Food Forestry & Regenerative Gardening
The Multnomah Master Gardeners Series
Tuesday, February 13 • 7 pm
TaborSpace
5441 SE Belmont Street
“A Food Forest is a human-designed, edible forest ecosystem. Imagine wandering through a flourishing forest where almost every plant is edible,” said Teague Cullen, the organic farmer behind the Winslow Food Forest, located here in Portland.
Food Forestry is the practice of growing and maintaining intentionally designed ecosystems focusing on perennial food-producing plants and their companions.
Join Teague Cullen at the Multnomah County Master Gardeners Speaker Series, as he highlights some of the methods and practicalities of installing and working with these systems to fit the growers’ needs. As certified permaculture designers, Teague and Melissa Cullen have designed, installed, and managed food forests throughout the Pacific Northwest. They operate a micro-plant nursery, a small produce Harvest Share, and offer edible landscape design services to Portland area residents. This is a free event and all are welcome.
See multnomahmastergardeners.org /503.445.4608
Recycling tips for February
By Bonita Davis, Master Recycler and Sunnyside Resident
Moving from one small space to another should be a snap, right? After all, I didn’t have the contents of a garage, storage buildings, basement or attic to move.
To my surprise, it wasn’t a snap. I had become quite clever in squirreling away stuff I thought might have value or might be of use again someday.
Compacting like a pro, closets, shelves, under the bed, and even baskets became stash spots for stuff that soon became forgotten.
Learning from these hidden surprises, I have a plan to not do this again in my new space. My plan is to either use it up or give it up, and this is how:
- Sell or donate hobby and DIY supplies (paints, bike gear, yarn, garden tools) not being used.
- Buy just what I need and will use from thrift shops and garage sales rather exercising my increased buying power to buy more because it’s affordable.
- Snap digital photos and journal about my travels instead of bringing home objects that gather dust.
- Say “no thanks” to swag and freebies. Most have ended up in a tangle in my junk drawer.
- Share stored family heirlooms, such as dishes and furniture with relatives who might love to have them.
- Continue to work at going digital with paper and photos.
- Pass on books I know I won’t reread or reference, so others can enjoy them.
- Simplify product choices. “Product creep” has led multiples of cleaning products and personal care items. Figure out what works, use up or donate the rest.
Beware of the upsell that appears in the form of bundles, “two-for-the-price-of-one,” or “a dollar more for twice the size.” Sometimes it’s a deal but it can lead to waste, be more costly and clutter up storage space.
Lastly, make a well-worn path to my favorite consignment store to sell unwanted items and deliver my donations to The Community Warehouse, ReBuilding Center, ReStore, Community Cycling Center, Free Geek, and SCRAP PDX.
Online 211.org and nextdoor.com are just two of several resources for getting stuff to other people who can use it.
THE CLEAN ENERGY JOBS BILL: THIS YEAR’S TOP PRIORITY – Let’s Talk Climate starts its third season Thursday, February 8 with a 7 pm public program concerning the Clean Energy Jobs bill. The event will be held at the SEIU Local 49 Union Hall, 3536 SE 26th Ave. Panelists include representatives of the business community, rural Oregon, and environmental organizations.
The bill would set up a fee-and-invest system to reduce carbon emissions, making a significant step in addressing climate change in Oregon. This event is free and open to the public. More information at letstalkclimatepdx.org.
Fair Housing Poster Contest
Calling All Young Artists!
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, the Fair Housing Council of Oregon (FHCO) presents the 20th annual poster contest theme: Fair Housing Lives in Oregon.
The contest is an opportunity to raise awareness among youth of how fair housing laws protect all Oregonians against illegal housing discrimination by promoting equitable access to housing and economic choices.
According to the federal and state fair housing laws, all Oregonians have equal access to housing regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, source of income, marital status, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Oregon students in the 1st – 8th grades are encouraged to design and submit their own posters, exhibiting the importance of housing equality and the value of diversity in our neighborhoods.
The top contest entries receive cash awards and the chance to showcase their artwork at venues throughout Oregon.
