With car sharing, pedal-powered gyms and 10,000 acres of leafy and grassy parkland, it’s no secret that Portland is a big fan of all things green. In fact, with the way that locals go about composting, recycling and repurposing waste, you could say we revel in eco-friendly fun every day. But the party becomes official when World Environment Day (June 5) is celebrated as a part of the Portland Rose Festival, the city’s signature event for going on 106 years.
An annual United Nations program dating back to 1972, World Environment Day (WED) is observed worldwide, raising awareness for climate and ecological issues while encouraging political attention and action. Portland’s piece of the party will be a rally at the RoZone fair in Waterfront Park. The free afternoon event includes educational activities like story-telling sessions, mask-making seminars, fly-casting and -tying lessons, a trash art exhibition and the Procession of the Species mini-parade, where people dress as their favorite animals to give praise to the planet. Additional WED events are planned around the city.
The inspiring event is just a small part of both WED and the Portland Rose Festival, which for the last 14 years has been named the “Cleanest and Greenest Festival in America” by the International Festivals and Events Association. Get in on some of its old-fashioned, good clean fun, including perennial highlights like the opening-night fireworks (May 24), Starlight Parade (June 1), Grand Floral Parade (June 8) and Dragon Boat Races (June 8-9).
In Portland, the signs of spring aren’t limited to robins picking at worms and bulbs bursting through soil. You also see tents popping up in parking lots and closed-off streets, as farmers’ markets set up shop.
The city’s biggest and most popular outdoor grocery is already up and running: Operating every Saturday through Dec. 21, the Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University isn’t just a great place to pick up leeks, kale and broccoli — it also sells some of the best prepared goods in town. From Alma Chocolate to salmon from The Smokery, there’s plenty to take home from the market’s more than 150 stands (even if your home is thousands of miles away). If you’re in the mood for take-out, grab some eats from local vendors like Verde Cocina or Pine State Biscuits and enjoy live music as you stroll.
Come May, more market locations bring fruit, berries, melons and veggies to downtown: The Shemanski Park Market runs Wednesdays, May 1 – Oct. 30, while the Pioneer Courthouse Square Market comes to Portland’s Living Room on Mondays, June 17 – Sept. 30.
And the bounty isn’t limited to Portland proper — there are farmers’ markets all around the metro area. In fact, at the height of the season, there’s a market somewhere every day of the week. And that’s a good thing — because, after all, springtime runs seven days per week.
In “Field of Dreams,” a baseball player in a cornfield asks, “is this heaven?” Standing in front of a crowd of enthusiastic fans at Pendarvis Farm, musicians might ask the same thing. But it’s not heaven, it’s Pickathon (Aug. 3-5). For the past 13 years, this annual gathering of artists and audiences has celebrated the summer with music and revelry.
The three-day festival on 80 acres just outside Portland attracts a range of roots and indie artists as well as the bluegrass troupes that gave the event its name. This year’s headliners, Neko Case, Dr. Dog and Blitzen Trapper, range from indie pop to nostalgic folk rock, and resonate with raw power and grit that fit perfectly alongside Pendarvis’ barns and pastures. More than four dozen other acts round out the lineup, a harvest of songs and memories that could be Pickathon’s best crop yet. (more…)
Not only does Portland’s favorite chain, Burgerville, put a healthy spin on fast food, they are now helping to create little farm-to-table chefs with a kids’ meal complete with seeds, growing instructions and recipes for using their cucumbers, snap peas, carrots and more post-harvest. The package was created in conjunction with Southeast Portland’s Zenger Farm, where promoting and educating families about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship and access to good food for all is the name of the game.
Even though I’m a member of the “clean plate club” 99% of the time I go out to eat (Thanks mom!), I’ll occasionally have a scrap or two left on my plate. A few years ago this food scrap would have been tossed into the trash and eventually made its way into a landfill to live out its remaining days. However, over the past few years, more and more local restaurants and eateries have replaced their trash cans with bins for composting, recycling or sorting – which is done by the employees.
