The Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit green building resource based in Portland, announced yesterday that it joined forces with the U.S. authority on “Passive House” to co-develop an Energy Performance Score labeling system that can be used for certified Passive House buildings. The Portland-based Earth Advantage Institute signed an agreement with Passive House Institute US that joins the two nonprofit organizations as affiliates.
Still looking for the perfect gift for your mama this Mothers’ Day? Friends of Trees, a local organization that brings people in the Portland-Vancouver metro area together to plant and care for city trees and green spaces, will plant a young native tree as a special gift for your mom, in exchange for a $35 donation. Or, for a $100 donation, Friends of Trees will plant a grove of six trees in honor of your favorite mother. How cool is that?
Check out this article in the Clackamas Review, detailing the Passivhaus movement that is slowly catching on in the Portland Area. Hailing from architecture hot-beds Germany and Austria, the Passivhaus concept is pretty straightforward: “insulate a house so well that it’s airtight, then heat it with a small electric heater or heat exchange pump. The result: potential energy savings of more than 70 percent. As U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., wrote to the recent Passive House Northwest conference, ‘It is incredible to think that you can heat your entire home with as little as a hairdryer!”’
Every summer, Portland gets hit with berry fever – raspberries, blackberries, marionberries, Hood River strawberries, and delicate blueberries take over our gardens, farmers’ markets, and wild green spaces. You can tame the wild berries in your own garden, and with a little help from your neighborhood nurseries, it couldn’t be easier. This month Garden Fever – located at 3433 NE 24th Ave (just south of Fremont) – is selling premium-quality blueberry shrubs with buds, as well as all the tools, soil, compost, and garden accessories you’ll need to get growing in no time. Blueberry harvesting season starts in June, so start now to ensure a great season of berry madness.
Most homes for sale in Portland’s metro area are approved for raising chickens, which means fresh eggs for your family’s breakfast every day, and a bit of the country in the heart of the city. But even if it’s legal, and you like your omelets fresh, you might not have any idea how to raise your own chickens. This Saturday, grab some friends and get a primer on proper care and equipment during the “Chicken Chat” this Saturday, April 2 from noon to 3. The The event takes place at the Wade Creek House, 664 Wade St., Estacada and is $5 for the class and coop tour. For more information www.thewadecreekhouse.com.
It’s time to get those gardens planted, Portland! Celebrate spring and trillium flowers with a garden art show, live music, and children’s activities this Saturday and Sunday at Tryon Creek State Natural Area near the Arnold Creek neighborhood of Southwest Portland. Tryon Creek State Park is a 670-acre forest located on the boundaries of Portland and Lake Oswego, and is the perfect place to herald in spring with the annual Trillium Festival and Native Plant Sale.The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 11321 S.W. Terwilliger Blvd. in Portland.
The Lan Su Chinese Garden in downtown Portland (239 NW Everett Street) is having its annual spring plant sale 10 a.m.-4 p.m. this Saturday, March 19 – the same day as the opening of the Portland Farmers’ Market, so you can make a whole day of Spring celebrations. Garden members can get early entry into the sale starting at 9 am, and plant lovers will be able to find plants unavailable at typical plant outlets and learn about their specific needs, directly from the growers. The sale brings together about 20 specialized nurseries from the Portland area and focuses on unusual plants, especially those native to China. You’ll find fragrant flowers (edgeworthia, daphne), peonies, bamboo and penjing (bonsai) among the featured plants at this popular event – a perfect way to begin gardening season in Portland. The Lan Su website carries a list of the vendors, which range from the well-known (Joy Creek, One Green World) to the obscure (Bam Bam Bamboo).
