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The Environmental Center is your friendly neighborhood sustainability hub.
Our blog tells the stories of the people and organizations, the programs, tools and technologies, that make sustainability real every day. You’ll find the inspiration and resources you need to put sustainability into action in your life, at home or at work.
Be sure to check out our community calendar for upcoming events, and get to know our Partner Groups. Need a space for an event? Our door is open for learning, collaborating, and a whole lot more.
Recent Posts
The Hub
What do you do with broken crayon bits? Don’t toss ’em!
November 23, 2020
Ya know when you’re using a box of crayons and they break into little bits to the point where they are just hard to use anymore? Well Julie A. C. Wilson of Jactra Studios showed me a way to re-purpose or re-use them without tossing them. You could do it too! How to make new […]
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Deadline Extended! Rethink Waste Community Waste Reduction Grants Still Available
November 20, 2020
In light of COVID and the holidays, we are extending the deadline for our grant applications to Wednesday, January 20. The Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Project is to provide $500 – $2000 grant awards to individuals, businesses, or organizations in Deschutes County to help with materials, infrastructure, or time that contribute to waste reduction in […]
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Use the WHOLE Bird!
November 18, 2020
I don’t know about you, but my Thanksgiving plans were thwarted by Kate Brown’s newest COVID-prevention orders. My outdoor buffet-style gathering of 7 from 6 different households is no longer ok. Sigh. And we already bought the turkey. In the spirit of #nofoodwaste, in honor of the life that was taken to feed me and […]
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A few thoughts about waste, awareness, and November.
November 9, 2020
Imagine your perfect 4th-Thursday-in-November holiday scenario. What does it look like? In the year 2020 (an election year, at that), the economy isn’t doing great and many people have lost their jobs due to a global pandemic. It’s unsafe to travel and gather in large groups. And we are in the midst of the biggest […]
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DIY Composter: How-to with TEC’s Youth Education!
November 4, 2020
Our Eco-Hero STEAM students got to make their own composters this fall! What is compost? Compost is decomposed organic material that can be used as a nutrient-rich soil amendment for indoor and outdoor gardens. This decomposition of organic material needs moisture, oxygen, and heat, which may not happen in a landfill: did you know a […]
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School Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms During COVID Times
October 29, 2020
Schools have gardens for different reasons: to bolster academic achievement through hands on experiential education; to increase nutrition by exposing kids to healthy food choices; or to meet the social emotional needs of individual students. Whatever a school’s reason to have a garden, this year that garden has the potential to serve not just as […]
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Partner Spotlight: Friends of Malheur Refuge
October 22, 2020
(Header photo credit: Dan Streiffert) The Environmental Center is excited to announce a new Partner Group, Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) whose HQ is in Burns, Oregon. I got to speak with the Director, Janelle Wicks, to learn more about their work across Harney County and how Central Oregonians can participate in their […]
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Celebrate Farm to School on October 26 with Local Carrots
October 15, 2020
Farm to School Chicken Noodle Soup Available on October 26, 2020 Collaboration between local native farm and Bend-La Pine School District Celebrate National Farm to School Month! Farm to School Month is a 31 day celebration of the farm to school efforts that are being made nationwide. Designated in Congress in 2010, this makes 2020 […]
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First #WelcomingWeek Art Walk in our Garden
October 12, 2020
On Friday, September 25th The Environmental Center partnered with City of Bend to host the first ever Welcoming Art Walk in celebration of Welcoming Week. Despite the cold, rainy weather, several community members, families and children showed up to support BIPoC artists. We featured the artwork of Jefferson Greene, artist and storyteller of the Confederated […]
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Vote Yes on Measure 9-135, Bend’s Transportation Bond
For two years, City staff, consultants and a 22-member Citywide Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) worked on a long-range plan for Bend’s transportation future. With your help, we worked hard to make sure this plan emphasized moving people rather than just moving cars by prioritizing safety, walking, biking and transit improvements. Now, we need your help […]
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