Community News

LWV weigh in on ballot measures

The League of Women Voters of Portland will host debates on three local ballot measures, Monday evening, October 10, from 7 to 9 pm. They’ll examine how the measures will affect our city and county and learn what pro and con advocates are saying about them. The debates will be held in the Multnomah County Board Room, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

The LWV has invited speakers representing both sides of the following measures:

Measure 26-179, Affordable Housing Bond, City of Portland

Measure 26-183, Appointed Sheriff, Multnomah County

Measure 26-184, Campaign Finance Reform, Multnomah County

The Voter Information Forum is free and open to the public.  Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Parking is available on the street. Multnomah County Building is easily accessed by public transportation. Trimet options include bus lines 4, 6, 10, 14, 15 and the Portland Streetcar.

The forum will be recorded by MetroEast Community Media for rebroadcast and online streaming from LWVPDX.org. Funding for the recording is provided by the Multnomah Bar Foundation.

A State Ballot Measures Forum was held Sept. 12. That Forum is now online and streaming from LWVPDX.org. It included a presentation on the Fundamentals of the Oregon Budget, a review of Measure 96 (Veterans Services); 98 (High School Success); 99 (Outdoor School); and a debate on Measure 97 (Increase to the corporate minimum tax).

 

Recycling tip for October

By Bonita Davis, Master Recycler and Sunnyside resident

Bulk Up!

Ever notice how much packaging can be generated just by buying groceries? Plastics, papers, bottles, jars, and cartons are only a partial list.  Shopping the bulk aisles can cut down on packaging waste and has a few other advantages; buying just the amount you need, having a fresher product because of faster turnover, free recipes, and maybe a saving on cost per pound.

Food packaging adds approximately 8% to the cost of our food.  Buying a larger quantity reduces packaging therefore reducing shipping weight and costs. The long shelf life of items such as beans, grains, and pastas make them easy to buy in quantity, plus, they are on hand when you need them, and can be an incentive to cook more at home.

Clean glass jars, plastic tubs, tins, and Mason jars all work well when buying and storing bulk foods, just have the tare weight (weight of the container) marked on the container by the cashier before filling.  Use your cellphone as you shop to help you compare prices between packaged and bin foods.

Here is a comparison of peanut butter products from one SE grocery.  Items were non-sale, and the least expensive, basic product.

BULK – Shelled, raw peanuts, ready to grind           12.43 cents/oz.

PACKAGED – Peanut butter in a jar                      15.60 cents/oz.

Peanut butter & crackers wrapped in film                   29.81cents/oz.

Peanut butter whipped in a tub                                30.00 cents/oz.

Peanut butter in a dipping tub                                1.69.00 per oz.

Reducing waste starts with what we put in the cart.  Have fun shopping the bins!   More information on bulk buying at www.earth911.com/food/5-reasons-to-bulk-up-on-food and www.today.com/food/how-buy-food-bulk-save-money-grocery-store-t58971.  Great tips of food storage at: www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/578128

 

Slow way home

Please join us on Tuesday, October 4, for the inaugural screening of The Slow Way Home. This documentary compares how students travel to school comparing Japan and the US, and features families from Milwaukie and Oregon City. FREE!

This event is FREE with a suggested donation to raise funds for Safe Routes to School efforts in Oregon — which includes initiatives to make streets safer for everyone in our community who travels by foot.

Tuesday, October 4 at Clinton Theater – 2522 SE Clinton St

Doors open: 6:30 pm Screening: 7 pm

Panel Discussion: 8 pm (with Len Schoppa, Writer; Skye Fitzgerald, Producer; featured Oregon community members)

Save Peacock Lane

Peacock Lane is currently battling in-fill with a tall “modern box” to be built on the lane’s smallest lot, and there is nothing that can be done to stop the process. The only protection from future damage to Peacock Lane’s charming English cottage character is having the lane listed on the National Register of Historic Districts.  Getting the national recognition is a time-consuming and expensive process, and Lane residents are making every effort to succeed with the designation!

With the assistance of the Architectural Heritage Center, Peacock Lane has started a Go-Fund-Me campaign to help fund the designation process, https://www.gofundme.com/29wwae78.  Donations made through the AHC on behalf of Peacock Lane are tax deductible.

Additionally, the locally owned Portland Nursery is allowing Peacock Lane to participate in the nursery’s 29th annual Apple Tasting event to help raise funds to pay for the designation process.  The lane will have a display at the event to raffle off great items:

Horse Brass Pub gift certificate for $40; Hob Nob Grill 2 gift certificates of $20 each; Live Christmas trees (2) – Portland Nursery; Gourmet Gift Baskets (2) – Olympia Provisions; Reserved parking spaces (5) on the lane during “The Christmas Show”; Gift Certificate for $25 – Slappy Cakes; Limo tour of the lane for 6-8 people during  “The Christmas Show” – Lucky Limousine.