My latest trips to Grand Central Bakery, Pizzicato and Little Big Burger were pleasantly trash-free. Little Big Burger only offers composting or recycling, which is fantastic considering plates and silverware aren’t given to customers, just compostable bags, wrappers and containers, all of which can be tossed into the compost on the spot.
Restaurants are not alone in this effort; a city-wide composting initiative was implemented in Portland on Oct. 31, 2011. The city’s composting efforts will help keep 30,000 tons of compostable food out of landfills every year. Instead, our scraps will have a second life as nutrient-rich fertilizer. For a tree-hugger like me, this is a comforting trend. Now my food scraps — if any remain — get to enjoy a ride in the compost bin with like-minded leftovers.
Portland celebrates the bicycle all year ‘round, but summer is when our spoke cards really fly. The season gets up to speed with Pedalpalooza – “2+ weeks of bikey fun” – with events throughout the city in June. Feeling adventurous? Strip down for Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride (ours was the largest in the Americas last year) on June 18. Check the Pedalpalooza calendar for other events, including bike-in movies, mobile dance parties and unicycle jousting. (more…)
Here it is, November already! And that sets me to thinking about holiday gatherings, about homemade cranberry sauce and Hood River’s own Tofurky … and about finding a few special gifts for a few special people.
Thankfully, it’s also time for our pop-up shops to sprout downtown. Alongside Portland Saturday Market, these collectives of local artists, artisans and fashion designers help holiday shoppers find carefully crafted gifts for everyone on our list. Here’s a look at this year’s crop, which opened on Tuesday:
• A favorite indie emporium, Crafty Wonderland, showcases the work of more than 80 local artists in jewelry, clothing, art and housewares. Have some fun with their wacky holiday photo booth! (802 S.W. 10th) (more…)
Is it possible to be a restaurant loyalist after one visit? Either way, I am Bamboo Sushi’s newest fan. The Ring of Fire roll is to blame – fried oysters, cucumber and chopped albacore (Marine Stewardship Council approved), topped with jalapeno marmalade, then seared and finished with fried shallot rings and yuzu juice. This is serious stuff from a place with a serious commitment to sustainability – that, amazingly, doesn’t take itself too seriously.
As the first certified sustainable sushi restaurant in the world, Bamboo Sushi’s business practices and menu are thoughtful and calculated. Their sleek dining room is complemented by friendly wait staff and a menu that reflects their attention to detail without letting it get to the prices. (more…)
Last month, the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) turned 20: not yet old enough to buy a beer, but accomplished beyond its years.
For two decades, the OCC — which released this nice video retrospective — has served the dynamic needs of meeting planners and convention delegates, embraced the arts, burnished the city’s reputation for design and sustainability, and performed a critically important role in the economic development of the Portland region.
Bright new (energy-efficient) lights came on in downtown Portland’s cultural district today with the grand re-opening of Portland State University’s renovated Lincoln Hall. Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and PSU President Wim Wiewel presided over the ribbon cutting in the 465-seat venue that will host national and regional dance, theater and music companies such as White Bird’s Uncaged dance series, Friends of Chamber Music, NW Dance Project and PSU’s own symphony and theater programs. There’s already a buzz around town about PSU’s world-renowned opera program’s presentation of Kurt Weill’s “Street Scene” next spring. (Note to theatergoers – there are excellent venues such as Higgins bar nearby for deconstructing the evening over a post-performance pint!) (more…)
With car sharing, pedal-powered gyms and 10,000 acres of leafy and grassy parkland, it’s no secret that Portland is a big fan of all things green. In fact, with the way that locals go about composting, recycling and repurposing waste, you could say we revel in eco-friendly fun every day. But the party becomes official when World Environment Day (June 5) is celebrated as a part of the Portland Rose Festival, the city’s signature event for going on 106 years.
Here it is, November already! And that sets me to thinking about holiday gatherings, about homemade cranberry sauce and Hood River’s own 
Is it possible to be a restaurant loyalist after one visit? Either way, I am 
