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Cub Cadet Debuts Electric Zero-trun Riding Mower Cub Cadet is debuting a world-wide first – the only fully electric-powered zero-turn riding lawnmower with steering wheel control and four-wheel steering at the upcoming Home and Garden Idea Fair. The incredible new RZT S ZERO electric zero-turn rider promises premium performance, with the benefit of zero noise, zero gasoline or oil, zero gasoline emissions and no cumbersome lap bars. In 2012, the Cub Cadet came out with the first zero-turn riding mower to offer four-wheel steering controlled by an operator-friendly steering wheel. The RZT ZERO electric version offers the same ingenuity without any engine noise and engine maintenance, no gas, no oil or oil filters and no belts to replace.   “When you start the RZT S ZERO, it’s shockingly silent even when you engage the blades,” said Jeff Salamon, Cub Cadet director of marketing. “The stealth-like performance of the ZERO is just one of the benefits ... Continued

 

 

NW Natural Blue Home Experience three ways to heat your home with warm water If you’re looking for a clean and efficient way to heat your home, visit NW Natural’s Blue Home at this year’s Better Living Show. For the first time ever, a Navien tankless natural gas water heater will warm the Blue Home. Water will circulate through tubing embedded in the floor or radiators hung on or installed in a wall putting off heat throughout the home.  The natural gas hydronic heating process is closed loop, which makes it more efficient than a forced-air system that will always have some heat loss through ducts. And there’s no dust, germs or odors recirculating throughout your house. Warm air evenly radiates and stays at a lower level, eliminating cold zones and drafts. “Heating with a natural gas hydronic system gives you Continued

 

 

The Azure Food System Editorial by Leanne Haight, Writer/Communications for Azure Standard We as a society have begun to study food systems more closely in recent years because we are trying to shed some light on the origin and handling of our food.  We have allowed- and been party to, an ever-increasing number of people, companies, governments – layers and layers - involved in providing us with our food; we have become further and further detached.  Good old-fashioned belief in goodness, coupled with some naivety maybe, and we blindly trusted the global food system that burgeoned over the last hundred years. Most of us paid little attention to the processes. We were lured in by brilliant marketing, and we believed that we were honestly being fed wholesome, nutritious food that was at the same time ready to eat in 3 minutes, super tasty (addictively so…), AND way cheap. Come to find out, it was indeed too good to be true.  We mislaid our trust, and for the better part of a century, we have been eating chemically-laden...      Continued

 

 

Unlock Good Energy Around Your Home - How Many Ways Can You Save  Insulate your attic, walls and floors  Upgrade to energy-efficient heating system  Improve your water heating system  Invest in ENERGY STAR® appliances  Use compact fluorescent light bulbs around your home  Install energy-saving showerheads  Recycle your old fridge or freezer for free  Seal air leaks         Continued

 

 

Portland Bike Show returns to Portland Expo Center For the second year, the PDX Bicycle Show produced by Pedal Nation is returning to the Portland Expo Center and will be co-located with the Better Living Show. For attendees that means you can take in the bike show and then head over to the Better Living Show where admission is free. Not a bad way to spend your weekend. The bike show has lots of fun entertainment and activities for every level of bicyclist in your family. So check out Portland's largest display of bicycles, gear and apparel under one roof. What will you see at the 2013 Bike Show?   Continued

 

 

How To Recharge Your Life in the Face of Winter Blues The Portland Clinic Helps Oregonians Stop Feeling SAD   With the final month of winter upon us, physicians from The Portland Clinic see more and more patients with mild to severe cases of Seasonal Affectiveness Disorder (SAD). While it’s normal to be a little down when the weather turns south, Seasonal Affectiveness Disorder goes beyond normal winter blues. Family Nurse Practitioner, Shannon Richards of The Portland Clinic often treats patients that show signs of SAD which include sleeping more than usual, increased appetite, irritability, trouble with relationships and/or a general feeling of heaviness, especially in the arms and legs.   “If you think you may have SAD, the first thing to do is to talk to your primary care provider about your symptoms,” comments Richards. “It’s important to make sure the symptoms are not being caused by another medical condition.”   There are three things that have been shown to improve symptoms of SAD:   Continued

 

 

Backyard Chicken Coops for Urban Gardens With all of the people getting into backyard chickens these days, a natural outcome would be the evolution of the urban chicken coops.  Tristan Nichols, owner of The Chicken Coop Store shared with me some of the innovations he was showing off at a recent home and garden show. Tristan’s large chicken coops come with an area where you as the farmer can access everything you need to care for the chickens without ever having to enter the coop.  All feed for the chickens is poured into a tube that fills the feeder inside the coop, the water is accessible from a small door and the hen door leading out of the coop and into the enclosure is controlled with a foot pedal. You can collect the eggs from this entry room which also has plenty of room to store all your chicken supplies.  Continued

 

 

Find Your Farmer Here Who’s your farmer? More than a bumper sticker slogan, you really can connect with your very own farmer (and the freshest, healthiest food around) through Community Supported Agriculture or CSA. Community Supported Agriculture is a relationship between you and a farmer. You pay a portion of a farmer’s expenses and the farmer provides you with a share of the farm’s harvest for a season. For the farmer, this relationship is beneficial. Knowing that most of her annual farm expenses are covered by members or shareholders, she can put most of her time, energy and skill into farming.   For you, the eater, becoming a member of a farm or a CSA shareholder is  Continued

 

 

10 Great Green Valentines Gifts For Her Find these online or at the Better Living Show. Amour Vert Wanna really impress her; how about a new dress? Amour Vert believes that women shouldn’t have to sacrifice style for sustainability. They employ a zero-waste design philosophy and use only organic and sustainable fabrics along with low impact dyes. Their lifestyle driven brand is all about the convergence of Paris-chic meets Cali-cool. Earth Lab Cosmetics Earth Lab Cosmetics makes talc-free, fragrance-free, dye-free, and cruelty-free mineral make-up. Their Loose mineral makeup is 100% natural and free of any additives, fillers and preservatives (even natural ones). They even have vegan mineral pencils, and raw mascara...  Continued