Come enjoy the apples and help support Peacock Lane at Portland Nursery, 5050 SE Stark, Saturday & Sunday, October 8-9 and 15-16, 10 am – 5 pm.

Apple tasting at Portland Nurseryapple-tasting

October 7*, 8, 9,  • October 14, 15, 16 • 10 am- 5 pm

5050 SE Stark St.

Portland Nursery celebrates its 29th annual Apple Tasting festival and they’ll be slicing 50+ apple varieties to taste, and have dozens of locally-grown heirloom apples and pears for sale.

Enjoy fresh-pressed cider, sample treats from local vendors, paint a pumpkin in the kids’ tent, embark on a scavenger hunt, vote for your favorite scarecrow in our scarecrow contest, and dance to live music on Saturdays and Sundays (See page 12 Short Takes). Please bring a donation of non-perishable food for the Oregon Food Bank. Apple Tasting is a Portland tradition! Visit our website for complete details. Web site: www.portlandnursery.com/events/appletasting.shtml

*Friday, Oct. 7th is school field trip day—hundreds of children from metro-area schools will be here! The Kids Tent will not be open, though there will be a special kids show on the stage. If you are interested in bringing a group of 10 or more, please contact the nursery to schedule a time.

Parliament of the World’s Religions

“A Taste of the Parliament: Listening to Other Voices” is a Northwest event featuring panel discussions about three of the declarations of a Parliament of the World’s Religions: climate change – a new paradigm; Indigenous wisdom for recreating our world;  challenging hate speech and violence.

There will be a dinnergiven  by the Sikh Center of Oregon, serving a traditional Langar meal as a sacred offering. A World Music Concert featuring a variety of well known local music artists, including Sky in the Road, Sikh “Gurbani Kirtan” music, Payal Marvaniya – Hindi Dancer, and a Native American music ensemble.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Larry Greenfield, Executive Director of the Parliament from Chicago, will discuss the Parliament of World Religions and its goals.

The elvent is scheduled for Sunday, October 16. Doors open at 1 pm, opening keynote and panel discussions from 1:45 to 6 pm, SikhLangar sacred meal at 6 pm, next World Parliament invitation at 7:30, and World Music Concert at 8 pm. The event will be at the Community of Christ, 4837 NE Couch St. Registration: Currently open for $20 early‐bird registration until October 10th. $30 registration until closing October 14th. Tickets available at http://portlandparliament.eventbrite.com or call 503.238.9880.

ART awards young playwrightsteve

Artists Repertory Theatre (ART) has awarded their 2016 Oregon Play Prize to Steve Rathje, a 2014 graduate of Lake Oswego High School for his play SIGNS.

Now a 21-year-old student at Stanford University. Rathje’s play is a surrealistic comedy about love, purpose and the little things that matter so much to us.

Three finalists were selected from 131 script submissions by 24 readers in a blind-reading format. Scripts were submitted from a well-developed idea to a completed draft, and could not have received a prior production.

The prize is a $10,000 commission for a new play and part of Table/Room/Stage, the new play development program at ART.

Rathje’s play is also a finalist in the 2016 National Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference.

Thinking in Systems: the Climate Big Picture

From season to season it can be confusing whether hurricanes, floods, droughts, or wildfires are unusually harsh or whether they represent significant climate change.  No single event alone can tell us much about climate trends.

If we want to know whether sea level is rising, for example, we have to look at the big picture over time. Taking a systems view can help make sense of isolated incidents.

The global climate system is impressively complex, reflecting patterns on land, ocean, soils, air, and in all life forms. In fact, just about everything is part of the climate system.  Major events such as volcanic eruptions and solar flares can trigger significant changes in climate systems.

Climate observers are especially interested in critical limits or thresholds beyond which a system does not return to its former state. They look for feedback processes that intensify or reduce rates of change, say, in a forest’s capacity to store carbon.

These days everyone is talking about “resilience”; the capacity of a system to absorb or recover from the impacts of a stressful event. If too many stressful climate events occur in one place, it can take quite a toll on a city or region’s support systems. If a system is strong enough to maintain its basic structures and functions after a big hit, then it is said to be “resilient.”

One of the frustrating aspects of climate trend prediction is uncertainty. There’s uncertainty about which places will suffer next and how much; uncertainty about which climate feedback patterns will be set in motion with unexpected results; uncertainty about how infrastructure such as subways and sewage systems will behave under duress or about how people will cope in dealing with adverse situations.

Resilience and coping capacity are two things that can be increased to meet the challenges of climate change uncertainty.  Planting more trees in a city adds shade cover resilience for future heat extremes.

Neighborhood disaster preparation adds more coping capacity if supply sources are cut off. A coordinated bike route system adds options if roads are blocked to cars.

