Events

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Free and open to the public - come learn more about peak oil and make community connections.

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Three day class, Friday to Sunday covering introduction to permaculture and appropriate technology. Information at www.portlandpermaculture.com or call 503.293.8004.

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Three day class, Friday to Sunday covering introduction to permaculture and appropriate technology. Information at www.portlandpermaculture.com or call 503.293.8004.

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Three day class, Friday to Sunday covering introduction to permaculture and appropriate technology. Information at www.portlandpermaculture.com or call 503.293.8004.

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Back by popular demand! We had a really fun letter writing party last November which resulted in over 35 letters and cards sent out and personal responses from city officials and local environmental organizations. We come together to write letters to politicians, members of the local media, and environmental organizations conveying the message of peak oil and encouraging preparation action from these leaders.

We're having our second letter writing party this weekend. We're not talking multi-page letters here, just a few paragraphs can be very powerful. It's been shown that personal written notes are the most effective form of activist communication (as compared to form emails and postcards) and that's what we're going to do.

All you need to do is show up! A few of us on the Outreach team are organizing this and we're hoping to make this as fun and easy an event as possible. We'll provide cards, stationery, paper, pens, stamps, contacts/ addresses, "talking points" - facts and ideas to use as writing springboards, yummy snacks and drinks, music, and good company! Bring a snack or beverage if you like.

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NOTE: The first 20 minutes of the evening, Amanda Fritz, candidate for City Commissioner, will be speaking to the group on energy issues and Portland. There will also be Q&A, so bring your tough questions! Portland Peak Oil does not officially endorse any City candidates at this time; we simply aim to provide the service to the community of hearing the candidates speak about relevant issues. The film below will likely start at 7:30pm.


This showing is free and open to the public. It's a new film and a few of us saw the beta version that Richard Heinberg showed at his workshop here in January. It's excellent!

The documentary, "The Power of Community – How Cuba Survived Peak Oil," was inspired when Faith Morgan and Pat Murphy took a trip to Cuba through Global Exchange in August, 2003. That year Pat had begun studying and speaking about worldwide peak oil production. In May Pat and Faith attended the second meeting of The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, a European group of oil geologists and scientists, which predicted that mankind was perilously close to having used up half of the world's oil resources. When they learned that Cuba underwent the loss of over half of its oil imports and survived, after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990, the couple wanted to see for themselves how Cuba had done this.

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PPO's preparedness working group has moved their monthly meetings to the 3rd Thursday of the month. We will be planning upcoming 1st Wednesdays, setting up a reading group for the book "When Technology Fails", and other projects if other folks are available.

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Living Earth's four-week discussion group in autumn 2005 on Richard Heinberg's "Powerdown" has evolved into an ongoing Powerdown Circle to support our own shifting responses to the prospect of "peak oil" and to encourage the wider community to join in the discussion. We are particularly interested in engaging people in positions to influence civic and private sector decisions that have community-wide impact and potential.

The implications of the end of cheap fuel for American culture and for global stability are immense. The changes on the horizon run so deep - economic, environmental, geopolitical - it is tempting to put our heads under the covers and hope for a magical rescue, or else to "bunker down" in a dangerous state of escalating fear and isolation. Both reactions - stubborn denial or societal panic - waste the narrow window of time available to think creatively, constructively, and cooperatively to prepare ourselves, our neighborhoods and communities, our city, and our society for an American future radically different than the culture we have developed over the past two and a half centuries.

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Join GoBiodiesel Cooperative President Brian Jamison for an informative talk on biodiesel, the renewable, non-toxic, easy to brew fuel made from vegetable oil. Brian will cover a wide variety of topics from conversion costs and cold weather use, production techniques, straight-veggie-oil use, biodiesel toxicity and environmental impacts to energy ratios, post-peak viability and the answer to the always-asked question, "Can we make enough for all of us?"

Free and open to the public.

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"Water in the 21st Century"

Anti-free-trade activist Maude Barlow has been called “the Ralph Nader of Canada,” and the description is more than apt.

Maude is the National Chairperson of The Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest citizen’s advocacy organization with members and chapters across Canada as well as the co-founder of the Blue Planet Project, which works to stop commodification of the world’s water. She is also a Director with the International Forum on Globalization, a San Francisco based research and education institution opposed to economic globalization.

Maude is the recipient of numerous educational awards and has received honorary doctorates from six Canadian universities for her social justice work. In addition to being nominated for the “1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005” she is also the recipient of the “2005/2006 Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship”. Most recently she received the prestigious “2005 Right Livelihood Award” given by the Swedish Parliament and widely referred to as “The Alternative Nobel.”