 

 

The Evolution of Portland's Green Fashion Shows The City of Roses has become renowned and revered for turning over a new leaf (pardon the pun): transforming itself from a former industrial town defined by rail yards, mills and timber production, to a sans pareil superintendent of sustainability, to a city consistently topping SustainLane.com’s list of sustainable cities nationwide since 2005. From reducing carbon emissions by 26% since 1990 (compared to a 6% decrease for the nation on average), to recently being the host city of the inaugural “EcoDistricts Institute” educational gathering (inspiring neighborhood-scale sustainable practices globally), to its ongoing efforts to preserve neighboring ecologically-sensitive spaces including Mount Tabor, Tryon Creek and the Smith & Bybee Wetlands, Portland and sustainability effortlessly go hand in hand. Portland has also been, is, and will always be ready for its close-up when it comes to the “greening” of global fashion, too....  Continued

 

 

Electric Riding Mowers There’s a whole new breed of electric riding mowers on the market and the improvements in the last few years have been remarkable.  Some are zero turn models while others are more conventional. But in both cases, these electric mowers are now viable contenders. That is if you still believe in having a lawn at all. Hustler Zeon Zero-turn Electric Riding Mover   The Hustler Zeon™ is the first electric zero-turn mower ever introduced to the green industry. Clean, quiet, and simple. No gas to spill, no fumes to pollute and a lot less noise. For a yellow mower, the Zeon™ is very green! With a welded steel frame and ...      Continued

 

 

Home Solar Power Systems and Common Questions About Them One of the most cost-effective energy improvements you can make to your home is to go solar. Home solar power systems are simpler than ever to install, and you can see a return on your eco-friendly investment in as little as four years. When you install a solar system, you help the environment because you’re powering your home using a clean, renewable resource. In just 15 years, a three-bedroom home that uses solar energy can achieve a carbon dioxide offset of up to 80,000 pounds; this is like saving the gas it would take to drive 100,000 miles   Do I have the right type of roof? The best roof type for a solar system is made of composite materials, isn’t shaded or obstructed, isn’t too steep and has at least 10 years of life left. For example, if you have a 20-year roof on your home but the roof is already 15 years old, it’s best to replace your roof before ...  Continued

 

 

Raised Bed Gardening By Caroline Lewis, Verdura Culinary Gardens   At Verdura Culinary Gardens, we grow vegetables and herbs almost exclusively in raised beds. We are often asked about the advantages and why one would choose raised beds over more conventional gardening methods. When I refer to conventional garden, I’m not talking about organic vs. non-organic growing. I’m referring to traditional row gardens, in which people till a section of earth, amend the soil, and plant their gardens in rows with paths to walk on in between. This is how most American farmers have traditionally grown their vegetables, at least in part because they can ...  Continued

 

 

KGS Artwear Cares About Better Living At KGS Artwear (Home of “SportFreak” fan apparel) we strive to live better. Keeping sports programs and the sports culture sustainable is something we all need to pay close attention to. At KGS Artwear, we manufacture sports gear in a more earth friendly manner while preserving the fun and value of participating in sports. Here are some of the ways we strive to improve the quality of life for sports fans (and people in general) everywhere. Support The Sport Sometimes it’s good to take a step back and look at the big picture. Sports programs facilitate both team and individual achievement and you can’t have one without the other. Unfortunately, sometimes these benefits get overshadowed when individual achievements and personal shortcomings take the spotlight away from the amazing benefits that sports programs provide to our society, especially the youth...  Continued

 

 

10 Things You Can Clean with a Lemon ‘Lemony fresh’ is a smell we all associate with a nice, clean home – though often this is a scent tinged with chemicals. The real thing however does just as good a job of cleaning your home though, if not better! Lemons are cheap but a hugely effective antibacterial, bleaching and build-up-removing agent, and can be used to clean virtually anything. Here are ten ingenious ways to use a lemon in your next home clean: 1) Stained chopping boards and Tupperware Simply rub half a lemon onto the stains on your chopping board or Tupperware, and leave to sit overnight or until the stain has faded. Rinse well. This will also remove any unwanted   Continued

 

Deodorants Stink When it Comes to Harmful Chemicals Okay… not all deodorants. But if you are still buying your deodorant from the supermarket, you may want to think twice. We have all read about the dangers of BPA leaching out of plastic bottles and mercury in our favorite seafood.  But did you know that the daily routine of putting on deodorant or antiperspirant can also be harmful? Commercial deodorants and antiperspirants contain toxic chemicals that may be linked to cancer, Alzheimer’s, organ damage and allergic reactions. Aluminum compounds are the active ingredients in antiperspirants that block the sweat glands keeping you from perspiring. Studies have shown that aluminum can be absorbed by the skin and may be a risk factor for the development of breast cancer and Alzheimer’s.  Parabens are a class of artificial preservatives widely used deodorants and may also play a role in breast cancer. And phthalates have been shown to damage the liver and reproductive organs.  Continued

 

For Energy Savers, the Grass is Greener on the Other Side

Sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side. At least that’s true for homeowners who incorporate more energy efficient modifications. Not only are these environmentally-aware neighbors lessening their footprint on the earth, but they’re also lessening their energy and utility
costs each month. With advances in technology and our ever-growing knowledge of our effect on the environment, it’s impossible to ignore the many opportunities available to save on energy expenses.

For starters, simply changing your consumer buying habits can save you hundreds over the course of a year and add to your arsenal of self-sustaining weapons. Compact fluorescent light bulbs need an average of seventy-five percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs. An added bonus? They last about ten times longer and produce less heat, giving you more bulb for your buck.        Continued

Repurposing for Gardeners: How to Use Household “Junk” in Your Garden

Recreate uses for household items and add spunk to your gardens. Before you toss that old light bulb or put the wooden wheelbarrow out to pasture, repurpose it! That is, spruce up your property with a little funk and turn everyday items into a vegetable or flower garden.