Sometimes it can seem like there is nothing to be done in the face of the complexity of climate change, but taking a systems view offers a way to focus on the Big Picture.

As a way to begin, we can actively prepare for climate change by building resilience and coping capacity in our neighborhoods, cities, and regions.

This might mean taking care of your street’s bioswale to keep it clear in heavy rains or joining with neighbors in a walking school bus to stay in touch and brainstorming ways to add fun and stability in our relations with others.

As a small piece of this project in Portland, a chance is offered to think creatively about resilience through a “Let’s Talk Climate” series in January-April of 2017 at TaborSpace, 5441 SE Belmont St.

See letstalkclimatepdx.org/p/about.html or ask to join the mailing list at contact@letstalkclimatepdx.com.

Stephanie Kaza is professor emerita of University of Vermont. She recently served as Director of the Environmental Program. A native Portlander, she has returned home to add her voice to local climate and sustainability actions.

MCL  annual book sale

The upcoming Friends of the Multnomah County Library’s Annual Fall Used Book Sale, happening October 21-24, 2016 at the Lloyd Center DoubleTree Hotel in Portland. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Multnomah County Library.

This popular annual event features tens of thousands of items at great prices. Shoppers throughout the weekend will find close to two hundred tables full of books, comic books, audio books, LPs, video games, pamphlets, sheet music, and maps – something to match every age and interest!

Friday, Oct. 21, 6 – 9 pm, members only; Saturday, October 22, 9 am – 9 pm; Sunday, October 23, 11 am – 5 pm; Monday, October 24, 9 am – 3 pm – 50% off discount day.

For more information about the sale and to become a Friends member, visit friends-library.org or call 503.224.9176.

61ST ANNUAL ALL SAINTS HOLIDAY BAZAAR – Saturday Nov. 12 from 9 am-4 pm  Over 40 local artisans and crafters showcasing amazing handmade goods for that perfect gift for the holidays. The popular Treasure Table will be back with antiques and collectibles and the kids only shopping room where little ones can shop with nickels and dimes. Homemade baked goods will be for sale and the Cafe’s fresh coffee, pastries and a full lunch menu. $1 raffle tickets for wonderful prizes. Contact the parish office for information and raffle tickets. There’s something for everyone! 3847 NE Glisan St. 503.232.4305 allsaintsportland.org

HEALING AT THE EDGE: Practices for Living and Dying with Dale Borglum, PhD. October 28 and 29 at First Unitarian Church Eliot Center 1211 SW Main St., sponsored by Living Earth. Info and registration at livingearthoregon.org/healing-edge Early registration discount before October 1. Student discounts available. This program is designed for individuals lay caregivers, and healthcare professionals.

RALLY FOR CLEAN AIR – October 5, 5 pm at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLKing Jr. Blvd. Before the event, clean air advocacy groups host a rally to share visions for clean, healthy air in our communities. Show DEQ the massive public support for real change! Speaker list and program description will be updated closer to the event.  All Oregonians deserve to breathe clean air all of the time – a shared vision among leading advocates for the blueprint for Cleaner Air Oregon.

POWELL-DIVISION STEERING COMMITTEE meetings will be October 3 from 4 – 6:30 pm at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 9901 SE Caruthers St. Public comment will be heard at the beginning of the meeting. For project specific questions, contact: Elizabeth Mros-O’Hara, Metro Project Manager, Elizabeth.Mros-OHara@oregonmetro.gov, 503.797.1641.

TESTIFY ON NEW ZONING – Portland residents are invited to testify on the Comprehensive Plan Early Implementation Package at public hearings in October. City Council Public Hearings are October 6 and 13, at 2 pm, 
City Hall Council Chambers, 1221 SW 4th Ave. Community members may provide testimony to City Council in writing through October 13, 2016, by email: cputestimony@portlandoregon.gov with subject line “Comprehensive Plan Implementation” or U.S. Mail: 
Portland City Council 
1221 SW 4th Ave, Room 130 
Portland, OR 97204 
Attn: Comprehensive Plan Implementation.Testify about specific properties or transportation proposals through the Map App: portlandmaps.com

 MASTER RECYCLERS CERTIFICATION registration is open for the January/February 2017 Multnomah County course. The deadline is December 7. Register at masterrecycler.org/upcoming-course-details

WEATHERIZATION WORKSHOP – Free workshop where participants learn how to stop drafts in their home, especially around doors and windows to save energy and increase comfort. Qualified participants receive a free kit of weatherization supplies. Sat, Oct 15, 10:30 am – 12:30pm – Midland Library, 805 SE 122nd Ave. Lead Poisoning Prevention Workshop. Great for households with children or pregnant women in housing older than 1978. Qualified participants receive a free kit of safety and testing supplies! Wed, Oct 12, 6-7:30 pm and  Tues, Oct 25, 6-7:30 pm  at the Community Energy Project, 2900 SE Stark St Suite A.

 

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