Posters must be horizontally oriented on an 11”x17” sheet of white paper or poster board to qualify. All entries must be received no later than 5 pm on Friday, March 16.
Contestants submit their entries to: Oregon Fair Housing Council 1221 SW Yamhill St. #305, Portland, OR 97205
For more information and details on how to enter FHCO’s 20th Annual Fair Housing Poster Contest, visit: fhco.org/index.php/news/poster-competition. Questions? Interested inbeing a volunteer? Contact information@fhco.org.
Twenty is plenty
Portland City Council voted unanimously to lower speed limits on residential streets. It’s a move that will help reduce crashes, save lives, and get us one step closer to reaching Portland’s Vision Zero goals.
Lowering speed limits from 25 to 20 miles per hour may seem like a small change, but research shows it can go a long way in reducing the likelihood and seriousness of crashes on city streets.
To reach the Vision Zero goal of eliminating all fatalities and injuries on our roads, we must lower speed limits on our more dangerous streets.
Bridger PTA Hosts Annual Auction
Saturday, February 17 • 5:30 pm
Madeleine School & Parish, 3240 NE 23rd Ave.
The Bridger School PTA auction directly benefits Bridger Elementary School students. Funds provide buses for educational field trips and afterschool classes including choir, basketball, dance, Lego robotics, teacher and classroom supplies, and an additional week of SUN program afterschool classes.
The auction is open to the public and admission is $45 per person, $80 for a pair, and $300 for a table of eight. Admission includes dinner by Delilah’s Catering, one drink, and an opportunity to bid on an 8’ x 10’ garden shed, a vacation in Sunriver, a Bay area getaway package, and artwork created by Bridger students. See bridgerpta.schoolauction.net/auction2018 to browse auction items and purchase tickets.
Bridger is a K-8 school celebrating its diverse community, engaging the creative minds of its students and challenging them to achieve their full potential.
In the foothills of Mount Tabor’s Montavilla neighborhood, the school offers both a neighborhood and a Spanish-immersion program.
Contact auction chairs Merrell Baker at 206.734.8190 or Katie Purk at 713.898.3761 or auction@bridgerpta.org.
Lost and Gone For… Just a While!
By Karen Oehler
We’ve all been through the scenario. We decide to clean things out, especially when a living situation changes. We sort, pack, sell, donate, and make a clean sweep.
Except, every once in a while something goes missing, most times something trivial, but sometimes it’s something sentimental.
Lately, Bill Waters experienced this. Waters is the Employment Director at NorthStar, the mental health recovery program recently featured in The Southeast Examiner’s April 2017 issue.
He was sorting items into the donations pile; old jewelry, knick-knacks, a jewelry box, etc., donating them to The Next R, the non-profit Resale/Consignment shop supporting NorthStar, located at NE 5600 NE Glisan St. The donations are sold to help pay the rent that The Next R was subsidizing for NorthStar’s program.
Along the way, Water’s wife’s wedding ring went missing. The family looked all over, asked everyone if they had seen it, checked all drawers, shelves, boxes, all to no avail. This was more distressing as his wife had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Could she have mislaid it somewhere?
Fast forward to early January. The jewelry box donated by Bill had been in The Next R for months, for sale, but also used as a display piece for other jewelry for sale. It’s the kind of box that has a lid which opens to a velvet-lined area with two more drawers for bracelets and earrings but it hadn’t sold.Maybe everyone thought it was just a display piece. It sat on various shelves throughout the shop displaying jewelry.
The drawers to the box often fall out when it’s moved. This time it was hard to get the bottom drawer back in. Reaching in, a volunteer discovered just what was blocking the drawer. A lovely diamond ring…and yes, it was Bill’s wife’s ring! The ring has been recovered and is now back where it belongs, in their family.
At The Next R… the name is deliberately left open to interpretation. Remember Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? What’s the next R? Recover? Reemploy? Reestablish? The Next R’s mission is to support the mental health recovery program of NorthStar. More on NorthStar at preview.tinyurl.com/northstarclubhouse  and on The Next R at facebook.com/nextrresale
Voices of the Homeless
It’s fair to say issues of homelessness have been among the most talked about topics in Portland for the past few years. Everyone, it seems, recognizes that having people unhoused on the streets of Portland is good for no one.
