Green City

Residential Basics of Going Solar

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:31:26 GMT

Residential Basics of Going Solar - 04/20/10 - Tangent

When	Apr 20, 2010 from 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm
Where	Central Electrical Training Center 33309 Hwy 99E Tangent, OR. 97389

Learn the Basics of Going Solar in Oregon. Learn about Solar Thermal and Solar Electric systems and how Tax credits and Incentives can pick up more than half of the cost.

This free workshop covers the basics of why solar is a smart choice for Oregon homeowners. We will show you:

How well solar works in Oregon's climate

Available solar technologies

Financial incentives and tax credits

How to choose a contractor

Residential tax credits and incentives often pay for up to 80% of the cost! Participants will come away with basic knowledge about solar energy systems and will be prepared to do more focused research on their own and start working with a contractor.

This workshop will feature an optional second hour, hands on, solar panel presentation with installation experts.

This event is free, but seating is limited. Please use the link below to RSVP.

http://www.solaroregon.org/events/residential-basics-of-going-solar-04-20-10-tangent/

Green Cooperation

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:03:24 GMT

LBCC has just completed their new "Green Science Building" on their Albany campus.

We need more Green Cooperation. It would a benefit to all if we had a Green Cooperation Council and a Sustainability Center to give focus to their efforts. It would be great to have a Council made up of representatives from: Education, Business, Government, Civic Organizations, Community Service Groups, Citizen's Groups.

"The new state-of-the-art science building brings green technology to LBCC."

"...with the award of a Silver Certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the 27,000 square-foot building is ready for the next generation of scientists and engineers."

The building is a model of sustainable energy practices.

LBCC has a Sustainability Committee and their purpose and scope is:

Purpose of the committee:

Advise and educate the college community about sustainability
Promote the integration of sustainability into college operations and academic programs
Serve as a communications hub about sustainability

Scope of the committee, includes but is not limited to:

Sustainable operations
Sustainability in the curriculum
Professional development/training around sustainability
Clearing house for new programs for LBCC around green jobs/green technology

Solutions for Communities - Think Globally, Act Locally

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:42:36 GMT

Solutions for Communities

Think Globally, Act Locally

As the building blocks of society, communities play an essential role in addressing the challenge of sustainability.

Since communities are complex and diverse systems with multiple stakeholders, there are often many interpretations of sustainability and very different ideas about how best to achieve it. The Natural Step provides a clear, compelling, science-based definition of sustainability and a strategic planning framework to help communities make smart decisions that will move them step-by-step towards a successful and sustainable future.

Our planning framework is rooted in systems thinking, which helps our partners to understand how daily decisions impact the larger system in which we all live.

The Natural Step offers a variety of approaches for communities. The primary objective is to help municipalities and their broader communities build capacity to understand and move strategically toward sustainability. We customize education and training programs to make the best use of the tools and programs that are already in place.

We give communities practical tools and information for developing sustainable practices and systems. We also provide access to an extensive global network of sustainability experts and leaders who are committed to accelerating the world's transition to a more sustainable and prosperous future.

Read about the benefits of working with The Natural Step.

http://www.thenaturalstep.org/en/services-communities

Climate Solutions in Albany 11/5-6/09

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:34:34 GMT

A worksop was held at the Albany City Hall by the group Climate Solutions on 11/5-6/09. The focus was on clean energy solution in our region as we face the new energy economy.

http://www.climatesolutions.org/

Climate Solutions' mission, achievements and goals

Climate Solutions mission is to accelerate practical and profitable solutions to global warming by galvanizing leadership, growing investment and bridging divides.

Our regional organizing approach is transforming the global warming debate in the region and laying the groundwork for a successful, multi-stakeholder climate action agenda. We’re generating fresh political momentum for energy and transportation solutions that benefit the region’s economy and quality-of-life.

Global warming is our generation’s greatest challenge and solving it is our greatest opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous future."

We look forward to hearing about the results of the workshop from the City and what is planned for a follow-up in real practical action steps we can take locally to secure a better future for our community.

Lebanon Volunteer Workday

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:16:35 GMT

From Steve Lilly of the Green Belt Land Trust:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Happy Earth Day!

If anybody wants to help our friends to the East, here is your opportunity.
Patricia and her husband have helped us in several volunteer events. So, here is an opportunity to return the favor. Plus, you get to meet, greet
and join efforts for the greater good. Patricia is getting a donation of a
variety of 36 native trees for the Ivy Pull on the 9th, so the first 36
people who sign up at SOLV.org, and show up on May 9th, will receive a free tree.

PLEASE CONTACT PATRICIA LOVEJOY IF INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING. I will not be attending due to a conflicting
Greenbelt event.