Are you interested in the best ways to raise roses in the Rose City? Volunteers from the Portland Rose Society will demonstrate proper pruning techniques and answer questions about spring gardening this Saturday, March 12. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to noon at Dennis’ Seven Dees Garden Center, 1090 McVey Ave., in Lake Oswego. A similar free event will be taking place in Milwaukie, where Rich Baer from the Portland Rose Garden will present an informative and fun hands-on seminar in the Sara Hite Memorial Rose Garden at noon on Saturday, March 12. (Milwaukie Center, 5440 S.E. Kellogg Creek Drive, Milwaukie; free; www.milwaukiecenter.com or 503-653-8100
Here at the McDonald Group, we talk to a lot of people who would like to add solar energy to their homes but aren’t sure where to start. Next month, Northwest Portland residents interested in renovating their homes with solar technology can learn more about the process with free workshops and question and answer sessions organized by Solarize Northwest, a project formed by the Neighbors West-Northwest Coalition. At the Solarize Northwest workshops, the coalition is able to provide residents with estimates and tips for Portland-area solar installation. The contracted solar supplier will also visit houses of interested residents for free site estimates. Those interested in taking part in the program must sign up for a site estimate by March 31.
While individual yard composting is popular in many Portland households and urban gardens, a lot of people do not have the time or space to compost their food and yard waste efficiently. While Portland has one of the highest recycling rates in the nation, most of those leftovers, trimmings, and food scraps go into the trash and into landfills. The city of Portland is working on a way to reduce the amount of garbage homes in Portland produce, and the initial test of the Food Scrap Curbside Collection looks to be a great success. Since the program began last May, the pilot program has picked up food scraps from 2000 homes in selected areas weekly, and reduced garbage in those areas by almost 30%. In fact, almost 30 tons of food scraps were turned into compost! The food scraps from the composting project go to a compost facility in Benton County, Oregon, where it is turned into usable organic fertilizer that helps Oregon soil, blocks weeds, retains water, and prevents plant disease and erosion.
Ever looked outside on a rainy day and thought about capturing some of that water to use later? One local business, Portland Purple Water, is hoping to make that idea a widespread reality by installing rainwater collection devices for homes and businesses in Portland. At their most basic, rain barrels are simple rainwater collectors that capture and store a portion of the runoff from a roof downspout. Stored water can be used for non-potable purposes such as irrigating lawns, washing cars, or flushing toilets. Harvesting rainwater can lower your water bill, save energy and reduce demand on Portland’s drinking water systems.
We love this event! The Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland has announced the 2011 Tour of Remodeled Homes, an annual event that will tour 15 projects from innovative historic home remodels, vintage bungalow rejuvenations and a mid-century modern ranch. The show is March 12-13, and tickets are only $17.50. Sign up today to get great ideas for your own home, and you might be inspired to start searching the Portland Real Estate market for your next fixer-upper!
If you live in Gresham, you’re eligibly for a FREE in-home water and energy evaluation. The city of Gresham is teaming up with Energy Trust of Oregon (who Gresham water customers are eligible for a free in-home water and energy assessment, thanks to the city and the Energy Trust of Oregon. Scheduling a free two-hour review of your home’s energy and water use from Energy Trust of Oregon can drastically cut down on your utility bills and save natural resources – up to 60 percent of energy used to heat and cool homes can be lost due to leaky ducts, inefficient equipment, poor insulation and air leaks, problems you may not know you have.
The Portland Real Estate market is known for it’s tree-lined streets and green neighborhoods, but what many people do not know is that those trees have little official protection. The City of Portland is working on a proposal for new tree protection standards, and the plan is getting near unanimous support from homebuilders, environmentalists, residents, and city officials. The Portland City Council plan, known as the Citywide Tree Project, would protect and increase the number of trees in Portland, which has a great effect on the safety, health, and beauty of the city. For many homeowners, the biggest and most notable change is this: removing a tree greater than 20 inches in diameter from private property would require a permit, followed by a tree replanting or payment to the city toward replanting efforts.
This year’s Portland International Auto Show – now in its 102nd year – is set to herald in 2011 as the year of the green car. Located in the Oregon Convention center, the Auto Show is four days (January 27th to 30th) of cutting-edge developments in the auto industry. This year, those developments will be heralded at the Eco Center featuring 30,000 square feet of green innovation. Electric and hybrid-electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and General Motors Volt will be entering the American car market this year, and Oregon has been set up to be one the the leaders in green vehicle infrastructure. 2010 was rich with news of new recharging stations throughout the Portland metro area – the gas stations of the future.