Activistas

Wanna See More Green Streets in Portland?

This just in via Community Nonprofit Resources Group - I'd be so out of the loop without them! 

Are you interested in seeing more Green Streets around the city?  Attend the Friends of Green Streets (FrOGS) Community Meeting this Wednesday, May 21 at PSU. FrOGS is a team of PSU Community Development Students working with the Community Watershed Stewardship Program (BES). For the past six months the FrOGS team has been exploring various ways in which citizens can get involved to plan, create and maintain Green Streets.

Learn more about the process of building Green Streets, costs, project funding, and ways to get involved. Meet fellow Portlanders excited about Green Streets and find out how you can help to move this project forward.

Friends of Green Streets Community Meeting

Location: Urban Center PSU 2nd Floor Gallery (506 SW Mill St)

Date: Wednesday 5.21.08

Time: 6:00-7:30pm

Bus Lines: 1, 8, 9, 19, 44, 12

Wanna Know More?  They've got a blog, natch! 

Hearings Officer: Don't Rezone Colwood

Back in March, we reported on the proposal to rezone Colwood Golf Course from Open Space to Industrial.

Numerous organizations,individuals, and businesses were concerned about the rezoning of this historic open space because of the potential impact on the environment and livability in Northeast Portland.

I am happy to report that after reviewing the testimony and evidence presented the Hearings Officer is recommending to Council that not one inch of the property be rezoned to industrial:

"... the  Colwood site open space is unique, is a practically irreplaceable asset, and therefore this application should not be approved."

You can download the full recommendation report HERE.

What's Next? The Hearings Officer's recommendation will be transmitted to the City Council for review and a public hearing will be held by Council prior to making a final recommendation.  Until the Council acts, the request to allow industrial use of this open space is still alive.

In the interim, a meeting to plan next steps is has been scheduled for May 21, 8 pm in the Community Room of the Kennedy School (5736 N.E. 33rd Ave., Portland, OR 97211), so if you want to be more involved in this issue, please join us!

Refreshments will be served.

Keep Colwood Green Website Launched

Supporters of keeping Colwood National Golf Course zoned as open space have unveiled a new website that outlines the problems that would result from allowing industrial development on this golf course.  The purpose of the website is to provide interested citizens with a way to get informed on the issue and to take action; any time day or night.

The rezoning of Colwood is opposed by numerous neighborhood, environmental, and business groups including the North Northeast Business Association, the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA), and the Urban Greenspaces Institute. These disparate groups oppose the rezoning because it would result in a permanent loss of open space, negatively impact the wildlife and habitat of the Columbia and Whitaker Slough, and increase pollution in North and Northeast Portland.

More info can be found at KeepColwoodGreen.com

Mad, Depressed or Both? That, Mamas, is the Question

I grew up on the east coast but married a gentle man and now live in the friendliest city ever.  So while I can thank the bus driver as well as the next person and hold the elevator door open for people miles away, I still have the potential to get REALLY ANGRY.  Ever since I opened the O on Saturday and saw the short article (in the Living section, already!) on Bisphenol A and  - in a mini rage - tossed every Nalgene bottle I could find, I've been pissed.  Why?  So glad you asked. 

1. Pissed that I unwittingly fed my babies breast milk in toxic bottles that may well cause cancer. In them.
2. Pissed that we've been drinking (oh so healthy) water out of toxic Nalgene bottles.
3. Pissed that every. single. can. of. food. in our pantry has an epoxy resin coating that is leaching crap into our food: beans, soups, mandarin oranges, and mini corns (god love 'em).  Who needs organic when you're already dosing up on Epoxy, mamas?  I mean, go ahead, toss in a little pesticide residue, what's the diff?
4. Pissed that going to the store to buy a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g requires an advanced degree in toxicology or at the very least a few hours of extra time to research that I just. don't. have.  Is it too much to ask that I could, say, mosey up to Fred Meier and leave with a bagful of items that won't slowly kill me? 
5. And SUPER PISSED that no-one seems to be doing much.  And no, I don't think the government should do all the heavy lifting for me, but in this case, I'm thinkin' they need to be there, on the front lines, helping me avoid poisoning myself and my far more susceptible children.

Eco-Party: Some Change Will Do You Good

It's Earth Month, and like any good Portlander I'm doing my share to learn and try to put into practice the earth-friendly mantra of reducing, reusing and recycling.  I got an Energy Trust home review and attended an Eco-Party in an effort to become more environmentally aware.  I patted myself on the back smugly and thought, what a good steward of the earth I am. 

And then I got the Home Eco-Party Checklist with about 50 questions covering habits ranging from waste reduction and recycling, toxics reduction, and energy/water conservation.  As I filled out the checklist that smugness that I felt earlier lifted quickly and I wondered if I would leave the party wearing a scarlet letter.  That letter would be a reminder that every time I use a disposable diaper I was knowingly destroying the earth; and that everyone would know that my family doesn't buy all organic produce.  Who knew that those individual little boxes of raisins that my littlest one (see picture) loves so much would be now a guilt-inducing purchase?

It's Earth Day, Mamas. Be a Change Agent.

Are you really and truly passionate about the environment?  Ready to move beyond just living your own life more sustainably?  Want to be involved in a movement to create change in your community?  We thought you might.  So check out the Center for Earth Leadership's Agent of Change Class - it might be just the thing for you. 

This 5-class series teaches those passionate about sustainable living the skills needed to bring about change in your community (it's hard enough sometimes in our own homes, let alone preaching to others).  The class teaches the theory, practice, and tools a change agent needs to influence others and create change.  Plus, then you can use the very same skills to promote better family policy 'round here.  If you're a change agent, no need to limit it to one of the many, many areas that need help these days.

