Green Sprouts Organic Baby Fest Sept. 26
Calling all parents (and parents-to-be)! Get informed and entertained at Green Sprouts Baby Fest, set for Saturday, September 26 at Peninsula Park. This gathering features over 90 non-profits and green businesses vetted by the ubiquitous Re-Direct Guide. Find a pre-natal yoga instructor, a midwife, and a daycare co-op in one fell swoop. Get the scoop on non-toxic nurseries, organic clothing, safe toys, and more. In addition to exhibitors, Green Sprouts also offers a variety of seminars and interactive events for the whole family, including sing-a-longs, a kids clothes/books/toys swap, and even a baby sling fashion show! Follow Green Sprouts on Twitter for the latest.
Attendees are encouraged to take public transit as the MAX Yellow Line drops you off just blocks away at North Rosa Parks Way. Organizers aim for the event to be zero-waste, so leave the organic handi-snacks at home, folks.
$3 suggested donation to benefit Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative.
Location: Peninsula Park
Time: 10 am to 5 pm
Filed Under: Eco Ideas, Education, Green Home, Portland, Sustainable | Tagged:
The Muddy Boot Festival 2009: A Soulful Celebration of Sustainable Living
Holy cow, the Muddy Boot Festival is almost here! Now in its fourth year, this lively, three-day outdoor festival celebrates all manners of sustainable living in Portland, so get your tickets now and show your support for making our town greener and cleaner than ever before.
Highly recommended is Friday’s keynote address by environmental activist and prolific author Bill McKibben, whose work deals with how local communities can come together to combat global climate change. McKibben wants everyone to know about “the most important number in the world,” 350. As in 350 parts per million, the safe upper limit ofCO2 in the atmosphere as identified by scientists (see 350.org). The talk begins 7 pm on Friday, September 11. Tickets are $20/general and $15/students in advance; $25 at the door.
Muddy Boot continues through the weekend. Get fed on organic food and drink in the marketplace. Get informed via workshops and panel discussions with local sustainability advocates (the list of speakers reads like a who’s who of pdx green experts). Get down to live music by awesome local bands. Kids entertainment, too. Puppets! Recycled arts and crafts! Did I mention March Fourth Marching Band will be there Saturday night? Sounds like some good, wholesome fun for all.
Location: St. Philip Neri Church, 2408 SE 16th Avenue
Click here for the full schedule.
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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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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!
Filed Under: Eco Ideas, Education, Food, Sustainable | Tagged:
School Air Quality Concerns in NW Portland
Some recent air quality concerns have arisen with residents of Northwest Portland. USA Today ran a report in December of 2008 called “The Smokestack Effect” which detailed and rated the worst schools in America as far as environmental air quality. Normally you don’t associate Portland with dirty air, but it seems that Chapman Elementary is among the worst 2% of schools for air quality because of it’s close proximity to ESCO Corp in NW (a metals manufacturer). Residents of the area have also been concerned for years about the light black dust that settles on their cars, lawns, and homes. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is a reactionary organization that has essentially refused to acknowledge the problem, or even their responsibility in the matter. Residents have complained that DEQ is esentially useless and does not want to help. With ESCO’s DEQ air quality permit up for renewal, the push is on from residents who would like more oversight and monitoring of the air quality around the factory. Most residents would be happy with air quality monitoring, and most don’t really want the factory shut down as it provides donations and jobs to the local community and economy. Jump over to Neighborhood Notes for more details, or USA Today for their report on “The Smokestack Effect”.
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