What's your 1THING?

Even during these warm summer months, it's often cold in the mornings.  I wake up around 5:30 every day and am often tempted to turn on the furnace in the morning just to take the chill off.  Instead, I have a better idea: I put on socks and a sweatshirt for that first hour of lounging around the house, reading the newspaper and drinking coffee.  By the time I'm fully awake, I'm warmed up, without the help of the furnace.  I save energy, and save money. 

The Project Symposium will showcase Oregon Institute of Technology Portland 2010 Graduates who will present their projects to Industry Partners, Faculty, Staff and Alumni. The capstone project is a culminating experience in each student’s program of study. It represents one’s ability to formulate a project and implement it from start to finish using a combination of conceptual, technical and applied knowledge.  Please join us in honoring these students and connecting with the OIT Portland community.
You will be inspired!

Oregon Institute of Technology
20175 NW Amberglen Ct, STE 100
Beaverton, OR 97006

EVENT SCHEDULE
3:00-5:30pm — Selected presentations from each Portland degree program
5:30-7pm — Posters and demonstrations of projects from every program. Mingle with graduates, students, faculty and industry partners.
Light Refreshments Served

RSVP to Christine.pompel@oit.edu

Oregon's own Energy Performance Score, a voluntary "miles-per-gallon" energy rating for your home, has been voted to the final round of top "Ideas for Change in America." If we can make it to the top 10 ideas before Thursday March 11, we will get a meeting with key White House officials to push this system that has already been rolled out in this state for new homes. Please take a minute to read the description and vote at http://bit.ly/csvHwL. You'll need to register and then confirm through an email link.

When I was much younger, I thought recycling was a fad that would go away. Look at me now, 35 years older and much wiser; the things I do are so easy!

return soda and water bottles for deposit (bonus of getting money back!)

recycle probably 85% of my trash

changed my incandescent lightbulbs to CFLs - the rest are LCDs

snip the plastic rings from soda cans and bottles so there are no holes left to choke birds & other wildlife

just bought a (re)used Toyota Prius to reduce my gas consumption and toxic emissions

recycle prescription bottles (my household has LOTS of prescriptions)

reusable water bottle

use a bento-type reusable lunch box and cloth lunch bag to carry it in

sign up for paperless billing for every bill possible & pay bills online

recycle paper and newspapers

buy organic food

use re-usable grocery bags

There's probably more, but all of this has become such a part of my life that I don't even notice it anymore.

The Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association announces the 5th Annual NW Solar Expo and Professional Training Conference.

Details about sponsors, special events and training sessions, including plans to have a FIT (Feed in Tariff) Training Day will be coming soon!

Registration will open after January 1, 2010!

Conference & Expo Mission:
To educate renewable energy professionals as well as business owners and residential customers interested in clean energy solutions.

The 5th Annual Northwest Solar Expo & Clean Technology Showcase 2009, featuring three days of Professional Solar Training and certification also offers multiple networking opportunities for business professionals, installers, integrators and potential solar and clean energy customers to meet. The expo offers a unique local opportunity for companies to showcase products and services that can be implemented today.

Want to keep more plastic bottles out of circulation? Drink water. Nearly all drinks that are purchased contain either high fructose corn syrup or the more healthy cane juice. But both of those increase the sugar in your diet. However by keeping a reusable bottle with you and drinking tap water, you can save $60 each month and curb the demand for plastic products.
The northwest (specifically Portland) has the best water in the country due to strict protections on the watersheds. So drink up and be merry.
:-)

Cleaning plastic bags can be time consuming and it's much faster and easier to throw them away.
So let nature do the work for you. If you use garden stakes or other poles to guide your garden hose away from plants, let them do double duty.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60961560@N00/4151150246/
Turn your plastic bags inside out and hang them upside down on the garden stakes. The rain will clean them and the sun will dry them. At the end of a sunny day, bring them inside and give them a quick wipe to reuse them or bring them to Far West fibers near SE Holgate and 17th.

Coal Country
A Free Film Screening
WHEN: Monday, November 9th
Doors at 6:30pm, Intro at 6:45pm. Film at 7:00pm followed by short issue briefing&discussion

WHERE: Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd, Pdx

COUNTRY is a dramatic look at modern coal mining. We get to know working miners along with activists who are battling coal companies in Appalachia. Families have lived in the region for generations, and most have ancestors who worked in the mines. Everyone shares a deep love for the land, but MTR (Mountain Top Removal mining which has leveled over 500 Appalachian Mountains) is tearing them apart. We explore
meanings behind promises of “cheap energy”.

Join the Oregon Sierra Club for this free event and learn more about how coal impacts Oregon, and what we are doing in our backyard to break our coal habit and end these destructive mining practices.

Oregon's dirty secret: 40% of our electricity comes from burning coal. Join us on October 21st for the Oregon's Dirty Secret Coal Tour! Learn about the devastating impacts of mining and burning coal in the Powder River Basin, the source of Oregon’s dirty coal. Hear powerful first-hand stories from Wyoming family rancher LJ Turner and Northern Cheyenne tribal members Otto and Barbara Braided Hair at two amazing events on October 21st.

Rally: Rally Against Coal. 12-1pm, Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square
Briefing: Community Briefing on Coal Mining. 7-8:30pm, Oregon Sierra Club Office, Portland (click here for directions)

To learn more or to RSVP, contact Robin Everett at (503) 238-0442 x307. Visit http://action.sierraclub.org/NWDirtySecret to learn more and RSVP online!

Join the Oregon Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign on a hike in the Columbia River Gorge. Learn about the dangers of coal and how Oregon can overcome its addiction to coal.

The Oregon Beyond Coal Campaign will lead a hike to Latourell Falls, an easy 2.3-mile hike with a 600 ft. elevation gain, featuring two waterfalls and classic views of the Columbia River Gorge. On the hike we will discuss how the Boardman coal-fired power plant threatens the health of the Columbia River Gorge and how Oregon can become a coal free state. Families are welcome. Just bring water and a lunch.

When: August 9th, 9am-3pm

Where: We will meet at the Sierra Club office. 1821 SE Ankeny St. Portland, 97214

RSVP: Robin Everett at robin.everett@sierraclub.org or 503 238-0442 x307
Space is limited. Please RSVP as soon as possible.