Lighten up

Repurpose a burned-out bulb and build a miniature herb garden. Carefully unscrew the brass and remove the black inner part. Then, use tweezers to pull out the inside pieces of the light bulb. Place a small amount of soil inside of the bulb, along with seeds.

Insert string and tie the bulb securely, so that it hangs upside down. One recommended area is in front of a kitchen window, where there is presumably ample sunlight.

Water sparingly daily. You want the herb to grow, not drown. Watch as the plant grows through the light bulb’s opening.  Continued

 

Upgrade Your Existing Water Heater With An Eye Towards Efficiency

   

Most consumers are not aware that there is a water heater season. The season kicks off in late fall and early winter when water supplied to your home is significantly colder than in the summer.  This colder water cause thermal contraction and expansion which is especially tough on water heaters over time. Water heaters made of steel experience thermal expansion and contraction on an everyday basis. This occurs due to the constant extreme change in water temperature when the tank is drained of hot water and filled with cold water, putting a lot of stress on the steel tank and its liner. Coupled with natural wear and tear due to corrosion, the tank weakens over time to a point when it may start to leak.

This thermal contraction and expansion is especially tough on steel. If your water heater is ten or more years old, it may be ready to fail. Due to this frequency of water heater failures, I recommend that homeowners be ready to make an informed choice about buying the right water heater when the time comes. Plumbers experience a significant uptick in water heater replacements around the holidays, when the last thing you want to be thinking about is replacing your water heater!  Continued

 

Natural Ways to Keep Creepy Crawlies Out of Your Home

Keeping your house free of bugs and creepy crawlies needn’t be tough on the wallet or harmful to the environment. Mother Nature is always on hand to provide some reliable alternatives.

It’s tough enough keeping your home up together without the unexpected, uninvited arrival of ants, spiders and a plethora of other multi-legged invaders.

Whilst supermarket shelves are overflowing with pesticides and sprays designed to help combat any unwanted infestations, there are plenty of natural alternatives to keep the bugs from your door.

Here are a few natural, non-toxic and easy remedies guaranteed to keep those critters away.      Continued

First Gold LEED Hospital Adds Water Wise Garden

Providence Newberg was the first hospital to earn Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is a shining example of how a medical center can incorporate the most advanced technology and forward-thinking patient care design along with energy efficient, environmentally sound construction. So when I was approached to design a garden for the hospital, it was imperative to support their efforts with a water-wise garden.

The hospital was positioned on the property to maximize daylight for heating and cooling efficiency.  Specially treated windows improve heating and cooling efficiency.  Occupancy sensors control lighting and HVAC, cycling down systems when they are not in use and the system does not recycle air - visitors breathe 100 percent fresh.         Continued

Hybrid Electric Water Heaters Qualify for $500 Energy Trust of Oregon Incentive

Visit the Energy Trust of Oregon’s booth at the upcoming Better Living Show to learn about new efficient water heating solutions. Hybrid electric water heaters have the potential to cut energy consumption of water heaters by as much as 50% or an estimated $200 annually compared to standard electric water heaters. Hybrid electric water heaters generate hot water by transferring heat from the surrounding air to the water that is stored in the water heater. The water heater only uses energy to move heat from the air into the water.  In case of increased hot water demand, hybrid electric water heaters feature standard back-up elements to give the water a temperature boost.

Oregon home owners living in Portland General Electric service territories are now eligible to receive a $500 Energy Trust of Oregon incentive towards the purchase of a qualifying hybrid electric water heater. Energy Trust of Oregon is looking to incentivize up to 200 qualifying installations through December 31, 2012.                Continued

Ten Easy-to-Grow Herbs for Beginners

One of the most satisfying things to grow in your garden are fresh herbs. These plants can be incorporated into your daily cooking and therefore you tend to manage the plants and their moisture requirements more often.  But best of all, herbs are hardy and take little care in comparison to ornamental plants.  They are a perfect choice for beginner gardeners.

Here is a list of the ten easiest herbs to grow and their growing conditions:             Continued

Cleaning Naturally With Five Home Products

Contrary to what adverts tell us, we don’t need all those chemicals eating away at our furniture to live in a safe, clean home. Ninety nine point nine percent bacteria-free just isn’t natural! What’s worse is that many of these modern chemical based products can contribute to asthma, skin allergies and furniture corrosion.

My mother was always against all the cleaning fads that companies brought out so I thought I would share some of her greatest tricks...

 

Vinegar

Vinegar is a natural bacteria killer and grease corroder. However it’s best to use...           Continued

How to Grow Organic Herbs 

Growing organic herbs, either indoors or in your garden, is a fun engaging activity, especially when it comes to harvest time. Your own herb garden provides you with a handy source of fresh and pesticide-free produce. You can also grow herbs for medicinal reasons.

Here’s how to start your own herb garden.

Herb selection

For growing indoors in small pots and containers, the following herbs are your best choices because they are fairly small and thrive well even in semi-shaded areas:             Continued

Integrated Pest Management: Making Pest Control Greener

When you’re trying to make your life more eco-friendly, the ongoing battle against pests can be a bit bewildering. On the one hand, you don’t want to disrupt the ecological balance by blanketing your property with noxious chemicals meant to wipe out entire pest populations. On the other hand, you’ve got to look after your home’s own ecological balance – one that has no place for disease-laden cockroaches, rodents and other harmful pests.

Fortunately, there’s an answer that lies somewhere in the middle.                            Continued

Need capital? Turn to the crowd.

Senator Jeff Merkley was in town in May to talk about the Crowdfunding Act, an amendment he co-sponsored that was passed by the U.S. Senate on March 22 and signed into law by President Obama on April 5. Sattie Clark participated in this discussion, representing the American Sustainable Business Council, a key supporter of this legislation, and VOIS.

Crowdfunding is a model for small businesses and entrepreneurs to raise capital...  Continued

Region’s First Earth-Friendly Moving Box Rental Company Opens in Portland

Lets face it, moving is hard work. You may be looking forward to the end result, but the process of getting organized, rounding up moving supplies, packing, loading, driving, unloading, unpacking and finally getting rid of all of those cardboard boxes isn’t exactly a fun time. Boxes inevitably get crushed in the process and treasures get broken.

