Community

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2016 Overlook Yard Sale and Free Share, July 23-24!

 

This year’s Yard Sale will be held on Saturday July 23. By registering here, your home will be included on an anonymous map that will be physically printable and made available online via Google Maps. This map will be advertised via the Oregonian and Craigslist so that visitors and neighbors alike can quickly identify each participating sale in Overlook. This helps boost traffic and makes everyone’s sales more effective.The Free Share will happen the next day on Sunday the 24th. Set out any items that didn’t sell the day before, and offer up as free to neighbors. As in years’ past, we’ll only advertise the yard sale, this way the free share is preserved as more of an open exchange of used items between neighbors.

This event is sponsored by Sustainable Overlook, a group of neighborhood volunteers interested in building community and resilience.

Register here to be on the map.

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Carbon Footprint Workshop

My Basic Carbon Footprint: A Free Workshop

Saturday, June 18, 2016  10am-noon  1905 N. Alberta St.
How much carbon are you personally dumping into the air? Figure out what your carbon footprint is (individual or household) at this free workshop. Instructor Mike O’Brien was for 10 years the city of Portland’s expert on green building, and built a showplace low-energy house right here in Overlook.  

Everyone welcome. Max 20 participants, please register below.

Gather and bring five pieces of information to the workshop. All of the electricity, natural gas and heating oil consumption figures can be gotten from your utility.
1. 12 months total of electricity used

PGE Customer Service: 800-542-8818

Pacific Power Customer Service: 888-221-707
2. 12 months total of natural gas consumed (if gas heat) or 12 months total of heating oil consumed (if oil heat)

Northwest Natural Customer Service: 800-422-401
3. 12 months total auto miles traveled (each car)
4. automobile gas mileage (each car)
5. 12 months total air miles travelled

Air travel distances: http://www.worldatlas.com/travelaids/flight_distance.htm

Register here

Questions? Email sustainable@overlookneighborhood.org

Presented by Sustainable Overlook

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Garden Safe this Spring

Spring is in the air! Flowers are blooming, birds are singing and building nests and kids are playLadybug_Signing outside as the days lengthen. As neighbor’s thoughts turn towards their gardens, it’s also the time of year when a lot of pesticide use occurs. Help make our neighborhoods safer by practicing natural gardening methods and talking with your neighbors about toxic chemicals like ‘weed n’ feed’ and Roundup. Show your support for healthy neighborhoods by hanging up a lady bug lawn sign. It’s free! Sign up here if you live in Overlook Neighborhood. 
If you live in another Portland Metro areas, go to Metro’s site to take the Healthy Lawn and Garden Pledge and get natural gardening info.
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Resilience Summit a Success

Last Saturday, more than 100 neighbors and other Portland residents gathered for Sustainable Overlook’s second annual Resilience Summit, co-sponsored with the Overlook Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) on the theme of preparedness. The morning began with a terrific keynote presentation “Surviving a 9.0: Lessons from Chile and Japan,” by geotechnical engineer Allison Pyrch.

That excellent – and sobering – presentation was followed by four speakers: Captain Corey Wilson from Station 24 spoke about Portland Fire & Rescue’s response strategy after a big seismic event; Ernie Jones from the Portland Bureau of Emergency Preparedness spoke about PBEM’s NET and BEACON programs; Mitch Bixby (Overlook NET team lead) reviewed our team’s efforts; and Leslee Lewis Overlook NET lead and Sustainable Overlook spoke about the map your neighborhood block preparedness program and preparing your own home.

After a terrific lunch catered by New American Restaurant, there was more information and conversation at tables for NET, Phlush (the 4-bucket Emergency Waste System) and Thrive (freeze-dried foods); and an area with some ideas for your emergency food and supply stash. The day wound up with four more presentations: Emergency Radio Communications by John Beaston, Staging Areas and How They Work by Mitch Bixby, Food Prep Using Freeze-Dried Foods by Angie Smith, and Knowing Your Neighbors and Mapping Your Block by Josh Cabot.

There was plenty of food for thought, and neighbors went home with some concrete ideas on how to increase their preparedness. Luck favors the prepared.

See more photos from the event.
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Save the Date! Resilience Summit 2016

Overlook Resilience Summit

Preparation:  Where Resilience Begins

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Following up on last year’s sustainability summit held at Beach School, Sustainable Overlook is partnering with Overlook’s Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) and Multnomah County’s Schools Uniting Neighborhoods program to present a second summit that will focus on resilience.  This is an open invitation for neighbors to come together and discuss how we can prepare our homes for the unexpected, connect more closely as neighbors to serve as mutual safety nets, and adapt to changing conditions using specific plans that are being collectively-developed by NET (Neighborhood Emergency Teams). Mark your calendars now and click here for details!

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Natural Gardening Workshops coming up

Learn more about urban weeds and rain gardens

Registration is now open for free and practical how-to workshops on rain gardens, native plants and urban weeds. Workshops are offered  through the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District and community partners.  Three workshops will be held in the North Portland Neighborhood Services area:

In Overlook (at Trillium Charter School, 5420 N Interstate Ave) 

  • Urban Weeds, Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 6:30  to 9 p.m.
  • Rain Gardens 101, Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 to 1 p.m.

In Cathedral Park (at BES Water Pollution Control Lab, 6543 N Burlington Ave)

  • Native Plants, Sunday, Sept. 20, from 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Registration is required. For more detail and to register online visithttp://emswcd.org/workshops-and-events/upcoming-workshops/.  Additional questions? Call 503-935-5368.

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Yard Sale and Free Share!

Yard Sale and Free Share 2015 is coming up soon!

Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19.

Over 50 households participate in this fun annual event. It’s a great way to meet your neighbors – and reduce, reuse and recycle! We have online registration this year that is open now. Households that sign up will be marked on the map and on our website, and in published listings. Suggested donation $10 to cover printing and advertising costs.

The map will be available here July 15th so you can plan your treasure hunting route!

More info and registration HERE. 

2014 Overlook Yard Sale - Free Share Flier