Donate to the Portland Fruit Tree Project
In 2009 over 14,798 lbs of fruit was collected and given to those in need, saving it from falling and going to waste on the sidewalks. The Portland Fruit Tree Project is an amazing idea that both helps fight hunger and waste, while increasing urban sustainability in a very green way. The PFTP collects fruit from trees in the city that would otherwise go to waste, all fruit is either in a public space or has been donated by the property owner. No more walking down the street to find perfectly good plums rotting and squishing underfoot from where they fell, now the little old lady with too many plums can have volunteers collect them from the trees in her yard and then then take them to the food bank. Fresh fruit and vegetables are critical to a healthy diet, yet often are unavailable at a reasonable cost which prevents lower income families from enjoying fresh food. With the Portland Fruit Tree Project, all of the food is used and used by those who need it most.
Now through December 31st, 2009 the Portland Fruit Tree Project has a generous anonymous donor that will do a 50% match on whatever donations are collected. That means that your donation now can make 50% more of an impact to the hungry of the Portland area. You can also Gift a donation. The donation goes to the project and they send a holiday gift card to the person who you gifted it for thanking them for the donation in their name. Give the gift of local healthy food to the hungry and urban sustainability for us all to share.
To donate to this amazing project write a check to or donate online:
The Portland Fruit Tree Project
1912 NE Killingsworth St
Portland, OR 97211
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Seattle gets a look at the Nissan Leaf
In the year 2010 900 Seattle area residents are going to become the lucky new owners of the Nissan Leaf. The Nissan Leaf is poised to become the most affordable all electric car available at $28,000 to $35,000 before a $7,500 government kickback. The Nissan Leaf has zero emissions, and to prove it just try to find the tailpipe (Hint: There isn’t one). The car can charge using a 220volt charging outlet (like the one that your dryer runs on), which will be installed in the owners garage as well as in public places around town. The car also has a solar panel that is able to keep the clock running even if you run out of charge. The public charging stations are going to be at some downtown parking spots as well as being increasingly spotted at supermarkets and businesses around the Puget Sound area. The GPS unit inside of the car can even help you find the nearest charging station if you are running low on juice. Thanks to a $100 million dollar grant as part of the stimulus package many more areas of Seattle are going to get electric charging stations as Mayor Greg Nickels tries to push his city ahead of Portland and San Francisco, two other west coast cities that are wiring their cities for the electric vehicle revolution. Click here to read more from the Seattle Times.
Filed Under: Eco Ideas, Green Energy, News, Northwest, Sustainable | Tagged:
Hawaii to use cold ocean water for A/C
Joining Toronto and Stockholm, Hawaii is soon going to be cooled by cold water from the depths of the ocean. Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning LLC is installing seawater cooling in 40 buildings before 2012 when the first ones go live. The deep sea water is transported through the buildings to cool them instead of taxing the energy grid during peak hours in order to keep the air conditioning running. Hawaii’s energy is particularly expensive, so this will mean a great deal to the island. The wastewater is returned to the ocean at a depth where that temperature of water is natural and will not be harmful to the aquatic life. See more photos and an arial map at Inhabitat.
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Walkscore Transit
Walkscore is a website that ranks the walkability of a location based on what is around it and how far away it is. A high Walkscore means that you live in a walkable neighborhood with close access to everything that you need. A low Walkscore means that you are going to have to use your car to get to the basics of life, unless you like walking long distances. Walkscore calculates the score of a location based on an evolving algorithm that now includes the public transportation lines for many cities in the US (and more are being added all the time). By including public transportation lines, the Walkscore number is now more accurate than ever. However, Walkscore is asking for your help. Many cities will not publish their transportation routes to the public internet via a feed, but they will provide it to Google. Walkscore needs this information in order to bring their new algorithm to all of the supported areas. Cut the red tape and let the information flow, Sign the Walk Score Transit Feed Petition