Week after the Sunshine

Environmental Club members & supporters,

Weeks are getting busier - and more exciting! We're going on a field trip to the MercyCorps Exhibit for our next Environmental Club meeting. Don't worry, it's only a 20 minute travel time. Make sure to show up at 4 pm in the GreenSpace instead of 4:30!


Environmental Club events:
Environmental Club meeting THIS Thursday - Field Trip to Design for the Other 90%
Thu, Feb 25
Meet at 4:00 pm (instead of 4:30 pm) in the GreenSpace

We'll be riding the MAX to the MercyCorps exhibit (28 SW 1st Ave)!

Presented by Mercy Corps and The Lemelson Foundation, Design for the Other 90% features some of the most inspired inventions to improve the lives of low-income people around the world. Go to other90.cooperhewitt.org/about for complete information about this innovative and uplifting exhibition revealing the power of design to improve the lives of millions.


Plugging in for Sustainability
Interested in...

• Take Back the Tap? Contact Lisa Meersman at
  
  ecpsu.redwood@gmail.com OR just come to our next meeting!
• Recycling and composting on campus? Contact Honore Depew at hbdepew@pdx.edu. There are plenty of opportunities to make sure composting and recycling are fully utilized at events and throughout campus.
• Energy efficiency? Contact Kelly Larson in the Sustainability Office at klar@pdx.edu
  
• Community service? Stay tuned or contact Hanna Davis at
  ecpsu.cedar@gmail.com for SOLV events.
  
• Local food? Contact Hanna Davis at ecpsu.cedar@gmail.com to help compile a seasonal, local, & sustainable Portland cookbook.
  
• Bikes? Sign up for the [bikes] email list and keep up-to-date on all bike-related events
  

Also, PSU's Sustainability Leadership Center has started a general volunteer sign-up for all campus-related sustainability events and issues - check it out, fill it out, get involved!


Campus events:
Bicycle Documentary Night - TWO movies!
Wednesday February 24th
7-9pm
Multicultural Center Smith 228

Hosted by the Community Development Student Group, Planning Club, and the PSU Bicycle Advocacy Collective

We Are Traffic!
We Are Traffic! chronicles the history and development of the "Critical Mass" bicycle movement-- one of the most spirited and dynamic social/political movements of the apathetic 90's. In over 200 cities in 14 different countries, Critical Mass has now become a monthly ritual of reclaiming the streets by bicycle activists riding en masse.

“Return of the SCORCHER”
Return of the Scorcher questions our obsession with "progress" and status and presents a diverse cross-section of cycling visionaries who see the bicycle as a life-affirming vehicle for change.

Food and Beverages provided.


Final Earth Day Forum
Tue, Mar 9
11 am
SMSU 228

Come to the final Earth Day forum and help us finalize our plan for an amazing Earth Week and Earth Day Festival!!


Community Saturday coffee rides
Sat, Feb 26th
11 am - 1 pm-ish
meet in front of Millar Library

Ride bikes! Socialize and drink coffee! Join our friends from PSUBAC and others for the weekly Saturday coffee ride. Leaves from PSU Millar Library at 11am, ride to two coffee shops within 5 miles and hang out. Always good company and lots of fun. Rain or shine.


Community events:
Last Metro Hearing on Rural and Urban Reserves
Thursday, February 25
2:00 pm
Metro Council, 600 NE Grand Ave

This Thursday, the Metro Council will make its final decision on Rural and Urban Reserves for the Metro region, and it looks like it will be business as usual.  Instead of embracing the opportunity to protect farm and forest land and natural resources for the next generation, it looks like a majority of the Metro Council may vote to make land available for sprawling urbanization for the next land development.

The Reserves process is supposed to protect the heart of the region's farm land and significant natural resources for the next 40-50 years, while also providing some areas for urbanization over that same period.  Clackamas and Multnomah counties, and the cities in those counties, conducted a thorough analysis of their future urban needs and balanced them with the needs of food and fiber production and natural resources.  Both urban and rural reserves in those areas reflect that balance.

Washington County did not.  Urban reserves are slated for thousands of acres of the region's - and indeed the nation's - most valuable farm land, in the heart of the Tualatin Valley.  The proposed urban reserves in Washington County represent a noose of urbanization slowly tightening around the Tualatin Valley - north of Cornelius; north, west, and south of Hillsboro; and around North Plains.  It is a very short-sighted view of economic development - as though more land is all it takes. A majority of the Metro Council stands poised to approve this.