To top it off, cardboard boxes aren’t exactly cheap! $2.50 for a medium sized cardboard box doesn’t sound like much (Portland-area average price), until you multiply it by the 50, 75 or even 100 boxes necessary to move a home or office. True, you can reuse old boxes, but you know they aren’t as sturdy as you want them to be to keep your stuff safe and they’re usually dirty.        Continued

Banana Hemp Protein Smoothie Recipe

These days people are so busy that its not always easy to find time for good nutrition.  But then along came the smoothie. These things have been popping up all over the place - coffee shops, gyms, grocery stores and more.  But many of the smoothies that are sold are extremely fattening and not always made with the healthiest of ingredients.

Here is a recipe for a banana hemp protein smoothie that is not only delicious, but its also high in fiber, loaded with protein, dairy free and vegan.

Recipe

First Ever Fireplace to be Certified as a Central Furnace Unveiled at Better Living Show

NW Natural’s Blue Home at this year’s Better Living Show is stuffed full of great ideas to make life better and greener. One of the products featured in the home is so new it is not even available on the market yet—you get to experience the World Premier. The new product is Heat & Glo’s Energy Pro Direct Vent gas fireplace. The product is manufactured by Hearth and Home Technologies and will be distributed locally by Portland’s own Fireside Distributors. Now maybe that doesn’t sound as exciting as a blockbuster movie or a breakaway single, but it is still pretty cool nonetheless. Why? Well, bear with me a moment as we       Article continued

Thermostats Go Green, High-Tech, and Oh, So Cool!

I love when someone redefines a boring, everyday item. It’s one thing to come out with some new product that no one has ever heard of before, but I think it’s even harder to take a ubiquitous object that we all take for granted and do something truly amazing with it. This year’s Better Living Show features Northwest Natural’s Blue Home, stuffed full of great ideas to make life better and greener. Hidden in this treasure trove is the quintessential “better mouse trap.” Before giving away the secret, let’s talk about the old mouse trap that is living in your house right now.           Article continued

Portland Expo Center get charged-up for the Better Living Show

Visitors to the upcoming Better Living Show at the Portland Expo Center will be pleased to find that they now have a place to charge their electric vehicles while they check out the latest in green technologies, eco-chic fashion and sustainable items for the home. Installation of Blink EV charging stations in the public parking area of the Expo Center was completed in October, allowing drivers of electric vehicles to park and plug in with ease and convenience. Charging stations were also installed at the Oregon Convention Center and Metro Regional Government.

 

The project was a partnership between Article continued

 

Concerned about air quality in nail salons?

In 2011, the Zero Waste Alliance (ZWA) initiated a Social Determinants of Health project aimed at understanding the health concerns of an estimated 2,500 Vietnamese Nail Salon workers in the Portland metropolitan area. 

Concerns associated with high chemical exposures in nail salons have been recognized across the country.  However, we have very limited information about chemical exposures in the nail salon workplace and the health needs of Vietnamese workers in these salons.

 

 

How to Select Green Flooring and Counter Tops

There are many options when it comes to green flooring and counter tops. And the list seems to be growing every year.  Each of them have advantages and disadvantages but all of them offer great green solutions with the proper application and installation. As Anthony Ivelia, Director of Marketing & Sales at Macadam Floor and Design Points out, the question is not whether there are green choices, its how to choose between them.

If you want to go green, here are Article continued

Sustainable Solutions Can Be So Simple

I think as humans we get so caught up in looking for big solutions, we miss small opportunities that have large impact.  Take a look at what micro financing has done in impoverished countries. Who would have guessed that you could buy a goat for the cost of a movie and change the lives of families half way across the world?

I found one such solution this weekend at the Good Earth Show in Eugene, Oregon. Sitting in a booth was Chase, who was representing Patrick's Children without Sponsors. This organization is based in Lake Oswego, Oregon and was created in 2004 to help children. They partner with other organizations that cater to children and with an allocated sum, help those children indirectly by purchasing items needed in their daily lives.

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7 Resolutions for a Greener Healthier 2012

New Year’s resolutions are often made but rarely fulfilled.  Let’s face it, if they were easy, we would already being doing these things and we wouldn’t need to make resolutions. But if we don’t set the bar so high, resolutions can be made with little effort and little sacrifice.  And that means your chance for success go up.

So here are seven New Year’s resolutions for a greener healthier 2012                                                                                                             Article continued

The New & Improved, Greener Holiday Season

 

 

 

How to Install Bamboo Flooring

In my quest to reduce my carbon footprint, I have been slowly incorporating green building material and energy saving measures into my home.  I’ve become a more informed consumer and whenever possible, have opted for sustainable choices in upgrading my home.  However, along the way, I have realized that most of these steps have been incremental and until I shrink the size of my home, I am still using way too much energy and raw materials – renewable or not.

So I have decided to move to a small farm house that is less than 1,000 sf - shrinking my overall footprint by more than 50%. But before I can move in, the house is in need of a complete overhaul.  I took it down to the studs and have been slowly remodeling it in the evenings and weekends.  This weekend’s project… installing bamboo floors.

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Daryl Hannah and Bethy Rossos to headline Better Living Show

This year's Better Living Show welcomes two celebrities, including environmentalist and actress, Daryl Hannah and “Adrenaline Hunter” star, Bethy Rossos. Daryl Hannah, most widely known for her acting roles in hit films like Splash and Kill Bill will speak out on her longtime commitment as an environmental advocate and her passion for living a low-impact life. Bethy Rossos, winner of the televised reality show, “Wanted II: Adventure Woman” and now, star of her own Comcast reality series, “The Adrenaline Hunter,” comes to the show for an exclusive cooking demonstration, showing attendees how to make amazing pizzas on the BBQ use local ingredients.

