1% for the Planet Business Spotlight: Megan Marie Myers Art

September 27, 2022

Whether you are new to learning about us or you have been aware of The Environmental Center for a long time, you’ll likely notice that we offer a wide variety of programs including sustainability education for local youth, garden education and technical assistance for school gardens, numerous free community events, climate advocacy work at local […]

Read More

1% for the Planet Business Spotlight: Fresh Off The Grid

July 29, 2022

Whether you are just learning about The Environmental Center or you have been aware of us for a long time, you know that we offer a wide variety of programs including sustainability education for local youth, garden education and technical assistance for school gardens, numerous free community events, climate advocacy work at local and state […]

Read More

2021 Sustainability Awards Winners Announced

November 4, 2021

The Environmental Center announced the 2021 Sustainability Award winners during a live-streamed celebration from Open Space Event Studios on Thursday, November 4.  The Environmental Center presented three Sustainability Awards to: Well Rooted Farms Kôr Community Land Trust Bend Bikes Read more about them below.  Award recipients were selected by a community review committee. Nominees were […]

Read More

Meet Udara, our new Rethink Waste Program Manager!

July 19, 2021

The Rethink Waste Project has welcomed a new team member! Udara Abeysekera (she/her) will be the new Program Manager. Our previous Program Manager, Ani Kasch, is moving on to new work and her humor and passion for reducing waste is going to be missed.   Udara moved to Central Oregon to be closer to family, […]

Read More

Green Spotlight: Rugged Thread

March 29, 2021

Repair!! It’s the key to a circular economy, y’all. In this day and age with planned obsolescence being the norm for everything from our cell phones to our appliances to our CLOTHING, we want to use our money to buy quality items that have more durability and combine that with excellent repair options. Never heard […]

Read More

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 […]

Read More

Our Growing Garden Team

August 31, 2020

After two years as a FoodCorps Service Member, we’re excited to announce that Tracy Ryan has joined our staff as a Garden & Nutrition Educator! Thanks in part to the Oregon Department of Education Farm to School Grant, we’re expanding our garden team for the upcoming school year. Tracy served at Three Rivers School in […]

Read More

Rethink Waste in and around your garden with Bend Urban Gardens

July 29, 2020

There is so much waste that can happen in backyard gardening: building materials, toxic chemicals from herbicides and pesticides, not to mention water, energy, and food waste potentials that can occur. I had a chance to sit down with a professional to learn about some best practices around waste reduction in the garden. From non-toxic […]

Read More

Volunteer Spotlight: Debra Burke

July 21, 2020

Meet Debra: 30+ Year Volunteer   Debra’s life has been interwoven with The Environmental Center for several decades. But since March, our facility has been shut down to visitors and renters due to COVID-19, and most staff have been exclusively working from home. TEC’s physical office is a quieter place these days. After 31 years, […]

Read More

Less Wasted Food on Farms featuring Boundless Farmstead and Rainshadow Organics.

June 6, 2020

We in Central Oregon, despite our fame as a semi-desert, are incredibly lucky to have dozens of local food proprietors. From dairies to alpaca farms, from egg-specialists to vegetable gurus. If we’re intentional, we really can live off of only locally sourced food. That is special. Our national food supply chain has been tested and […]

Read More