Please attend the Metro hearing and testify or at least stand-up for local agricultural and natural resources.  We will have stickers for you to wear showing you care about local farms. Those wishing to testify will have 1 minute to do so.  Let the Metro Council know that this is their "Senate Bill 100 moment."  That's the bill that established Oregon's land use planning system - it's why this is a place we all want to call home today. Will our children?


Be the sunshine for Portland,

PJ Houser
Portland State University
Environmental Club coordinator
Campus Sustainability Office Assistant

Environmental Club members & supporters,


Welcome to the middle of the term! What an exciting time with midterms, projects, sleep deprivation, and... your friends in the Environmental Club! This last weekend, the Environmental Club did a tree planting up in Kenton. This week, we have a meeting with a guest speaker from Food and Water Watch. Hope you can make it!
 

Environmental Club events:
Environmental Club meeting THIS WEEK
Thursday, Feb 11th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
SMSU 326

Julia DeGraw from Food and Water Watch will be visiting.We'll also be sending Obama & some Congress members a few notes about the "clean" nuclear energy, coal, and offshore drilling mentioned in the State of the Union. Perhaps we can also have a handstand contest...


Plugging in for Sustainability
Interested in...

• Take Back the Tap? Contact Lisa Meersman at
  ecpsu.redwood@gmail.com OR just come to our next meeting!
• Recycling and composting on campus? Contact Honore Depew at honoredepew@gmail.com. There are plenty of opportunities to make sure composting and recycling are fully utilized at events and throughout campus.
• Energy efficiency? Contact Kelly Larson in the Sustainability Office at klar@pdx.edu
  
• Community service? Stay tuned or contact Hanna Davis at ecpsu.cedar@gmail.com for SOLV events.
  
• Local food? Contact Hanna Davis at ecpsu.cedar@gmail.com to help compile a seasonal, local, & sustainable Portland cookbook.
  
• Bikes? Sign up for the [bikes] email list and keep up-to-date on all bike-related events
  

Also, PSU's Sustainability Leadership Center has started a general volunteer sign-up for all campus-related sustainability events and issues - check it out, fill it out, get involved!


Campus events:
Community Saturday coffee rides
Sat, Feb 13th
11 am - 1 pm-ish
meet in front of Millar Library

Ride bikes! Socialize and drink coffee! Join our friends from PSUBAC and others for the weekly Saturday coffee ride. Leaves from PSU Millar Library at 11am, ride to two coffee shops within 5 miles and hang out. Always good company and lots of fun. Rain or shine.


Career Information Day Panel: Careers in Sustainability
Wed, Feb 17th
1 pm
SMSU 3rd floor ballroom

Plan to attend the 22nd annual Career Information Day on Wednesday, February 17 from 11:00 to 3:00 in the SMSU 3rd floor Ballroom. Students will be able to meet with representatives from over 60 organizations to learn about various career opportunities. You may also attend a panel discussion at 1:00 to learn about Careers in Sustainability: Food & Food Systems.


Miller Grant Student Sustainability Travel and Conference Awards
The Center for Sustainable Processes and Practices (CSP2) is pleased to announce the Miller Grant Student Sustainability Travel and Conference Awards - Round III for the 2009-2010 Academic Year. It is the intent of the CSP2 to recognize outstanding work of PSU undergraduate and graduate students in the area of sustainability and contribute to their professional development by helping to fund their travel to distant places for scholarly purposes.

Round III of funding will cover travel between April 1, 2010 through June 15, 2010. Applications are due March 2, 2010 by 5:00pm.

Instructions and Applications can be found here: http://www.pdx.edu/sustainability/research-funding-and-opportunities.


Community events:
Confluence: Water & Justice symposium at University of Portland
Fri - Sun, Mar 26 - 28, 2010

University of Portland

The University of Portland is holding a symposium, bringing together some of the nation's leading experts to examine various perspectives on water, including environmental justice, protection , science, theology, business, history, law, and the Native American perspective.

The Confluences: Water & Justice symposium opens Friday afternoon, March 26, with a lecture and cruise on the Willamette River followed by a screening of The Water Front, a documentary film on water rights in Michigan. Afterward, director Liz Miller answers questions.

On Saturday, March 27, and Sunday, March 28, over twenty experts share their expertise in concurrent sessions. Most sessions pair speakers of different viewpoints to promote discussions.

