Tag Archive for 'sustainability'

Free Sustainability Event Series

Published
by
Dawn
on July 1, 2008
in events and southwest
. 1 Comment

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.

Hawken, Lopez and Solnit at Literary Arts

Published
by
howard
on April 15, 2008
in Uncategorized
. 0 Comments

Every time I come to Portland, I’m faced with the question of why I don’t live here.
- Paul Hawken, at Literary Arts-hosted discussion, this morning at W+K

Yesterday evening, along with writers Barry Lopez and Rebecca Solnit, Hawken sat the Armory stage. Lounging in comfy chairs on loan from the ReBuilding Center and amidst by the woody cacophony of Portland Center Stage’s Great Notion set design, the three tag teamed across a wide terrain from “community as reciprocity” to “prefigurative politics.”

One topic that loomed large was language.

Don’t call it alternative energy, urged Hawken. Energy from the sun or wind or tides is primary energy.

The answer to every either/or question is, I think, “yes,” sounded Solnit.

When we speak of social or ecological restoration, what we mean is “reconciliation,” elucidated Lopez.

While the affair at the Armory soared, the morning’s W+K coffee turned somber. Hawken foresees an immanent “red queen dilemma,” in which - amidst interconnected food, water, energy and climate crunches - societies scramble to meet basic needs.

And this (awesome Portland), stated simply, is one place that’s pointing the way. You must get tired of everyone telling you that, he smiled. But everyone is looking at Portland.

And what we need you to do is to keep raising the bar.