Skip to main contentGrow For Me
[DIY] Portland's Office of Sustainability is offering a new and vastly expanded bunch of classes in 2009 on everything from cheesemaking to chickens to growing edibles in containers. You know the maxim about "teaching a dude to fish"? To register visit portlandonline.com/osd and search "Urban Growth Bounty 2009."
Well Preserved
[BARTER] Harriet Fasenfest, host of Portland's canning cadre Preserve, believes jarring tomatoes is only the tip of the sustainable-living iceberg. Check out her treatise on alternative economics, In Search of the Seamless, on portlandpreserve.com and email her a 200-word essay on what you think "Living the Seamless" is all about and how it relates to your life. Send your thoughts to info@portlandpreserve.com by Wednesday, Feb. 4. One lucky person will receive a free spot in Preserve's nine-month Householding Class, a $575 program that teaches everything from how to order meat from a farmer to canning and dairy fermentation.
Clean and Green
[MOVING] Don't like cleaning up your own mess? Annie Haul will come clear out your junk and donate or recycle anything it can before throwing anything away. If you call these Irishwomen before St. Patrick's Day (Tuesday, March 17) and tell them what gift you receive for kissing the Blarney Stone, they'll give you 10 percent off their services. Anniehaul.com, 477-4941.
Fruit Loop
[PICK IT] Save money on produce by joining a harvesting party with the Portland Fruit Tree Project. Half the booty you gather goes to local food banks and the other half you get to take home. It is a nonprofit, so they do ask you, pretty please, to donate $5-$15 per picking party. Visit portlandfruit.org to sign up.
Cars for Critical Mass
[TRANSPORTATION] Admit it: Portland isn't Copenhagen, and sometimes your bike just won't cut it. For those rare occasions when you just have to have a car, try a membership with car-sharing service Zipcar. If you go to zipcar.com/willametteweek before Feb. 15, they'll give you $40 off the regular sign-up fees and $50 worth of driving credit.
Do You Stink?
[HOME CLEANING] Glenn Recchia sells "earth-friendly products and sturdy tools for maintaining our living spaces" at G.R. Scrub. He also says he thinks WW's readers are young and not so concerned with keeping clean. You can prove you're not a pig and get 15 percent off your purchase by visiting his home-care store through Feb. 15. Tell him, "Willy sent me." 8235 SE 13th Ave., No. 12, 236-8986, grscrub.com.
Pump It Up
[FREE MONEY] Heat up your house and your bank account—earn up to $1,330 in rebates when you update your cold, lifeless heat pump (not an anatomical reference). Install an energy-efficient model and get tax credits from PGE, the Energy Trust, and the state and federal governments. Call 1-800-722-7441 or visit portlandgeneral.com.
Bright Idea
[PILFER POWER] The sun has had it made in the shade for far too long. Not anymore! The Energy Trust of Oregon will pay you up to $10,000 to upgrade your home to solar electricity. Now you can put that spherical, jaundiced bastard to work. Call 866-368-7878, or visit energytrust.org.
'Couv Cash
[VANCOUVERITES] Being Portland's illegitimate, unwanted kin is tough. Sometimes it seems as if you're just standing in the rain, watching Portland party through a window. Clark Public Utilities wants to distract you from the pain—it's offering $6,825 in rebates for energy conservation. Maybe a chunk of change can help soothe your depression. Call 1-800-562-1736 or visit clarkpublicutilities.com
WWeek 2015