Read more about the 2012 Better Living Show

The Future of Alternative Energy in Portland

The future of alternative energy in Portland is more promising than most other areas of the country.  In part, this is due to the temperate climate with dry summers and mild, rainy winters.  The climate is moderated by proximity to the ocean and lacks both the bitter cold and raging heat common to so many other states.  Portland has the perfect climate for use of alternative energy and the public and private will to create a sustainable, environmentally responsible lifestyle.

There is good reason Portland is considered one of American’s “greenest” cities.  Alternative energy is an “in” subject today and many cities across the country are looking for ways to capitalize on the environmental movement.  Portland has been a forward thinking city for years.  When other states were developing as fast as they could, Portland was practicing careful land use planning and developing within strict guidelines.  Much of the manufacturing the city is famous for is of products that carry a low environmental impact.  Roses are big business in Portland as are microbreweries.

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Support Your Local Green Events

There are many green events around the US helping to spread the word about sustainability. They come in all forms; from music festivals and green home & garden shows to eco summits and organic festivals. And as each event passes the hope is that more consumers are exposed to the importance of living in a sustainable manner, for themselves, the environment and their communities. 

A large part of living sustainably is buying locally. The result of buying locally is a more sustainable community with local businesses that are owned by local people who are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future. And studies have shown that when you buy from locally owned business, rather than a nationally organization, significantly more of your money is used to support other local businesses which continues to strengthen the economic base of the community.

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Where to get Used Carpet for Free

There are lots of places to get used carpet, but when money is short, where can you find it for free?  That is what I wanted to know, as I was doing a home improvement project that needed approximately 600 sf of carpet and I was not willing to pay for it. It’s not that I’m cheap, but what I needed it for did not call for plush carpet in the latest color.

A few weeks ago I decided to put a pond in my backyard.  After moving some very large shrubs and trees, I built a couple of retaining walls and dug the hole where to pond was going to go. Before putting the pond liner in, I wanted to put some padding under it to protect it from possible puncture from rocks under the liner.  At my former house I had the kids go around the neighborhood and collect newspapers that I used under a previous pond liner.  It was a great way to recycle newspaper and provided a good padding.

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Energy Smart Home offers ideas for inside and outside the home

This year’s Energy Smart Home at the Clark Public Utilities Home & Garden Idea Fair offers ideas for just about everyone—whether you want to reduce  our environmental footprint by making your home more energy efficient, learn about electric vehicle charging stations, or are considering investing in a solar water heating system. The demonstration home, built by New Tradition Homes, Vancouver, features the latest in home energy-saving technologies. For example, it has low-e, argonfilled Energy Star® windows, energy-efficient lighting throughout, a tankless water heater, a high efficiency furnace and heat pump, and a solar water heating system. The latest retrofit heating sensation— the ductless heat pump—also will be on display. They offer efficient heating and air conditioning without ductwork, so are the perfect replacement for homes with baseboard heat, ceiling heat or wall heaters.

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Portland Mortgage Company Rolls out a New Green Mortgage

The green mortgage is not a new idea, but leave it to a Portland company to put an entirely new spin on things. In a city where 75% of mortgage brokers have turned in their licenses since the start of the housing crunch, one local company, Premier Mortgage Resources, is getting serious about sustainability.

On March 25, 2011, Premier launches its Earth Wise Home Loan at the Better Living Show, designed to give real incentives to borrowers buying green-certified homes. The idea is simple: purchase a home with energy efficiency certification by LEED, Earth Advantage, Built Green, Energy Star or Passive Solar, and receive a .375% credit on loan fees up to $2500. Upfront savings on a mortgage loan of $300,000, for example, would be $1125.

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Spring 2011 Color Trends in Makeup: Keeping it trendy, but still green!

GreenBeautyTeam.com founder and international makeup artist Kristen Arnett is sharing expert green beauty tips from the Sustalinable Life Stage on Saturday, March 26 at 2:00 pm. Kristen will use Alima Pure products to make up the models for all the SEMPER Fashion shows this weekend! Alima Pure is based in Portland and recently was awarded the prestigous...

Kristen and Alima Pure share with you makeup trends to welcome Spring!

We just came off an especially “nude and neutral” winter making it harder than usual to get out of our comfort zones and wear the brighter colors which this Spring in particular inspires...

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Living Greener Starts at the Better Living Show

Okay, I get it.  You don’t want to live in a hut with a thatched roof eating pine cones and wearing sandals in the winter.  But if that is your idea of what you have to do to start living greener you are mistaken.  And that was the whole motivation behind launching the Better Living Show.  We wanted to reach out to the mainstream population and break down some of the misconceptions about living greener.

I grew up in Beaverton, Oregon in a family that enjoyed the outdoors.  We did not have a lot of money so we lived very simple yet conventional lives.  My father pulled a lot of weeds by hand until he got a little older and then he started nuking them with chemicals.  We had large cars because we had a large family.  We ate well but not organic per se.  It wasn’t until late in my life that I started living greener.  It was when I went to Oregon State University and later in my work with school gardens that I really started taking a serious look at my habits.

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Portland Celebrates Ecoroof Month in March

The ecoroof industry in Portland, Oregon has been making great strides. Since 2008, the City of Portland has offered an incentive of $5 per square foot of ecoroof on approved projects. Over 100 projects have been funded so far for over 8 acres in vegetated roof space, and the funding will be offered twice annually until 2013. The City now boasts nearly 13 acres of ecoroofs (extensive green roofs) and close to 28 acres of green roofs (intensive and extensive combined).

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When did Earth’s most abundant and free natural resource become a commercial ‘beverage’?

Bottled water has been a big-selling commercial beverage around the world since the late 1980s. According to the Worldwatch Institute, global bottled water consumption has more than quadrupled since 1990. Today Americans consume over 30 billion liters of water out of some 50 billion (mostly plastic) bottles every year. The Beverage Marketing Association reports that in 2008 bottled water comprised over 28 percent of the U.S. liquid refreshment beverage market. The only bottled drinks Americans consume more of are carbonated sodas like Coke and Pepsi.

