September 9, 2013

A beautiful tree-lined street is not only pleasant on the eyes but also helpful for our rivers.

The Bureau of Environmental Services outreach team,"team of trees," has been out and about this summer, canvassing to find available spaces for street trees. Working with Friends of Trees and local residents, the outreach team works to get trees planted on your street.

Thanks to great community partners and volunteers, BES has helped get 32,000 new trees planted since 2008. When mature, these trees will be capturing an estimated 18 million gallons of rain before it turns into stormwater runoff.

BES canvassers are especially focused in areas of low tree canopy, particularly in East Portland, and are offering subsidized trees to residents. Think you might want a street tree? Contact BES at (503) 823 – Tree (8733), or Friends of Trees directly at (503) 282 – 8846.

September 9, 2013

The Community Alliance of Tenants is holding a raffle to win great prizes while supporting fair housing practices in Oregon.

CAT works to educate, organize and develop the leadership of low-income tenants to directly challenge unjust housing policies and practices. They are the only statewide, grassroots, tenant-controlled, tenants-rights organization in the community.

Raffle proceeds will support CAT’s work to provide rights for renters throughout Oregon. Tickets are only $1, and prizes include gift cards from Starbucks Coffee, theatre tickets, a mini-basketball autographed by Portland Trailblazer LaMarcus Aldridge, as well as other fantastic prizes.

The raffle ends September 13, so get your tickets today!

To learn more about the raffle, or to purchase tickets, visit CAT’s “raffle bonanza” website.

September 10, 2013

Grab your pirate hat and join us this Saturday at the Columbia Slough Watershed for a pirate-themed Aquifer Adventure!

The Portland Water Bureau and the Columbia Slough Watershed Council have teamed up to teach “pirates” of all ages the value of groundwater – a buried treasure that flows right below your feet.

Learn to navigate a larger than life aquifer and the obstacles that our water travels through on its way to our drinking water supply. Have fun creating an edible aquifer, cruise on a “pirate ship” in search of a treasure island, make your own pirate hats and other crafts, and create your own home “green” cleaner so you don’t have to use harsh chemicals around the house!

This event is a part of the outreach efforts of the Portland Water Bureau’s Groundwater Protection Program. The Cities of Portland, Gresham and Fairview started this program to protect the Columbia South Shore Well Field – a drinking water source for over 800,000 Oregonians.

Show up wearing your favorite pirate costume and bring your adventurous spirit and prepare for a day full of fun and hands on learning! The adventure is free and the first 300 pirate-scientists receive a free Aquifer Adventure t-shirt!

To learn mre about the event, visit the Columbia Slough Watershed’s website or call (503) 281 – 1132.

Aquifer Adventure

NE 166^th Ave and Airport Way

Saturday, September 14, 2013

12 – 4 pm

Free

September 12, 2013

Tonight kicks off the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s (PICA) annual Time Based Art Festival!

TBA brings artists from around the globe for this week-long Portland arts festival. From visual art to performance art – and everything in-between – viewers can experience TBA in all of its different facets. “From morning workshops to afternoon salons and talks, to evening shows and late-night happenings, TBA is an all-hours forum for new ideas and experiences,” says PICA.

Visit the TBA website to see a full line up for the festival.

Head out and experience art!

Why Art?

Alison Hallett in The Portland Mercury

photo courtesy of PICA

September 12, 2013

With these 90 degree days you may have already forgotten about the downpour of rain we experienced last Thursday.

But the first big rainfall of the season caused stormwater to flow down the streets and even caused some trees to come down on Forest Park’s Lower Macleay trail. Sometimes this kind of storm causes an overflow of the City’s sewer pipes and allows sewage to enter our Willamette River.

We’re happy to report that thanks to “green” investments in our infrastructure, we had no overflow!

In the past, combined sewer overflows happened nearly 50 times a year, but now with the completion of the “Big Pipe,” disconnecting downspouts, and building green street facilities to manage rain naturally, our city is better equipped to deal with the abundance of rain we get each year. Because of Portland’s investment in fixing combined sewer overflows (CSOs) with upgrades to our sewer infrastructure, the Willamette River and Columbia Slough are cleaner and safer for people and fish.

To learn more about the big pipe and other ways we manage CSOs, visit the Bureau of Environmental Services website.