on pasture. If you keep chickens at all (even a flock of three like I do) this one is a real eye-opener. I love the eggmobile!

Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal: A scathing critique of agricultural regulations (and government regulations in general) that have been designed without regard for the small-scale, organic grower.

The Lecture:
Friendship Masonic Center from 7 to 9 pm today, August 13. 5626 NE Alameda Street (57th and NE Sandy Blvd.) $25.

A benefit for Hollywood Farmers Market. Get tickets at the the Hollywood Farmers Market this Saturday from 8 am - 1 pm or by contacting the Market at 503-709-7403 or tickets@hollywoodfarmersmarket.org.

Thought you should know he’s got a few other stops planned, too:
Urban Farm Store from 4:30-5:30 today, August 13. 1925 SE Morrison St. 97214. Free!
Whole Foods in Tigard Oregon from 11-12 noon on Friday, August 14. 7380 SW Bridgeport Rd 97224. Also free!

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