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What safeguards are in place today to prevent incidents like the infamous Bhopal disaster in India when chemical company Union Carbide leaked deadly gases, killing thousands of people?

Bhopal should have been a wake up call, but it is unclear whether chemical plants around the world are any safer a quarter century after the December 1984 disaster—during which some 40 tons of toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide (now part of Dow Chemical), killing 2,259 people immediately and causing lifelong health problems and premature death for tens of thousands more.

In the U.S., the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) oversees chemical and other facilities that deal with hazardous materials, making sure various “process safety” routines are followed so as to “prevent or minimize the catastrophic injury or death that could result from an accidental or purposeful release of toxic, reactive, flammable or explosive chemicals.” Also, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security instituted its own “Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards” (CFATS) that chemical and other hazardous materials facilities must follow or be shut down.

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Why is the U.S. so far behind other nations in developing environmentally friendly public transportation?

 

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Instead of Efficiency

Efficiency is one of the hallmarks of our society. And, on the surface, creating more desired results from the resources available may seem benign or even beneficial, whether we’re talking agriculture, business, government, or education. However, our quest for efficiency is, increasingly, leading us to dangerous places.z

A good example of this lies in the way we produce our food. Take, for instance, the highly efficient “confined animal feeding operations” (CAFOs). Critics have been warning for years that these massive, inhumane animal factories are incubators for virulent super-pathogens. Knowing that their crowded and unhygienic farms put animals at risk of disease, farmers pump pigs and cattle full of antibiotics, which is the prerequisite for antibiotic-resistant organisms and a potential public health crisis. The industrial farming company finds it more efficient to give drugs to healthy animals than to grow food on small, mixed farms where conditions are humane, animals stay healthy, and customers are nearby. This efficiency serves both corporate greed and consumer desire for cheap food.                                                                                                                                              Article continued

 

Quinoa: The Mother of All Grains

 

Quinoa is a grain-like crop that was cultivated in the Andes from wild populations of Chenopodium quinoa some 3,500 years ago. It was a sacred crop to the Incas who called it ‘the mother of all grains’, however the early Spanish colonists considered it unworthy of cultivation. It is considered a psuedocereal – not really a true grain or cereal and not even in the grass family.  It is more closely related to beets and tumbleweeds. Its leaves can also be eaten much like amaranth.

Growing Quinoa

Because quinoa is so undemanding it is easily grown where temperatures range from 25 degrees to 95 degrees during the growing season.  It does not need much water; usually less than 18 inches, but it does require well drained soils.  It actually prefers soils low in nutrients, but adding a little nitrogen will usually increase the yield.

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In his recent State of the Union Address, President Obama called for a million electric vehicles on American roads by 2015. How likely is it that we’ll attain that goal?

“We can break our dependence on oil…and become the first country to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015,” President Obama said in his January 2011 State of the Union address. “The future is ours to win.”

It’s difficult to say how likely such an arbitrary goal might be, but green leaders and others are optimistic. The waiting list for the new electric Nissan Leaf, rolling off the factory floor as we speak, is some 20,000 Americans long. The auto industry expects similar demand for other new electric and plug-in hybrid cars hitting U.S. roads this year and next from General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi and others.

 

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What’s the latest research on the question of whether cell phone use causes cancer?

Cell phones have only been in widespread use for a couple of decades, which is far too short a time for us to know conclusively whether or not using them could cause cancer. Research thus far appears to indicate that most of us have little if anything to worry about.

 

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DISH NETWORK PARTNERS WITH PREMIER HOME SHOWS TO PROMOTE INNOVATIVE TV SOLUTIONS TO HOMEBUYERS

DISH Network reaches buyers and decision makers through national sponsorship of the 2011 National Home & Garden Show Series™

Premier HomeShows, the portfolio of leading independent home and garden shows and a division of USA Expositions, today announced that DISH Network L.L.C., a subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) has signed on as a national sponsor of its 2011 National Home & Garden Show Series™DISH Network, the TV industry’s leader in technology and HD programming, along with several local independent satellite TV retailers exhibiting at each show, will increase its visibility on a national and local level through its participation in all 30 home and garden shows nationwide.

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From Garden Pot to Cooking Pot

The local grocery store usually doesn’t stock many herbs that could easily grow in a garden pot and as easily add to the cooking pot. Here are a few suggestions for all to try.

Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, are easy to start from seed or nursery seedlings. It divides easily and is the perfect pot plant. If you prefer to plant in a garden area, watch out for its ability to easily spread seeds. Pick the snowy white flowers and they will hold up well in a bouquet. The bright green leaves can be chopped up and used in mixed green salads. The leaves can also add loads of flavor to stews and soups. If you are not ready to use them immediately, the leaves can also be dried and used at a later time.

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When it Comes to Green Events, I Say Buy LOCAL!

As I am preparing to head down to Eugene, Oregon to attend the Good Earth Home Garden and Living Show, thoughts keep coming into my head regarding green festivals and events and their value to the community.  More so, the value that is being provided by the producer of the events.   In most cases, these green events are produced by local people, hiring local services for the benefit of the local companies that exhibit in them.

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This vs. That: A handy guide to making the tough decisions

 

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What’s being done to “green up” professional sports?

 

 

What is being done to enable ocean fish populations to rebound after being so over-fished?

 

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Portland Expo Center's Recycling Efforts Reach Record Levels

With the help of attendees, the Portland Expo Center reached record levels for recycling and sustainibility practices this past year. The Portland Expo Center takes its commitment to the environment seriously, and with over 450,000 attendees visiting the Expo Center throughout the year, they strive to work with producers, patrons and exhibitors to create events that are as green‐minded as possible. Expo Center staff incorporates eco‐friendly practices into their daily practices from operations to janitorial, to catering to administration. Additionally, they offer recycling and share environmentally awareness practices with their exhibitors and visitors. By making these services easily accessible and cooperative, the Expo Center decrease's their impact on the waste contributed to local area landfills.

