One of the collections I most look forward to at this year’s Portland Fashion Week is Anna Cohen‘s collaboration with Oregon’s Imperial Stock Ranch‘s Imperial Yarn division, where she serves as Creative Director. She’s shown collections in conjunction with them before—as one of PFW’s more consistently eco-minded designers she’s a natural fit with the ranch’s […]
Green
Posted inGreen
Oregonians Fulfill Climate Changin’ Sterotypes
Surprise, surprise, Oregonians are split on climate change beliefs. According to an Oregon Global Warming Commission survey taken earlier this year, 80 percent of self-described liberals said they “care deeply” about global warming while 75 percent of conservatives said they were skeptical of the phenomenon. Predictable. Here’s a somewhat depressing graph depicting a facet of […]
Posted inCity Hall
Worst-Case Risk Scenario for Oregon Sustainability Center: Millions Bled from City Budget
The latest, scaled-down rendering of the streetcar-pierced Oregon Sustainability Center. The Portland City Council has begun taking up Mayor Sam Adams’ bid to throw in—formally, if not completely finally—for funding its portion of the $62 million Oregon Sustainability Center project planned near Portland State University. There were some lofty words early about the would-be showpiece, […]
Posted inGreen
Solar Jobs Heat Up
Sure it’s slow moving, but solar jobs are on the rise. Despite Solyndra’s recent crumble, a new report shows that solar jobs have increased by 6.8 percent since last August. According to the 2011 National Solar Jobs Census, there are now 100,237 solar jobs across the nation with 6,735 created in the last year. Solar […]
Posted inCity Hall
Questions Linger, but Council Seems Likely to Bless Oregon Sustainability Center
The latest, scaled-down rendering of the streetcar-pierced Oregon Sustainability Center. Last week’s roll-out for Portland City Council’s Wednesday vote on the Oregon Sustainability Center didn’t go as, um, well, smoothly as Mayor Sam Adams and his team might have hoped. (Read all about the procedural woes here.) But it seems Friday’s paperwork hiccup concerning the […]
Posted inCity Hall
Will Adams Get His Way on Sustainability Center Vote?
The Portland City Council next Wednesday will vote to do what Republicans in Salem this year wouldn’t allow the Legislature to do: Commit to funding its half of the controversial $62 million Oregon Sustainability Center planned for Portland State’s campus. This post has been updated; see below! The vote, announced in a press release this […]
Posted inGreen
Feds Support Oregon’s Electric Cars. Do we?
Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy dropped $485,000 on Oregon electric vehicle (EV) projects and proliferation. Labeled “Energize Oregon”, the recently funded plan has three main objectives: integrating the plethora of in-state EV efforts, develop an EV plan to explain these projects and help boost U.S.’ goal to put 1 million EVs on the […]
Posted inGreen
City Finds Homes for Homeless… Geese
The enemy. Geese ruin everything. In New York, they crash planes. In Portland’s urban parks, large populations of formerly pet geese destroy habitat, degrade waterways, and, frankly, shit on the grass a lot. Many cities have taken the step of staging mass goose killings. NYC, for example, is planning to gas 170,000 geese over the […]
Posted inNews
Sidewalk Planters on the Path to Permit-Free
Just when you thought you had run out of space for your home garden, Portland Bureau of Transportation is giving you more for free! Well, maybe. City of Portland According to PBOT’s Dan Anderson, PBOT plans to lay out new guidelines for private planter boxes that lie in residential areas between sidewalks and city streets, […]
Posted inFashion
Downtown’s Getting Trashioned Today
Downtown passersby have no doubt noticed the windows at SW 10th & Alder that have been taken over by Portland’s premiere garbage-to-garment manufacturers, Junk to Funk. Fashion from garbage is a concept that’s been kicking around for years now, but having had several opportunities to see these garments up close (as co-emcee for the last […]
Posted inArtsy
Disjecta Turns Parking Lot into Artsy Open Space
Contemporary art venue Disjecta has big plans for their boring parking lot. The artists who work in the North Portland warehouse space broke ground today on their Open Space project, a plan to transform their 8,000 square foot lot into an “outdoor performance and gathering space”. Disjecta moved from their SE 3rd Avenue location to […]
Posted inNews
Multi-use Trash Cans Hit NE Alberta
Sarah Mirk Pre-street fair insanity Looking for a combination art installation and waste receptacle? NE Alberta St.’s got it. Alex Zielinski A trash can’s cry for help Here’s the deal: plastic and glass bottles stick in the top openings and trash goes, well, in the can. Clever, creative, and pretty damn practical if you ask […]