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The Portland Peak Oil Outreach group is committed to taking on creative and constructive projects designed to inform the public about peak oil and the existence of our group. This is our monthly planning meeting. Open to the public.

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On Wednesday, January 18th, a Sustainability Committee started up under the auspices of the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association. Whether you live in Sunnyside or not, this monthly meeting on peak oil preparedness in Sunnyside is very interesting. The meeting is free and open to the public.

For questions, call the Sunnyside Hotline at 503-295-1699.

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Every time there's a fifth Wednesday, Portland Peak Oil throws a party! Let's take a break from speakers, films and workshops and just have an evening where we relax and get to know each other better.

This time we'll do potluck (local foods) and have a seed and garden supply swap. Remember to bring a dish and garden supplies/seeds to trade! Join us for a fun family evening. We encourage folks to bring their own plates/utensils as well so we can reduce the amount of paper and plastic waste.

Free and open to the public (as always!).

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If you'd like to see what's going on behind the scenes or if you'd like to get more involved, please attend the Portland Peak Oil Monthly Business Meeting.

The intention of the business meeting is to come together monthly to discuss group operations and make crucial decisions regarding PPO going forward. These meetings are open to the public to be as inclusive, transparent, and community-oriented as possible.

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Learn how to create and maintain healthy soil. Included topics are microorganisms, composting, worm bins and the destructive nature of chemical based agriculture. This class will also help you understand some of the issues involved in growing bio-fuels. $45 www.portlandpermaculture.com

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Learn about the water cycle, rainwater collection, greywater and swales. $45 www.portlandpermaculture.com

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We will discuss and demonstrate how permaculture principles can be applied to growing annual vegetables, seed saving and the bio-intensive method. $45 www.portlandpermaculture.com

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The Kerns First Sunday Potluck will happen on the first Sunday of the Month (April 2 is the next potluck).

We are also adding a topic for each potluck, such as bike maintenance (this is tentative topic for April 2), permaculture, a game night, art project, Kern's history walk, edgu, etc. I would like to hear ideas from my fellow Kerns neighbors on topics that would interest you. We also need people to lead topics so if you live in Kerns or close-by & want to lead a discussion contact me to schedule it.

Remember to bring food or beverage (please keep in mind that we are family friendly).

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Discover how to grow a food forest of mostly perennials and how to design plant guilds. Fruit tree pruning and grafting.
$45 www.portlandpermaculture.com

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Living Earth's four-week discussion group in autumn 2005 on Richard Heinberg's "Powerdown" has evolved into an ongoing Powerdown Circle to support our own shifting responses to the prospect of "peak oil" and to encourage the wider community to join in the discussion. We are particularly interested in engaging people in positions to influence civic and private sector decisions that have community-wide impact and potential.

The implications of the end of cheap fuel for American culture and for global stability are immense. The changes on the horizon run so deep - economic, environmental, geopolitical - it is tempting to put our heads under the covers and hope for a magical rescue, or else to "bunker down" in a dangerous state of escalating fear and isolation. Both reactions - stubborn denial or societal panic - waste the narrow window of time available to think creatively, constructively, and cooperatively to prepare ourselves, our neighborhoods and communities, our city, and our society for an American future radically different than the culture we have developed over the past two and a half centuries.

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The American Red Cross will conduct an Emergency Preparedness Workshop. Workshop participants will learn how to prepare a kit to help them during the first 72 hours after a local or regional disaster. Bring a pen and your questions for discussion and activity afterwards! Free and open to the public.

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This is your chance to hear about VisionPDX, the community vision project launched by Mayor Tom Potter in 2005.

For over a year, City Hall has been hosting monthly First Thursday arts and culture events. First Thursday in April is an opportunity to peak behind the scenes of VisionPDX and see a preview of what's ahead! VisionPDX is a group of 50+ Portlanders selected to help craft the project. The goal of VisionPDX is to talk to as many Portlanders as possible about their hopes/dreams for the future in order to develop a 30 year vision for the city.

The event will feature a variety of art and history inspiring reflections on the Portland community and its future.

Performances from BroadArts Theater and WellArts Institute. As part of VisionPDX, each of these groups will create theatrical works designed to stimulate discussion of Portland's future.

Video from Oregon Film & Video Foundation/Public Media Works, another VisionPDX partner organization.

Posters commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the Olmsted plan that established the vision for Portland's
renowned parks and trail network.