The February League of Women Voters of Portland Civic Education program is dedicated to listening to people who have experienced homelessness. Homeowners, city officials, business people, and non-profit organizations have all inquired to the group.
Hear about the challenges people who are homeless have overcome and what they see as useful strategies for confronting this problem.
Tuesday, February 13 • 7 pm
Multnomah County Building
501 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
The Civic Education Program is free and open to the public.and will be recorded by Metro East Media for rebroadcast after the program, available on the League of Women Voters website, lwvpdx.org.
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.
Film screening and forum with Rep. Rob Nosse
Big Pharma: Market Failure
Sunday, February 18 • 7 pm
Clinton Street Theater 2522 SE Clinton St.
Portland Jobs with Justice hosts a screening of the documentary film Big Pharma: Market Failure. The film will be followed by a Q & A session with Rep. Rob Nosse, Oregon State Representative for inner SE Portland, who has championed state legislation for drug pricing transparency and cost controls.
The film explores the problem of extreme drug prices in the US and how drug cost impacts on the public, on businesses and the overall US economy. How much do pharma companies really spend on research and development of truly innovative drugs?
Do free market principles impact drug prices and help control cost? Do the normal rules of business apply to the pharma industry? How do TV ads impact consumers and doctors? The movie is a compelling  drama revealing the truth of high pharmaceutical costs, and what we can do about it.
Co-sponsored by several community groups, including KBOO, Health Care for All Oregon (HCAO), Main Street Alliance of Oregon, Physicians for a National Health Program, Portland DSA, BerniePDX, and Nurses for Single Payer, the screening will host many of these groups with representatives at the theater, so folks can get more involved.
Tickets are sliding scale $5-$25, available at the door. The Facebook event is at facebook.com/events/158118584813565
For more information: contact Justin at Jobs with Justice (justin@jwjpdx.org).
Grants for pathways projects
Portland Community College has scored more than $250,000 through three grants that pave the way for people to get critical employment training. The funding will implement the Workforce Connect Program, which aims to build job readiness skills for underrepresented, first-generation and low-income high school students in Columbia, Multnomah and Washington counties.
The largest of the three is a $175,000, two-year award to the PCC Foundation from the Meyer Memorial Trust. Another grant for $10,000 from the Zidell Family Foundation will be directed to create a small business scholarship for owners who want to take their enterprise to the next level.
For more details, contact Career Pathways and Skills Training Director Kate Kinder at 971.722.6271, or by email at skinder@pcc.edu. You can also contact Future Connect Manager Josh Laurie at 971.722.6119, or at josh.laurie@pcc.edu.
THE FRIENDS OF MT. TABOR PARK open meeting will be held Tuesday, March 13 at 7 pm at Copeland Commons, TaborSpace, Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church, 5441 SE Belmont St. Elections of officers and Friend of the Year Award. Doors open at 6:30 pm, light refreshments will be served.
CELEBRATE SILAS MEMORIAL 5K on Sunday, March 4, 9:30 am at Duniway Elementary School, 7700 SE Reed College Pl. In March 2011, Jodie Brauer and her family experienced a parent’s nightmare when their one year old baby, Silas Bogdanovic, died in the night of SIDS. During the first year after his death, Brauer started running and trained up to run 12 miles on what would have been his second birthday- one mile for each month of Silas’ life. This grew into the Celebrate Silas Memorial 5k, a family friendly, community event raising money for The Dougy Center. At the event, participants are invited to celebrate and remember their own loved ones who have died. Details and registration at celebratesilas.com
PORTLAND SINGS! COMMUNITY SING-ALONG – A casual, fun group-singing opportunity for anyone wanting more singing in their life, Sunday February 18 and Sunday, April 16 from 1:30 – 3:30 pm at TaborSpace, 5441 SE Belmont St. Sing folk, pop, blues, country, Motown, and soul. For a free digital lyric book go to PortlandSings.com. Sliding scale $5-10.
