Central Oregon Community College’s Sustainability Committee and The Environmental Center co-present “SUSTAIN Central Oregon.” The environmental education series focuses on food, agriculture, energy, transportation, water, consumption and waste. The following events are free and open to the public, though some have limited space. Please RSVP at www.envirocenter.org. Wednesday, April 20 Tour: Redmond Wastewater Treatment Facility […]
The Green Issue
Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides
SOLVE IT for Earth Day April 22 and 23
Earth Day is celebrated all weekend with many volunteer opportunities available in Central Oregon. Hundreds of volunteers are being coordinated through Volunteer Connect for SOLVE IT, Oregon’s largest environmental service event. Community members of all ages are encouraged to join more than 6,000 volunteers across the state on Friday and Saturday, April 22-23. Below are […]
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Ochoco Creek Restoration
The young student from the Powell Butte Community Charter School exudes pride as he successfully plants a willow tree along Ochoco Creek east of Prineville. Along with about 30 other students from the Crook County School system in Prineville, he is participating in field day activities helping to restore a quarter-mile section of Ochoco Creek […]
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The Doom and Gloom Shopping List
A beginners’ guide to preparing for natural disasters and more
Survivalists aren’t only preparing for the end of the world as we know it, but are prepping for the more likely “smaller” disasters of life. From droughts and power outages to making daily adventures easier, this shopping list is designed to plan for the unexpected, or in the case of global warming, the highly expected. […]
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Too Little, Too Late, and Probably Not At All
With little hope for stopping global warming, the question becomes how to adapt and survive
The good news is they didn’t go up,” says Angus Duncan, speaking about greenhouse gas emissions. He adds, “The bad news is they don’t go down.” For the past 40 years, Duncan has been working with local and national agencies to modify energy policy, and for the past eight years has chaired the Oregon Global […]
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A Sign of the Apocalypse
Droughts, droughts everywhere, but how many drops are being conserved?
One of the impacts of global warming is the prolonged droughts on the West Coast—and the corresponding shortage of water for growing food and flushing toilets. In California and Oregon, snow packs have traditionally been critical water sources when they melt in the springtime. But, reduced to less than one-tenth of normal levels, those resources […]
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It’s Not the End of the World
Why planning and resilience trump panic and retreat
As climate change becomes a more pressing reality than looming threat, those still sitting pretty are starting to take note of the devastating impacts of changes in weather patterns across the globe. As close to home as Alaska, the first domestic so-called “climate refugees” are grappling with the fact that the land they’ve called home […]
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Simply Her Best
“The Butte Lady” leads efforts to restore Bend’s iconic Pilot Butte State Park
“Hi honey, how are you?” Each time a hiker passes by Carol Smith—better known as “The Butte Lady”—she utters that same refrain. More often than not, it is returned with smiles and hugs. She’s hard pressed to find a stranger among those out for a Monday morning hike. Petite and nearly 60 years old, Smith […]
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Choose Your Earth Day Adventure
With this handy flowchart and calendar
Celebrate Earth Events sunday 12 Kalebaugh Farm VOLUNTEER—Spend a day working on a Central Oregon farm with WWOLF (Willing Workers On Local Farms). Meet the farmers, learn how the farm operates, and help work on some projects. In return, participants will get a lunch, lively conversation, and a day spent outdoors in the countryside! Projects […]
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Change Starts at Home
Local grad encourages community conversations
If Sam Newman’s passion for sustainability could be tapped, it might just qualify as an alternative fuel source. The recent graduate of OSU-Cascades’ Sustainability Program is at once energetic and thoughtful, cycling between rapid-fire commentary and deep reflection. When he talks about the importance of preserving the environment for future generations, Newman has trouble sitting […]
