• OSSIA Conference
    Education,  EVENT,  Solar

    Oregon Solar +Storage Conference

    Portland Crowne Plaza 1441 NE 2nd Ave, Portland, ORNovember 2 – 4, 2021 Earn NABCEP CEUs, visit engaging exhibits, hear from industry leaders about solar policy, storage, business development, land use, large-scale development, and more. Join OSSIA for one of the most comprehensive solar + storage conferences in the nation! Solar Career Expo at OSSC will be a featured part of the Energy Trust of Oregon Contractor Day at the Oregon Solar + Storage Conference. The event will commence with a Keynote Delivery (TBA) and be followed by various breakout sessions that include resources for job seekers and providers. Our Speed-networking sessions can assist you as you expand opportunities for…

  • Sage Center
    Education,  EVENT,  FOOD

    EIGHTH ANNUAL MORROW COUNTY HARVEST FESTIVAL

    FREE COMMUNITY EVENT CELEBRATING LOCAL ARTISANS, PRODUCE, AND FAMILY FUN October 2, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm101 Olson Road, Boardman, OR SAVE THE DATE! We’re so glad to be back in any fashion for the 8th annual Morrow County Harvest Festival presented by the SAGE Center. The Morrow County Harvest Festival will be exclusively outdoors. It will feature a variety of vendors with high-quality, regionally produced agricultural goods, and handmade artisan crafts. Returning this year, Threemile Canyon Farms will provide an opportunity for attendees to “fill-a-bag” full of locally grown produce in exchange for a small donation to a local 4-H program. Pack a grocery bag full of traditionally…

  • Bunchberry
    Home Garden,  Nature

    Native Plants in the Pacific NW

    & How You Can Incorporate Them Into Your Garden The last twenty years have seen a growing interest in gardening with native plants. The term “native” has several meanings, depending upon the context. “Native” is used to mean a plant species that has been in a specific region for hundreds of thousands of years and continues to be present in the landscape. Dinosaurs were surrounded by Araucaria, known today as Monkey Puzzle trees, and other conifer species; ferns, rhododendrons, and horsetail. So, these plants may be as old as 135- 180 million years. It doesn’t get more native than that.  Another definition of “native” plants is that the species has…

  • \Community Solar Panels
    COMMUNITY,  Community Projects,  Solar

    Signing Up for Community Solar

    My Experience Community solar just had its first birthday in Oregon. While the program was years long in the rulemaking, it has been slow to roll out, and COVID then threw a wrench in the works. The first PV projects are now steadily moving forward and will go into the ground and catch solar photons next year.  Oregon is one of a handful of states which currently have policies that support community solar. Some states (in green below) have programs in the works or about to launch, while others (in blue) have live, active community solar programs you can sign up for now. Advocates see community solar as an important…

  • Human Composter
    Human Interest,  Nature

    The Greenest Ending

    ADAPTED FROM HERLAND FOREST WEBSITE On May 1, 2020, Washington State became the first state in the US. to allow natural organic reduction (NOR) as an alternative to cremation services and traditional burials. This law defines “natural organic reduction” as “the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to the soil.” Think composting.  Walt Patrick, steward of the Herland Forest Natural Burial Cemetery in Wahkiacus, Washington holds the state’s first NOR facility operator’s license and on December 20, 2020, he and his staff performed their first NOR investment. The term investment refers to the process of placing someone’s remains into a natural organic reduction vessel encased in the organic matter and…

  • Nature,  Publisher's Page,  Think Piece

    Invest in the Future:

    When is the Best Time to Plant a Tree? As I sit in my recliner, looking out at our yard through rain-streaked windows, I am overcome with pride and a wonderful sense of accomplishment at what I see. What was an abandoned field 18 years ago, today has raised beds for vegetables, four different types of berry bushes, plus a wide variety of other flowers and plants that are colorful and beneficial to wildlife. But it’s the trees that we have planted over the last 18 years that amaze me the most. They are an eclectic group of paulownia, ash, apple, plum, fig, locust, cedar, maple, and mimosa trees, all…

  • Hummingbird
    Nature

    Magicians in the Air:

    Hummingbirds and How You Can Support Them Who of us have not marveled at the tiny hummingbirds who inhabit, or at least visit, our gardens?  Weighing less than a nickel, they can travel at 33 miles per hour, beat their wings from 720 to 5400 times a minute when hovering, and eat their weight (or more) in food every day.  John James Audubon recorded human feeding of hummingbirds in his book “Birds of America 1840-1844” and by 1950, commercial bird feeders were available.  Thousands of feeders are sold each year worldwide. But, are we really doing them any favors by placing sugar water in safe, cool areas?  It is true that they can digest…

  • Painted Rock
    COMMUNITY,  EVENT,  FOOD

    Northwest VEG Scavenger Hunt

    Don’t miss the Rock n’ Revelry on August 14th Tis the season for an outdoor scavenger hunt! On Saturday, August 14th, traverse your favorite part of Portland in search of 50+ painted rocks. When you find a treasure, flip over the rock to scan the QR code and learn from what local shop or restaurant you’ve won a small goodie. Ranging from a free appetizer to a $5 gift card to fun bumper stickers, all prizes are from your favorite veg-friendly places around town. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join in the fun.  This event is sponsored by Northwest VEG, and we would love your help jazzing up our…

  • Living Wisdom School
    COMMUNITY,  Education

    Conscious Living Principles at Living Wisdom School

    The Portland Living Wisdom School is a non-profit school serving preschool & kindergarten/1stgrade. LWS offers a heart-centered holistic education focused on a balanced curriculum that prepares them to be creative, solution-oriented, and self-aware.  The school is based on Education for Life, an educational philosophy that balances mind and heart, body and spirit. The roots of the system lie in the philosophy of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi. LWS emphasizes universal principles that bring happiness, such as kindness, generosity, courage, and optimism while supporting a learning environment where students thrive.  At Living Wisdom School, students experience  Joy in learning  Academic excellence without stress  Small classes  Individualized approach  Self-understanding …

  • Nichols Nursery Logo
    Business,  Home Garden

    Nichols Garden Nursery has Moved

    After seventy years, Nichols Garden Nursery has moved from Millersburg on the outskirts of Albany to Philomath, Oregon, on Highway 20/34 across from the Philomath Museum. While Nichols Garden Nursery is primarily a mail-order garden seed company, visitors are always welcome. In addition to the physical relocation, Nichols’ online store has been updated for a better customer experience. The improved website should run faster and smoother. This family business is now in its third generation.  New Address  1136 Main St. Philomath, OR 97370 New Mail Address  PO Box 1299 Philomath, OR 97370 For more info: nicholsgardennursery.com