SAVE THE DATE FOR SOLVE’S SPRING OREGON BEACH CLEANUP – Saturday, March 24, 10 am – 1 pm. Thousands of volunteers come together for a day at the beach clearing the coast of litter and marine debris at 45 locations stretching from Astoria in the North, all the way to Brookings in the South. This family-friendly tradition has taken place for over thirty years. Each of the locations offers a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and explore the Oregon coast while making a positive difference for marine animals, coastal communities and the health of the ocean. Supplies and instructions provided at each check in location and all ages and abilities are encouraged to join in. To register and view a list of project sites, visit solveoregon.org or call 503.844.9571 ext. 332 or 800.333.7658. Registration opens February 5.
VIKING PANCAKE BREAKFAST – Sunday February 11. Bring the family and start the day with all-you-can-eat Viking pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, strawberry compote, lingonberries, orange juice and coffee or tea served in the charming Bergen Dining Room at Norse Hall from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Adults $8, Children ages 5-12, $4, Children under age 5 are free. Norse Hall is at 111 NE 11th Ave. Parking is free.
PORTLAND STORY THEATER PRESENTATION – Polar Opposites: Amundsen, Scott, and The Race for The Pole on February 23. Polar Opposites recounts the heroic and tragic events that played out on the frozen continent over one hundred years ago, as Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott vied for primacy at the Pole. Narrated by armchair adventurer Lawrence Howard and sponsored by Sons of Norway Grieg Lodge, this 2-hour production takes place at Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Ave. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Seating capacity is limited to 150 and intended for an audience age 17 and older. Tickets online, at norsehall.org/arctic. The program begins at 7 pm. The Oslo Lounge opens at 5:30 pm and a light supper will be available for $3. Contact Kristine Crompton at kristinecrompton68@gmail.com if you plan to attend the supper.
FIX-IT FAIR – Saturday February 24, from 9:30 am – 2:30 pm at Madison High School 2735 NE 82nd Ave. This free event has exhibits and workshops covering topics including water and energy savings, food and nutrition, recycling, home weatherization, gardening and growing food, yard care and composting, and transportation. Portland Water Bureau will be tabling as well as hosting two public workshops: Saving Water Makes Cents – Learn to save water and money at home. Manage your water and sewer costs while being a good steward of our water supply. Water Quality and Home Plumbing Maintenance – Water-related lead exposure in Portland is linked to building plumbing and fixtures. Learn how to protect your family, and receive a FREE lead-in-water test kit to find out if your home plumbing is releasing lead. Get tips for maintaining your hot water heater, troubleshooting low water pressure, and other important drinking water quality issues. Call 503.823.4309 or visit .
HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE OF GATEWAY GREEN! Join Portland Parks & Recreation for an open house Saturday, February 24, 10 am –1 pm at IRCO, the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, 10301 NE Glisan St. Provide your input as the next phase of the unique off-road cycling destination is planned. This project will develop Gateway Green’s refined park design to guide natural area restoration, improve pedestrian and bicycle access to and within the site, expand opportunities for a variety of recreation and outdoor activities for people of all ages and abilities and determine the location of water, power and sewer utility services.
FIRES IN THE HOOD–Portland’s growing conundrum of compassion for homeless campers vs. concern for community safety intensified this week amid reports of a series of fires, two last month and a total of six since summer, that residents claim were set on the north side of Halsey between 33-35th.
These fires are in the wake of several others apparently set in a Powell area remnant of the abandoned Mt. Hood Expressway project.
Online responses reflect fear that embers could set tree canopies and rooftops on fire to simple frustration that the City is incapable of managing the camps.
One respondent called Portland “the City that works people over”. A formerly homeless resident urged tolerance for those who sleep in cold, rain, hardship and humiliation.
Few in Portland are so hard-hearted as to begrudge people a place to sleep. It’s the criminal behavior neighbors say that the City and its short-staffed police force must stop.
In recent weeks, television stations have run videos showing SE neighbors dealing with dangerous detritus of feces, condoms and needles – sometimes by the bucketful.
“Try to be part of the solution, instead of causing an uproar,” urges a moderating voice on Next Door.
“All the compassion and kindness in the world won’t put out fires,” writes another. “Fires are the last straw.”MP