Click here for the full details:
Portland Expo Center Green Efforts!

Are Atlantic bluefin tuna really about to go extinct?

According to many marine biologists, Atlantic bluefin tuna, one of three closely related bluefin tuna species, are in danger of going extinct within a decade if the governments of the world can’t come together to ban catching and/or selling the lucrative species. The non-profit International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which maintains an international “Red List” of threatened species, considers the Atlantic bluefin “Critically Endangered” given that its population numbers have declined by upwards of 80 percent since the 1970s. Even recently instituted stricter restrictions on allowable catch levels may be too little too late for the huge migratory fish.

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Are cigarettes made from organic tobacco any healthier for smokers?

To say business is booming would be an exaggeration, but it is true that many American tobacco farmers are beginning to transition to organic growing methods. Given the hard times growers have faced in recent decades—most Americans now revile smoking and farmers in other countries can produce higher volumes for substantially less cost—going organic is one way to keep charging premium prices. While growing organically costs more and yields a slightly less marketable product, farmers can make up the

difference and then some since their organic tobacco will command double the price of their competitors’ conventionally grown, chemical-laden variety.

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Clark Public Utilities Home & Garden Idea Fair picks Blue Ocean Events

Clark Public Utilities has selected Blue Ocean Events of Portland to assist with production of the 20^th annual Home & Garden Idea Fair. The event will be held April 29-May 1 at the Clark County Event Center at the fairgrounds.

Heather Allmain, the utility’s coordinator for the show, said Blue Ocean Events will manage commercial exhibitor activities. “They bring more than three decades of consumer show experience and a commitment to customer service that fits perfectly with the unique qualities of the Home & Garden Idea Fair.”

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Book Review:  Drowning in Oil – BP and the Reckless Pursuit of Profit

Loren Steffy’s Drowning in Oil, published by McGraw Hill is a historical look at the rise of BP and the other major oil companies and their endless pursuit of profits.  It takes an objective look at the BP culture first created by John Browne and then perpetuated by Anthony Hayward, and how this culture of profit-driven decision making led to such an unsafe work environment that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was bound to happen.  It also takes a look at the lack of proper oversight on the part of the various US government agencies that were supposed to keep the public, the employees and the environment safe.

When I sat down to read Drowning in Oil, I didn’t know what to expect - a dry factual account of the history of the oil business or a ‘go after the guy while he’s down’ account of greed and corruption.  I was surprised to find neither was the case... 

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Artist Donates Proceeds from Upcycled Art to Non-Profits Throughout the World

If you walk into the Pearl District’s newest art gallery, Gallery 903, you will see several pieces of art by artist Louise Harris.  Simple in design and made of recycled material, the story behind the creator and the art is one of purpose and repurpose.

Louise Harris is a business consultant in Minnesota with ties to Oregon. She owns LH Originals. She works with The Mentoring Project, an Oregon based non-profit founded by Donald Miller who wrote Blue Like Jazz. And every March she spends a week in Portland volunteering at the Better Living Show.  That makes her an honorary Oregonian with a heart for service...

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Sustain the Earth - Enlighten Our Youth

Many people take our environment for granted. However, future generations may not have an environment suitable for a quality life. Our Earth is in trouble and if we continue our ways, destruction will be at hand. Some people, however, are unaware of simple methods for saving our environment. For example, reducing fossil fuel intake, recycling, and making your home more energy efficient will help the conservation of natural resources. The stress on our rainforests, water supplies, and the atmosphere will be greatly reduced by implementing these simple actions.

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The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times

Carol Deppe’s latest book The Resilient Gardener, takes the term ‘practical guide’ to a whole new level. This is not one of those fluff garden books with lots of color photos – its 308 pages filled with wisdom and information. It is a transformational read that simplifies and fortifies the practices for gardening for food production.

I have had the pleasure of working with Weston Miller, Oregon State University’s Community and Urban Horticulturist for the past three years and when we’re not talking about school gardens we’re talking about food insecurity...

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What is a Hybrid Water Heater?

Hybrid water heaters combine the benefits of conventional water heaters and tankless water heaters giving the homeowner the best of both technologies. Hybrids work essentially in reverse of a refrigerator or air conditioner. An evaporator unit on top of the water heater draws in ambient heat from the surrounding air and transfers it to the water in the tank through condenser coils. When the ambient air isn't warm enough to keep up with peak usage and the heat pump can't keep up to heat the water sufficiently, traditional heating elements kick in. Because of this dual heating feature, you should rarely run out of hot water.

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Give, Advocate and Volunteer - Success of Small Non Profits

I saw a banner in downtown Portland that said “GIVE, ADVOCATE and VOLUNTEER.”  It was the message of United Way. And it made me start to contemplate why people support one non-profit or cause over another.

 

Why is it that millions of children go hungry each day? We all know its happening yet how many step up to the plate and get involved? The needs seem so overwhelming at times that it’s easy to get numb and do nothing.  If you are a large organization such as United Way you can afford to produce slick ad campaigns that tug at heart strings.

 

 

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Choosing Plants for Pacific Northwest Rain Gardens

Okay, so you’ve decided to build a rain garden at your house and you have your basic design.  You have calculated how large the rain garden needs to be and now you are ready to select plant material.  Where do you start?

In the Pacific Northwest we have many wonderful native plants to choose from. And although rain gardens do not demand native plants, they are the easiest to care for if the right ones are chosen and properly planted.  You will need to observe your rain garden site for a full day or two and determine the amount of sun or shade that hits the garden.  Most gardens will have a combination of the two and depending on where you plant larger trees or shrubs, additional shade material may be needed.

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Oregon School Turns to Passive Solar to Help with Heating and Cooling Problems

The winter is cold and the children wear coats; the spring gets so warm students cannot concentrate.  But I’m not talking about the outdoors – rather the conditions inside Mary Woodward Elementary School in Tigard, Oregon. Despite lots of money spent and best efforts, the school’s design does not lend itself to efficient temperature control.  And this affects student performance. So the school turns to passive solar as a solution.

