SeeingGreen ™

Pinch me, I must be dreaming. Three of my favorite things - beer, pizza and green building - have come together in a perfect storm named “Hopworks Urban Brewery.”

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A little over a year ago, several Portland realtors were the first in the nation to convince the Regional Multiple Listing Service to add fields for green home features. This function allows sellers to identify efforts to increase the environmental performance and healthfulness of their property so that perspective homebuyers can search for these features more readily. Now in a similar vein, a new website called GreenRenter, is helping match future tenants with green commercial and residential properties.

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Although I’ve written about some of Portland’s green baby shops before, I only recently found one in my very own neighborhood. Smaller than some closets in the homes they’re building out in the burbs, Zoom Baby Gear is smart to have a focus. Neatly folded and tucked into this tiny space are probably a hundred different sizes, colors and styles of cloth diapers and accessories.

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Lately I’ve been considering purchasing a pocket-sized device that would give me instant access to my four e-mail accounts, favorite websites, thousands of music files and endless supply of amateurish videos. All this and more for only half a mortgage payment and a $70 bill every month. Turns out, I really need something else altogether.

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My days of lusting after old Portland bungalows may be over (I’ve moved on to mid-century ranches), but I recently stopped by a new store that rekindled the flame, at least for a few minutes. Located on SE Division, east of 39th Ave., is an artfully organized outpost for vintage fixtures, lighting, windows and doors aptly named “Old Portland Hardware and Architectural.”

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I suppose it is the holiday season that has me making a list like this, but I thought I would share some things that have me seeing green.

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When I first moved to the block where I still live, none of the neighbors would look at me. Or say hello. Or, I imagine, even knock on my door should my house be engulfed in flames. The problem wasn’t my own un-neighborly activities, such as hosting rowdy parties or supporting illegal cottage industries, but simply that I was new.

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There aren’t too many gas stations worthy of a post on a blog about sustainable living. However, this past summer while zooming down I-5, the following dialogue ensued over the roar of the stereo. “Look, there’s an ecoroof,” I said with my usual glee about seeing (something) green. “It’s on a convenience store,” replied Co-pilot. And then in unison, “At a gas station!”

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For someone who prefers walking, biking or taking mass transit to driving, I sure like to look at cars. I probably owe this predisposition to genetics, since you can’t walk half a block with my dad before he’ll pause to check out the rear end of a four-wheeled hottie. However, given my inclination to save the planet, the cars I like to ogle are not the biggie sized urban assault vehicles that many in our country still seem to favor. Instead, I find myself intrigued by the new and sometimes unusual looking, fuel sipping, land skipping and smile invoking people movers.

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Last week I went on a tour of Burnside Rocket, Portland’s newest (and reddest) green building. Situated on the eponymous thoroughfare that divides Portland into north and south, Burnside Rocket is the latest brainchild of Kevin Cavenaugh, an architect and developer whose portfolio includes other favorites of mine - Ode to Roses and Box + One.

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I recently sat in on a meeting at my day job that re-energized my thinking about sustainable urban living and the opportunities for innovation. Although I was already aware of Portland Park and Recreation’s (PPR) aggressive plan to put a skatepark within one mile of almost every neighborhood in Portland, the more compelling news is that PPR is about to design and install the world’s first green skatepark.

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More about all this later, but we now have 4 new girls in the house.

Every year around springtime, I perform a ceremonial ritual involving my legs and a razor. No, it’s not a reenactment of a turn your stomach horror movie, but instead a peaceful moment in the bath when I rid myself of winter’s hirsuteness. But yesterday in the grocery store when faced with making a razor selection, a dilemma arose that only you, my dear readers may understand.

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I just finished watching a short documentary about life without abundant oil in Cuba, a small Caribbean island that most Americans associate with two things: embargo and cigars. In contrast, “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil,” presents a much richer portrayal of Cuba and the ways it transformed itself from oil and import dependency to a surprisingly resilient country with an economy rooted in localized food and energy production.

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While recently preparing black bean and brown rice burrito #3,261, I came across three simple words that changed things in my household in a significant way. These words have appeared on other items before, such as garments and electronics, but until now I had never seen the dreaded expression on the food that sustains me. There, on the lid of organic black beans from Trader Joe’s, was a stamp. It read, “Product of China.”

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This past Friday, Co-Pilot and I went on a road trip to Oregon’s coast for some much needed r+r. With little planned, our only destination was a well-appointed campsite at Cape Lookout State Park. Eager to get on the road early, we packed up our sleeping gear, enough food to keep us from eating our own hands and off we went. It was 9:30 AM and the day was already gorgeous. Blue skies, warm air and proof of spring everywhere.

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Food co-ops are often the epicenters of communities large and small. They are beacons for people who care about what enters their stomachs, where their dollars go and how commerce is conducted. Food co-ops are not only a great place to purchase organic and healthy groceries, but also a resource for connecting to your neighborhood. Just looking at the bulletin board outside a co-op will give you the scoop on everything from rooms to rent, lost dogs and upcoming peace rallies.

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Every week from May to December, I will be receiving a box of fresh vegetables harvested less than 20 miles away from my urban home. Said box will be delivered to my place of employment, where I will divide the fresh bounty with a coworker. The price for such a convenient delight: $450 or less than $60 a month (that’s for half the box).

Want to get in on the action? It’s easy, just join a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture.

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Over the past few years, many of my friends have been making little friends and I often find myself on the lookout for a gift to celebrate the new arrival. I also want the token to be meaningful, useful and of course, easy on the earth. Fortunately, Portland is teaming with baby and environment-friendly stores that carry everything from organic cotton diapers to fun gifts for Moms and Dads to-be.

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Last year I was searching for a replacement gasket for a canning jar I use to store coffee. In earnest, I visited all the various kitchen supply stores in Portland, from the upmarket Sur La Table to the locally owned Kitchen Kaboodle. No luck. Finally, I saw an ad in the Chinook Book for Mirador, a natural products store featuring kitchen and canning supplies. Bingo. Not only did Mirador have everything you need to safely squirrel your summer harvest away for the winter, but also a great inventory of recycled-content gifts, cookbooks and things you set afire to make your home smell good.

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