I recently learned that the South Waterfront district is hosting a series of free sustainability discussions for those who are interested in learning more about our environmental impact. I’m a big fan of free events designed to educate the public. I have been involved in helping to organize many free technology events for the Portland technology community through my work with Legion of Tech.
Basically the South Waterfront district is hosting a series of talks with local sustainability gurus, it’s free and open to the public, and they even provide some catering and wine while bringing in a different sustainability expert each time. The next installment is July 10th 6-8pm at the Discovery Center (0680 SW Bancroft) with Regina Hauser, the Executive Director of the Oregon Natural Step Network. She will be discussing the Natural Step’s approach to living a more sustainable lifestyle. Here is a snippet from the description on the South Waterfront Sustainability Event page:
Sustainability asks us to live and work in a way that allows our children and future generations to flourish. How do we know if we’re doing the right thing? The Natural Step provides a framework for understanding sustainability which can be used as a guide for short and long term decision making.
The Natural Step is a global not-for-profit advisory and education organization dedicated to sustainable development. It gives decision-makers a shared, science-based understanding of sustainability and a unifying framework for moving towards sustainability.
(quoted from SWF Sustainability Speaker Series post)
You can RSVP for this event by contacting Jeremy Solly at jeremy@southwaterfront.com or calling 503.222.7788.
sustainability = luxury condos to house empty nester yuppies. AWESOME!!!
FYI — here is an interesting story on the Heathman Hotel going green from KGO in San Francisco: http://www.greenrightnow.com/kgo/2009/03/19/portlands-heathman-hotel-a-landmark-goes-green-with-a-waste-not-renovation/
I wish more people and cities took sustainability more seriously. We cannot keep going the same route we are going now. Most cities are just so wasteful.
Portland does the best job, as well as all of Oregon and Washington, at having a recycling program. There is no other city that comes close. The MAX line, bus system, and overall city just does a great job.
Houston and LA are probabely the most wasteful.