Maude Barlow - author, activist, and senior adviser on water to the president of the UN General Assembly - gives the keynote address on Saturday night.

Conference registration for Confluences: Water & Justice is free. Tickets for Maude Barlow's keynote are $10 per person; free for ILLAHEE season ticket holders, conference hosts and sponsors, and University of Portland faculty, staff, and students.


More soup & vitamin C please,

PJ Houser
Portland State University
Environmental Club coordinator
Campus Sustainability Office Assistant

Environmental Club members & supporters,

Welcome to February! Our last meeting was a riot, with green M&Ms and all sorts of upcoming events to sign up for. The next week is gonna be a riot too, in all the right ways!
 

Environmental Club events:
Environmental Club Volunteer Day with Friends of Trees
Sat, Feb 6th
9am – 1pm

Portland Village School, 7654 N Delaware Ave, Portland, Oregon, 97217

Come hang out with the Environmental Club while we plant trees! Please meet at the staging site by 9am to volunteer for this planting. If you have any questions, please contact Andy Meeks at AndyM@FriendsofTrees.org or 503-282-8846 x24. This planting is sponsored by Portland General Electric.

Next Environmental Club meeting
Thursday, Feb 11th
4:30 - 6:00 pm
Location TBA

Julia DeGraw from Food and Water Watch will be visiting.We'll also be sending Obama & some Congress members a few notes about the "clean" nuclear energy, coal, and offshore drilling mentioned in the State of the Union. Perhaps we can also have a handstand contest...


Plugging in for Sustainability
Interested in...

• Take Back the Tap? Contact Lisa Meersman at
  ecpsu.redwood@gmail.com OR just come to our next meeting!
• Recycling and composting on campus? Contact Honore Depew at honoredepew@gmail.com. There are plenty of opportunities to make sure composting and recycling are fully utilized at events and throughout campus.
• Energy efficiency? Contact Kelly Larson in the Sustainability Office at klar@pdx.edu
  
• Community service? Stay tuned or contact Hanna Davis at ecpsu.cedar@gmail.com for SOLV events.
  
• Local food? Contact Hanna Davis at ecpsu.cedar@gmail.com to help compile a seasonal, local, & sustainable Portland cookbook.
  
• Bikes? Sign up for the [bikes] email list and keep up-to-date on all bike-related events
  

Also, PSU's Sustainability Leadership Center has started a general volunteer sign-up for all campus-related sustainability events and issues - check it out, fill it out, get involved!


Campus events:
Community Saturday coffee rides
Sat, Feb 6th
11 am - 1 pm-ish
meet in front of Millar Library

Ride Bikes!  Socialize and Drink Coffee!

Join our friends from PSUBAC and others for the weekly Saturday coffee ride. Leaves from PSU Millar Library at 11am, ride to two coffee shops within 5 miles and hang out. Always good company and lots of fun. Rain or shine.

If coffee isn't your cup of tea, try checking out PSU Cycling's longer rides: http://psucycling.com/events


PSU Earth Week Student Forum TODAY!
Tue, Feb 2
2 - 3 pm
Smith's Multicultural Center rm 228

PSU Earth Week is hosting an Earth Week Student Forum for generating ideas and connecting students interested in participating in projects for Earth Week. Come help us brainstorm!


Community events:
University of Portland bans disposable water bottles

Letter that University of Portland faculty and students received:

Dear University of Portland community,

As you may have seen on the news or on our website, as of February 1, the University will no longer sell disposable plastic water bottles at The Cove, vending machines and concession stands and will also cease use at catering events. This move does not apply to the five-gallon Culligan jugs in use throughout campus.

You are encouraged to use reusable/refillable containers and tap water, which is available in water fountains throughout campus and at a water filling station in The Cove. The decision to discontinue the sale and use of disposable plastic water bottles was made in conjunction with Bon Appétit, the Presidential Advisory Committee on Sustainability and student groups. 

While this move will take some adjustment on everyone’s part, we truly believe it is the right thing to do. The University used over 53,000 disposable plastic water bottles in 2009 alone, a good amount of which were not recycled, and the environmental impact of producing and transporting the bottles is significant. The water contained in the bottles often comes from distant locations, which only increases the impact from shipping and baling. Furthermore, because water being sold in disposable plastic water bottles is part of a process of privatization of water resources, the sustainable purchasing decision not to buy or sell disposable plastic water bottles also fits into the Catholic belief that water should not be treated as a commodity and that access to water is a universal and inalienable right.

