• KBOO – Volunteer-Powered, Non-Commercial, Listener-Sponsored, Full-Strength Community Radio for Portland, Oregon, Cascadia & the World!
• p:ear – builds positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth, ages 15 to 24, through education, art and recreation to affirm personal worth and create more meaningful and healthier lives
• Willamette Riverkeeper – a non-profit organization, whose sole mission is to protect and restore the Willamette River.
• Oregon Environmental Council – safeguards what Oregonians love about Oregon – clean air and water, an unpolluted landscape and healthy food produced by local farmers. As a member-supported nonprofit more than 40 years, they’ve been a champion for solutions to protect the health of every Oregonian and the health of the place we call home.
• Mercy Corps – Its mission is to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.
• Portland Fruit Tree Project – a grass-roots non-profit organization that provides a community-based solution to a critical and growing need in Portland and beyond: Access to healthy food. Because money doesn’t grow on trees… but fruit does!
• McKenzie River Gathering Foundation - MRG Foundation pools money from Oregon’s progressive community and distributes it back to grassroots groups working on a wide range of social change issues. MRG funding supports the most strategic work unfolding at the local level to address globalization, poverty, war, racism and environmental destruction.
• BTA – a non-profit membership organization working to promote bicycling and improve bicycling conditions in Oregon since 1990.
• ReBuilding Center (a project of Our United Villages) – Inspiring people to value and discover existing resources to strengthen the social and environmental vitality of communities.
• Portland Gay Men’s Chorus – The Portland Gay Men’s Chorus aspires to expand, redefine, and perfect the choral art through eclectic performances that honor and uplift the gay community and affirm the worth of all people.
• Portland Frontrunners – Its mission is to promote good health and provide an opportunity for positive social interaction through running, walking and club events in a supportive running community
• American Lung Association – The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through Education, Advocacy and Research. As a lifelong asthmatic, Steve is particularly appreciative of the work that they do.
• Portland Track Festival – A community oriented track and field festival open to youths and adults.
• Portland Area Business Association – Portland Area Business Association exists to promote business and offer support to its membership, which is made up of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders and their allies in business.
• Equity Foundation- Equity Foundation has existed since 1989 to eradicate prejudice against sexual and gender minority communities as well as other diverse communities around Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Growing the Choir: Engaging Business Leaders in Sustainability

Round 2 of Beyond 2020 is titled, “Growing the Choir: Engaging Business Leaders in Sustainability.” This participant-driven event is sponsored by Peter Korchnak and Renee Spears. I’ve registered and look forward to seeing what kind of synergies and dynamic outcomes can come from this Open Space format. Since this format relies on attendees for its content and scope, I’ll have more to tell after the event. I encourage you to consider it. As principles, ideas, and challenges of “sustainability” get echoed and bolstered in many vibrant pockets of town, this event seeks to find ways to spread the awareness and actions into new territories, hence the title, “Growing the Choir.”

Here are the starter questions that frame the discussions for this (un)conference.

• Who could we be talking to besides ourselves? What is the best way to engage business leaders who hold different values (for example, profit over planet)? How do people shift from a focus on narrowly defined self-interest to valuing community and environmental goals?
• What are the obstacles for adopting sustainability in business and how do we overcome them? How can we make sustainability more comprehensible, appealing, and inclusive? What immediate and long-term actions can we agree to take to grow the choir?

Come to the next Beyond 2020 to offer and seek answers to these questions.

Submit ideas for sessions, and join in on January 21st to lead your session.

Architecture 2030: The Road Before Us

Assembled by the Earth Advantage Institute, the Green Day Forum aims to bring together 100 thought leaders to discuss strategies for meeting the Architecture 2030 goals of establishing a carbon-neutral building industry. Topics range from Energy Performance Score implementation and incentives to current policy initiatives to funding sources to Passive House design and building standards. This is the short list. It’s an amazing agenda for the day. Former Secretary of State, Bill Bradbury, will be presenting among a host of other innovative thinkers in the architecture, construction, and renewable energy sectors of Oregon. I’ll be anxious to see the action items and strategies that come from this kind of assembly covering this much ground. Register here to participate.

The Green Day Forum will be held at the Earth Advantage Institute in Tigard, Oregon from 7:30am to 6:30pm on December 4th, 2009. The Earth Advantage National Center is located at 16280 SW Upper Boones Ferry Road Portland, OR 97224.

Saturday, October 24th marked the 1st ever International Day of Climate Action. There were multiple ways to get involved. Run, walk, bike, march, rally, and paddle. It was a beautiful fall day in Portland, and I chose to attend The River of Action event on the Willamette River. In this case I actually toured around by bike looking for good vantage points to photograph the kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards as they created a large “350″ floatilla that made it’s way from the Hawthorne Bridge to the Burnside Bridge.

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I am curious to see how October 24th, International Day of Climate Action, evolves next year. It sits comfortably “opposite” Earth Day on the calendar, so hopefully event organizers and activists be able to capture the attention, energy, and commitment of an expanding audience.

So far the tone of the events have a compelling balance between absolute urgency, commraderie and fun, and expressive action that can grab the attention and imaginations of other unsuspecting bystanders. I had numerous conversations with folks on the waterfront as we witnessed the boats taking shape in the form of the mysterious number, 350. The majority of the people around me had no idea what was going on; most were enjoying the Saturday Market on an amazing day in October. When I explained the concept of the day and the variety of actions taking place, you could see the wheels turning. Furrowed brows and puzzled looks turned to light-hearted smiles, and comments like, “Looks like fun.”

That’s what I like to hear!

TheRiverPDX strives to help spread the word for interesting events, sustainability efforts, and actions in Portland.

Facilitated by 350.org, the International Day of Climate Action includes various events and actions in which you can participate. 350 Oregon has a number of great events listed on their site, including the “River of Action” event.  

Action announcement from the 350 Oregon site:                        

• To help you find a local action to volunteer with and/or participate in.  
• If you can’t find an action in your area, we can help you start one! There is no action too small. Every effort adds to the greater whole.
• Please contact 350 Oregon if you have an Oregon action planned so they can list it! This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

TheRiverPDX strives to help spread the word for interesting events, sustainability efforts, and actions in Portland.