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Photo courtesy of Christie's

Looking for a simple resource to help you make food and eating choices based as much on your green ideology as on your appetite?  Have the recent public comments by executives of high end grocery stores left a sour taste in your mouth?  Did you enter “The Meatrix”?!

Well then, do yourself a favor and check out Sustainable Table.  This fantastic web resource contains a vast knowledge base of information on everything from organic agriculture to factory farms (and how to avoid their products.)  There is even a search engine to locate sustainable, locally grown, fresh and organic eats right around you.  Simply type in your address!

                                               Photo by Tom Carroll

This year residents of the South Waterfront Community took part in a Community Garden. Spaces were made available to members of the South Waterfront Community and reserved by those interested. Take a look! There are a variety of crops ranging from tomatoes, peppers, spices, flowers-the list could go on and on. Just like Portland takes pride in commuting by bike or Mass Transit, residents of Oregon certainly can appreciate the joy of cultivating their own gardens. What a great way to connect members of a community.

Golf courses.  They are expansive, rolling, great little examples of nature, right?  Well, not exactly.  In our march for recreation we have created these vast plots of land that consume thousands of gallons of water each day, get blasted with chemicals, and stripped of biodiversity.  The clearcutting of land and smoothing of terrain has other nasty effects as well, as stormwater runoff becomes a complicated issue and high winds tend to get amplified along the treeless channels.  As the world moves to a greater sense of eco-consciousness we are starting to see the ideas of sustainability extend to even our past-times.  Treehugger has a nice, short article showcasing five examples of Links done right, boasting some familiar names as well as some unexpected benefactors. 

This is not to say that you should avoid supporting your local ‘pitch and putt’, but everyone can take part in influencing those who run these establishments and letting them know that having a sensible carbon & water footprint is important to you, their patrons.  Small steps everywhere add up to huge impact. 

Image courtesy of www.swiss-miss.com

Here’s an interesting packaging concept floating around the net today.  The fact is, as more shoppers get into the habit of looking at labels and hunting for anything with the label “organic” many are missing some of the plain truths of where our food comes from.  This concept puts a plain and simple mileage count and CO2 emission info right on your receipt and clear labeling on the food itself to get more regular purchasers into the habit of considering what sort of travel was required to get you that off-season fruit you’ve been craving in the long winter.  See after the jump for another packaging prototype.  (more…)

Photo by J. Maus, Courtesy of Bikeportland.org

Just wanted to post this wonderful picture from this past weekend’s Providence Bridge Pedal.  More than 20,000 were in the saddle on Sunday, and some of the images are simply breathtaking.  Be sure to check out the slideshow on bikeportland.org, and others around the web!

Picture courtesy of www.southwaterfront.com

Join in for Riverfest 2009 at the South Waterfront on Saturday, August 22, 2009. This  free, family friendly festival provides for a great opportunity to celebrate life and living on the river. Live music, food, beverages, fun activities, and attractions are sure to provide for a good time. Join your neighbors for Riverfest 2009 on the South Waterfront. Additional events will also take place throughout various areas along the river Thursday, August 20, 2009 through Sunday, August 23, 2009.

Riverfest 2009 at the South Waterfront is proudly a South Waterfront Community Relations Collaboration.

Ok guy’s and gals. Is this fickle weather driving you just a little nut’s. For a couple of weeks there we though we had it made in the shade (pun intended). But these days, our beloved summer feels a little different. Many are sensing signs of betrayal from the weather gods. Just be understand that Portland is still a vibrant city sun or no sun. Below are a few ways to keep your juices flowing and a smile on your face.

1- Exercise. Keeping the blood flowing will keep your overall energy level up.

2- Checkout the array of entertainment options available. We post quite a few on our blog.

3- Meet up with good friends for dinner and possibly some tasty liquid nourishment.

4- Go to a movie and laugh a little.

5- Most of all when we do have sunny days, enjoy them to the fullest.

That’s right, it is that time of year again! 
Starting today (Thursday June 11) and running through to June 27th is the festival of Portland’s World-Renowned Bike Fun, Pedalpalooza.

The festival is put on by Shift, a informal local group of bikers united by “a shared passion for the bicycle in all its glory: as toy, as transportation, as a tool for social and environmental change!”  You can see from the calendar on the main site linked above, this is a massive event with everything from the practical (repair and legal clinics), to networking (Business on a Bike meeting 6/19 at 3:00), to the ridiculous (many polo and jousting events), to the sublime (Kidical Mass) and of course the endearingly insane (Zoobomb on Sunday nights!)

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