The University of Portland takes seriously its commitment to being a good steward of the planet, and this move will not only reduce the amount of waste generated on our campus but will help focus attention on the critical issues of sustainability and water rights. 

Thank you for helping us make our campus greener.

(Rev.) E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C.
President

Rally for Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030
Thu, Feb 4th
BUILD IT Rally from 1:30 – 2:00 pm
Public Hearing for the Portland Bicycle Plan from 2:00 – 3:30 pm
City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave.

This Thursday, City Hall will be deciding whether or not to adopt the plan. The plan has a lot of support and will most likely be adopted. However a plan without funding is only a plan, a wish, a dream if you will.

There will be a rally at the city hall hearing this Thursday to show our elected officials that while the plan is great...it needs to be funded and it needs to be built!

The rally will start outside then we will go inside for the hearing at 2:00pm. If you want to speak at the hearing get there at 1:30 to sign up, it sounds like all statements should be under 2 minutes.

BTA's BUILD IT campaign website:
http://www.portlandbikenetwork.org/toolkit/testify/

Chris Smith's blog:
http://pdxplanningcommissioner.com/2009/11/12/whats-the-bike-plan-worth/

PBOT's page (Has links to full text of the plan):
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=44597

If you can't make it to the rally or meeting:

* Send emails or call City Council. Tell them whatever you think, and tuck in the phrase "Built It" if you want to drive home the point that they should actually build it.  You can keep it short, or give them lots of detail.  Be sure to tell them you're a Portland voter. 
- Sam Adams: samadams@ci.portland.or.us 503-823-4120
- Amanda Fritz: amanda@ci.portland.or.us 503-823-3008
- Randy Leonard: rleonard@ci.portland.or.us 503-823-4682
- Nick Fish: nick@ci.portland.or.us 503-823-3589
- Dan Saltzman: dan@ci.portland.or.us 503-823-4151

* To stay current, become a fan of "Build It" on Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/BuildIt2030


Volunteer at the Hedges Creek Marsh
Sat, Feb 6th
9 am - 12 pm
Meet in Kaiser Permanente parking lot, 19185 SW 90th Ave, Tualatin, OR 97062

Join our volunteer project to help harvest and install native willow, dogwood, and spirea cuttings.

Please contact Jennifer Wilson to RSVP or for additional questions.  Phone: 503.957.6980 or E-mail: jennifers@wetlandsconservancy.org

“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
        -Margaret Mead

Students Against LNG Hike & Action Retreat
Sat, Feb 6th
9AM-9PM, Portland & Mt. Hood National Forest

Join students from across Oregon while we hike in Mt. Hood National Forest in an area threatened by a pipeline to import greenhouse-gas-intensive Liquefied Natural Gas. Then, we will work on planning actions and events to stop the LNG projects in Oregon. Be part of fighting the biggest threat to our sustainable future. Be a part of this movement for social justice. And, play a key role in running a strategic campaign to protect our climate. We need you!

*Car pools and a place to stay on either Friday or Saturday night will be available.

Sign up here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1810/t/10427/signUp.jsp?key=4792

What we will do:
Join the Columbia Riverkeepers' Conservation Director, Dan Serres, for a beautiful hike in Mt. Hood National Forest. Then, plan actions and events that you can bring to your campus for the other half of the day. What else could be better?

Background: The biggest dirty energy project on the west coast is proposed for Oregon. Three Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and over 600 miles of pipelines are currently proposed to import greenhouse-gas-intensive foreign fossil fuels. LNG is as dirty as coal and is much more carbon intensive than the natural gas we currently use. If these projects go through, all of the progress Oregon has gained against Boardman Coal plant and all of the efficiency measures taken, WILL BE LOST.

There is a huge and growing movement against these projects. Students have played an important role in this movement in the past but now we are getting organized more than ever before! Join us and help run a five month campaign to grow the movement. The campaign will escalate over the next few months and show its face with a huge action at the NW Natural Gas headquarters during a shareholders meeting in May. Lets mobilize and escalate.

Sign up here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1810/t/10427/signUp.jsp?key=4792

Join the facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=265829923839&ref=nf


Banana pants!

PJ Houser
Portland State University
Environmental Club coordinator
Campus Sustainability Office Assistant


Check out our updated website at http://eclub.groups.pdx.edu

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