Setting intentions, post-election

It's a beautiful day. The sun in shining...it's warmer than one might expect...and it's easy to believe that the exceptional generosity and abundance of the world is felt by all. Of course, it's not. Two days ago, the American political system selected Donald Trump to be our next president. To me, that means that we have

By | November 10th, 2016|Personal reflection|10 Comments

Fall leaf cleanup to-do’s

The leaves are falling, the leaves are falling! And if you're like many Portlanders, you're either frantically trying to get them gone...or at least thinking really hard about when you're going to. When will the magic combination of "free" time and decent weather line up so you can get at it?   When it

By | October 25th, 2016|Uncategorized|1 Comment

Energy efficiency and other home upgrades

We tackle a lot of different types of projects through our business, but not every type! We tend to refer folks who are primarily pursuing home performance work to Enhabit (formerly Clean Energy Works). As a great source for home energy efficiency work in the Portland metro area, Enhabit works in the following areas. (When

By | September 22nd, 2016|Home information|0 Comments

Info Redux: Putting your garden to bed for the winter

Summer gardens tend to be bigger, size-wise, than fall/winter gardens, so it’s normal to be looking at some empty garden space during the off-season. Here are a few basic goals for that space: Protect the soil from compaction, erosion, and nutrient loss due to hard winter rains Suppress weeds, which can still grow through our

By | September 20th, 2016|Garden information|0 Comments

5 things to look for when creating a backyard habitat

When turning a yard into a wildlife habitat, you have plenty of aspects to work on. Here are the top five, based on the Backyard Habitat Certification Program focus areas: invasive weeds, native plants, pesticide reduction, stormwater management, and wildlife stewardship.   Invasive Weeds Weeds aren't all bad -- they're just plants that are growing

By | September 18th, 2016|Garden information|0 Comments

Make your yard a native wildlife paradise

Do you have a yard you wish could be MORE? It CAN! Every day, we are gratified to see people making the choice to turn their yards into lush oases for bees, butterflies...and people too. Look for this sign around town: It means that someone has done what it takes to make their yard

By | September 13th, 2016|Garden information|0 Comments

DIY Project: Homemade Herbal Salve

Have you ever wondered... How to make your own herbal salve? Wonder no longer. We make salve every year for holiday gifts, and sometimes in between just for fun. And you can easily do it at home! Some of the many commonly available plants that are good to use in salve include: Calendula: Calendula Officinalis

By | September 10th, 2016|Recipes|0 Comments

What do I do with the extra fruits and veggies from my garden?!

There’s nothing better than looking out into the garden and seeing the sheer BOUNTY of the summertime harvest. But there’s a point at which all that fresh organic produce becomes too much: too much for the table, too much for the tummy, too much for the fridge and freezer…just a bit too much. Don’t let

By | September 5th, 2016|Food policy, Garden information, Local food, Recipes|0 Comments

Reconnecting: Our Mission

We haven't been blogging for quite a while, and now that we're back at it (with a new website to boot!), we wanted to start with a refresher on our raison d'etre. In other words, our mission. Our mission is to help people create better relationships with their natural and built environments. Why? Because we are

By | September 1st, 2016|About us|0 Comments

Why we signed the Oregon Business Climate Declaration

We joined other Oregon businesses in signing the Oregon Business Climate Declaration in order to inspire the public, policymakers, and other business leaders to seize the social and economic opportunities presented by tackling climate change. Businesses like ours are supporting households, organizations, and political entities at all levels to take action on climate change; we believe

By | September 23rd, 2014|About us, Announcements, Sustainable business|0 Comments