5/9/2009 Gill's Landing Ivy Removal

Time: 9:00 AM-1:00 PM

Directions: Hwy 20 to Lebanon; turn left on Wheeler (right if coming from
downtown Lebanon); turn right on Williams; turn left on Grant; straight
until arrive at Gill's Landing on right. Hwy 34: keep straight on 34 when it
becomes Wheeler, at intersection of Hwys 20 and 34. Follow remaining
directions.

Meeting Location: There is plenty of parking in the Gill's Landing parking
lot. Meet at the beginning of the Eagle Scout trail in the Gill's Landing
parking lot.

Coordinator: Patricia Lovejoy

Contact Email: macpatty49@gmail.com

Contact Phone Number: 541-501-7255

Project Activities: Remove English ivy off trees along Eagle Scout trail at
Gill's Landing. Ivy will kill all the trees, and all other plants in the
park, if not removed. We will remove the ivy with clippers and hatchets, up to about shoulder height. That will kill all ivy on the trees. Activities
include: Cleanup, Invasive Plant Removal, Landscaping, Planting, Trail
Maintenance, Weeding.

Safety Issues: Steep Slopes, Water Body on Site, Uneven or Slippery Ground.
Recommended Minimum Age: 10
Volunteers To Bring: Hand Pruner, Weed Whacker, Loppers, Work Boots, Work Gloves, Small hatchets, small handsaws, crowbars

Steve Lilly
Outreach Coordinator
Greenbelt Land Trust
Corvallis, Oregon
(541) 752-9609
steve@greenbeltlandtrust.org

Living in Place, April 25

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:56:13 GMT

You Are Invited to Attend Corvallis Northwest Earth Institute's Fundraiser

Living in Place- A Celebration of Nature and Community
Saturday, April 25, 6:30 p.m.
First United Methodist Church, Martha Room
11th and Monroe

Enjoy a coffeehouse atmosphere featuring:
Readings and storytelling by local authors Paul Turner, Bill Barker, Charles
Goodrich
Music:   Meadowlark Baroque Trio (oboe, spinet, cello), John Swanson and
Suzannah Doyle , Bruce Hecht and Janet Throop

Films: excerpt from "Mid Valley Safari", by Lisa Millbank and Don Boucher
"Our Invisible Friends", by Ellie Vandevelder

Munch on delicious baked goods and snacks, sip good tea/coffee

Wednesday market reopens in new downtown space

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:44:24 GMT

Tomorrow (April 22), the Wednesday Farmer’s Market in Corvallis will reopen in its new location at S.W. Second Street and S.W. D Avenue:

View Larger Map

Hours are from 3 to 7 p.m. (in hopes of attracting more after-work, before-dinner shoppers). Market organizers are offering a free strawberry plant for people who show up dressed like any kind of animal, and they say there are more vendors signed up for the first market of the season than could have fit in the Fairgrounds space at peak season.

Should be a great market. If you go there or take pictures, blog about it, whatever, post a link in the comments.

Sustainable ag discussion Tuesday

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:36:24 GMT

Feeding Our Community - Promoting Self-Sufficiency

Learn about federal and state regulations on agriculture, present status of mid-valley agriculture, and its potential for feeding our population.

Find out what sustainable agriculture means for our soil, our local food supply, our health and the downside of inexpensive industrial agricultural products.

Hear about the need for urban agriculture, some of the many local projects currently in operation or in the planning process, and some ideas about how local government can help.

There will be time for questions, discussion on how local governments can help increase local food production and security, and displays by organizations promoting local food self-reliance.

Details

When: 7 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, April 14
Where: Corvallis-Benton County Public Library Meeting Room
Panel:

Dan Sundseth, USDA
James Cassidy, OSU Soil Science Department
Joan Gross, OSU Professor of Anthropology
Jen Myers, Corvallis Environmental Center

Greenbelt Land Trust volunteer opportunity

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:49:47 GMT

Here is another trail adventure! We will be partnering with The Sierra Club and Oregon State University Geo 300 students to spread some gravel along the Allen Throop Trail. Please join our efforts as we enjoy beautiful views from the top. Remember to invite a colleague, friend or family member to join the greater good that makes Oregon so special.

Saturday, April 25. We will be working for Benton County Parks on the trail at Fitton Green, applying fresh gravel and various other tasks. It's a lovely, open hill top and not at all a bad place to spend a spring morning. We will meet at our usual time and place of 8:30 at the Wilkinson Hall parking lot and carpool up the hill, approximately a 10-15 minute drive. We will probably be finished by noon or 1:00. Bring work gloves, water, and lunch.
For more information, please contact leader Tom Bucht at 738-1333. -
Courtesy of The Sierra Club Marys Peak Group.

Steve Lilly
Outreach Coordinator
Greenbelt Land Trust
Corvallis, Oregon
(541) 752-9609
www.greenbeltlandtrust.org
steve@greenbeltlandtrust.org