 

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Choosing Energy Efficient Replacement Windows

For the second time this year a door-to-door salesman rang my doorbell trying to sell me energy efficient replacement windows. The pitch is always the same. They want to set up an appointment to do an ‘energy audit’ and give me a bid for replacing my windows.  They tell me they will save me 40% on my energy bills.

Nice Try! But no one can make that statement before the energy audit.  How do they know how bad my windows are? And after the energy audit, I guarantee the recommendation will be new windows. After all, that is all they sell. Even if they can save me 40% on my utilities by replacing my windows with energy efficient ones, I would have to stay in the house for 20 yeas to see a return with the windows they were selling.  Do a little research online and you will find their replacement windows are three to four times more expensive then comparable windows and the Attorney Generals of Oregon and Washington are after them.

 

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Benefits of Energy Efficient Mortgages & Energy Improvement Mortgages

Many people are unaware that the Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) and Energy Improvement Mortgage (EIM) are new tools that allow homeowners to profit from making homes more energy efficient.  

The Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) uses the energy savings from an energy efficient home to increase the home buying power of consumers and also capitalizes the energy savings on the appraisal...  

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What is an Energy Audit? 

The term ‘Energy Audit’ has no official definition and has been used for all kinds of processes that look at the energy consumption of a home. It has become a very general and loosely defined term. The title of ‘Energy Audit’ has been designated for everything from utility companies looking at the usage of a single home compared to other homes in the area, to a comprehensive onsite inspection of a particular residence or commercial property.  This has led to a lot of confusion for consumers and in some ways slowed the growth of the industry due to lack of clarity regarding the purpose and value of an energy audit...

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How to Appeal Your Property Tax Assessment

 

Property tax statements are arriving in the mail any day now and with property values dropping, many home owners will find that their assessment is higher than the fair market value of their homes.  What do you do?  How do you appeal a property tax assessment that is too high?

The first step in appealing your property tax assessment is to determine if the assessment is truly higher than it should be.  There is a new website – Lower My Assessment - that has a free calculator that does just that.  It’s quick and easy and you do not have to sign up for anything.  No follow-up emails will be coming your way. In seconds you will know if you have grounds for an appeal.

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How to Calculate the Size of Your Rain Garden

 

After you have contacted your local jurisdiction to find out if you need a permit to disconnect your downspouts or if there are other special requirements, the next step in creating your rain garden is to figure out how big it needs to be.  The general rule of thumb is to calculate the square footage of your roof or other impervious surface being managed and multiply that by 10.  This is called the 10 percent rule.      

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Muddy Boot Festival

It’s that time of year again and the Muddy Boot Organic Festival is just around the corner.   This outside organic festival is held in the parking lot of St Philip Neri Church in Portland. And, although it is not very big, it is a wonderful event. It features:

• Local, sustainable food and beverages
• Organic and sustainable wine and beer
• Live music
• Fun, ecofriendly kids' activities
• Workshops on sustainable living
• Local vendors of sustainable, organic products and services

I have been a couple of times and have really enjoyed the vendors and music. Last year I sat in on a session moderated by Martin Tull on green advertising.  Note: there is a fee for attending the Muddy Boot Organic Festival and an additional fee for listening to the keynote speaker.

A Perfect No-Maintenance Garden Plan

Okay this has been going around for some time now and I cannot find who originally wrote it, but I thought it was so appropriate regarding the absurdity of having a lawn. So I wanted to post it.  The feeling portrayed in this post, is why I am building a rain garden. There is really only one low or no-maintenance garden plan:

GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS:  It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

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Rain Garden Packages:  Handle the Rain Water

Running Off Your Impervious Surfaces

Last week I met with Ryan Gorretta of West Coast Natives about building a rain garden in my front yard. West Coast Natives has come out with a rain garden package that bridges the gap between hiring a landscaper and doing it all by yourself.  And in my case, I have the ability to build gardens on my own, but sometimes I need a little inspiration and support.

I have a front yard that despite my efforts over ten years, still has a little lawn and I was looking for a no-maintenance garden plan.  I want to get rid of that so there is no more mowing.  In addition I want to filter the rain water off my roof – an impervious surface – and naturally filter it by building a rain garden.  In this way the rain water is not simply going into the storm water system, pollutants and all.  Ryan explained, “If your roof is 1000 sq ft and it rains one inch, 600 gallons of water will be running off of your roof and into the storm drain.” Add to that all the other impervious surfaces such as sidewalks and driveways and that’s a lot of rain water. A rain garden can naturally solve that issue.  All you need to do is calculate how big the rain garden should be.

So what is included in West Coast Natives’ rain garden packages?

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Save Money on Your Water Bill

The sales pitch was compelling: “Don’t let 11,461 gallons go down the drain in vain. Save water, money and time with hot water in an instant.”  But this wasn’t from a tankless water heater provider.  It was from Kirk Garvey of Craftwork Plumbing and he was showing me the Grundfos Comfort System pump.

As he explained, the Grundfos pump is really quite simple.  As the hot water in your pipes cool, the pump kicks in to recirculate that water back to the water heater using the cold water line and heats it back up.  This continual flow keeps hot water at you finger tips so that you do not have to run the shower for a long time waiting for the water to heat. 

The installation is easy since it uses the existing cold water line as the return, no extra line needs to be installed...

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10 Tips for Staying Cool this Summer

There are many ways to stay cooler this summer while at the same time saving money and the environment.  Energy prices are creeping up and keeping your home temperatures at a tolerable level is hard to do without air conditioning.  But below are ten simple things you can do to feel comfortable and save on energy costs.

1.  Drink lots of water to allow your body’s natural cooling system to work at its peak efficiency.  This is a good health habit anyway.

2.  Keep the windows closed and your shades drawn during the day. If nighttime temperatures drop enough, open them up after dark.

3.  Use the microwave instead of your oven to cook your meals or enjoy a cool refreshing salad for dinner, which requires no cooking.

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producer of Portland's Better Living Home and Garden Show

Portland Expo Center