Logistics: The class runs from 7:00 to 8:45 pm on Wednesdays, April 23, April 30, May 7, May 14, and June 11, 2008.  Perfect for missing bedtime...

Ready to Sign Up?  For more information email Meghan Mix or call her at 503.227.2315.  To register, email her your home address, phone number, email address, and a short paragraph about why you'd like to take the class.

You, too, can have an Eco-Home! Learn How with Activistas on 4.20.08

If you're thinking this sounds like some sort of groovy tupperware party, mamas, think again.  Ecoparty host Erin assures us that this is anything but.  As she herself said: This is So Not Your Mama's Tupperware Party.  Now that we've got that cleared up, read on and sign up.  It'll be fun.  Plus, Erin's house is an eco media darling.  This way, you can see for your self!  A former Northwest Earth Insitute staffer herself, she writes:

There's certainly no shortage of environmental issues to worry about - climate change, clean (and free) water, alternative energy, dwindling forests, pollution, the list goes on. It can make a mama feel a bit helpless.

One good remedy?  Start in your own home. Take a look around and see what you can do everyday - be it bringing a cloth bag to the grocery store, composting apple peels, or getting rid of those toxic cleaning supplies. Then make some changes.

Need some help? Want to take what you're already doing a step further? This is where a Home Eco-Party comes in. Twelve mamas and a trained volunteer gather to discuss the following topics:

• Waste Reduction - Effective composting, creating an efficient recycling system, reducing packaging and junk mail.
• Taking Out Toxics - Identifying toxic household products and learning effective alternatives.
• Energy Savings - Weatherization audits, testing shower-head flow, and new technologies.
• Water Conservation - Savings through more efficient appliance use and yard irrigation.

Rezoning of Colwood Golf Course

What is happening?: The City of Portland is holding a hearing on a proposal to rezone the Colwood National Golf Course (7313 NE Columbia Boulevard - 132 acres) from Open Space (OS) - its present designation in zoning maps and in the Comprehensive Plan - to General Industrial 2 (IG2).  The Bureau of Development Services is holding a hearing on this rezoning request on  March 24, 2008 at 1:30 PM at 1900 SW Fourth Ave., Suite 3000, Portland, OR 97201.

Why should I care?: The result from this proposed rezoning would represent a permanent and significant  loss of open space for Portland - 132 acres; once it's gone, it's gone!

More importantly, the Colwood Golf Course encompasses sizable portions of the Columbia and Whitaker sloughs. The impact on the habitat areas of the sloughs - especially the critical riparian habitat along the sloughs - will be substantial.  This is why a number of local environmental activists have come out against the re-zoning proposal.

Sure, the Open Space designation makes it more challenging for the land-owners to sell this property. But that IS the historic use of the area and the current zoning.

Rezoning the area to make it more appealing to potential buyers seems....well...inappropriate.

I get it, so what should I do?  Provide formal testimony against the rezoning.  You may do this in person at the hearing -  March 24, 2008 at 1:30 PM at 1900 SW Fourth Ave., Suite 3000, Portland, OR 97201 - or you can send to fax your testimony in   

Land Use Hearings Officer, 1900 SW Fourth Ave., Suite 3100 Portland, OR 97201
FAX  503-823-4347

If you go the written testimony route include this file number:

LU 05-138386 CP ZC
PC # 04-065296

And stay tuned to the issue. If the Bureau of Development Services recommends a change in the zoning - all or part of the area - it will still require approval by City Council. So step two is talking with the city commissioners on this issue.

Thanks for listening!

'Focus the Nation' Teach In Is TODAY ~ 1.31.08

I just love hearing the title "teach in."  Harkens back, huh?  Are you participating today?  January 31st, after all, is the BIG DAY if you're into climate change.  And we can be proud because it all started here - natch.  At Lewis & Clark College, actually.  Not necessarily a parent-friendly event, but an important one, nonetheless - if for no other reason than just about every single school in the nation is joined up and, while I am so very out of it on the many things that require babysitters, why miss all this?

What is it, anyway?  Best described by them:

Focus the Nation is organizing a national teach-in on global warming solutions for America—creating a dialog at over a thousand colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, places of worship, civic organizations and businesses, and directly engaging millions of students and citizens with the nation’s decision-makers. Focus the Nation will culminate January 31st, 2008 in simultaneous educational symposia held across the country. Our intent is to move America beyond fatalism to a determination to face up to this civilizational challenge, the challenge of our generation.

Update on Boeing Pollution Application

Today we received an important reminder that grassroots activism does work. We the people can step up to a challenge and prevail.

When information on Boeing's plans to increase pollution in NE Portland first came to light, much of the message from officials was that this was a done deal. Well, it wasn't.

Local residents made their concerns known and they made it clear that there was no acceptable excuse for Boeing not to take advantage of existing technology and a) expand its operations, while b) not increasing its emissions. Put simply, we are unwilling to allow Boeing to affect the health of families in Portland just so they could minimize their costs.

That simple message rang true and clear and got through. This is the official word from the DEQ today regarding Boeing's application to increase emission of pollutants:

"Today I have received a letter from the Boeing Company withdrawing its application for an increase in the VOC plant site limit of their airplane coating facility.  Boeing has elected to install controls and remain in compliance with the current plant site limit."

Thank you to everyone who picked up phone or pen or mouse and let their voice be heard. This could not have happened without you.