Learn About Ridwell Bend!
2024-11-13 09:00 - 10:00, 2024-11-13 13:30 - 14:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Open Space Event Studios, 220 NE Lafayette Ave, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
The founders of Ridwell, a grassroots organization dedicated to keeping hard-to-recycle and reusable materials from landfills, will be hosting a free event in Bend on November 13th at 9 AM , 11 AM & 1:30 PM at Open Space Event Studios. You’re invited to come see how you can soon recycle different types of thin plastics, including snack wrappers, coffee bags, and frozen food bags, all without leaving home.
More info and RSVP at get.ridwell.com/rsvp-bend.

Happy Hour & Instream Collective Launch Party
2024-11-13 16:00 - 18:00 | Confluence Fly Shop, 375 SW Powerhouse Dr Suite 100, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Come to enjoy a beverage and talk fishing, rivers, and conservation with the DRC crew and supporters. Join fellow river enthusiasts in learning about our work and how YOU can help us Raise the Deschutes.
Become a supporting member and help steward this precious resource that makes Central Oregon such a special place to call home. The Instream Collective – where your investment becomes our future flows.
*This is a free event and you do not need to be a member to attend.

Livable Future Forum
2024-11-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Open Space Event Studios, 220 NE Lafayette Ave, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
How do we meet our community’s needs without compromising the environment and all that makes Central Oregon so incredible?
Through our Livable Future Forum, we’ll explore that question and more as LandWatch program directors chat with knowledgeable local leaders about land use and livability topics. From the fascinating life and times of mule deer to the reality of farming in the high desert to the creative work of developing Complete Communities, you’ll gain new insight into the many ways land use decision making is foundational to life in our region — and learn how you can participate in shaping a more sustainable and equitable future for Central Oregon.
Events will be on Oct. 3, Oct 23, and Nov. 13. All events will start at 7 pm and take place at Open Space Event Studios in the Bend Central District.
Each event in this three-part series will feature a LandWatch program director in conversation with fellow local experts covering a range of topics on land use and regional livability.
REGISTER FOR ALL THREE EVENTS
On October 3, we’ll start out by looking closely at the lives of mule deer, with the High Desert Museum’s Curator of Wildlife Jon Nelson. You see deer often, but how much do you know about this shy, fascinating species? Find out.
GET TICKETS FOR OCT 3 ONLY
On October 23, we’ll talk about farming in the high desert with local farmers and ambitious entrepreneurs Megan Kellner-Rode and Cate Havstad.
GET TICKETS FOR OCT 23 ONLY
And, on November 13, following hot on the heels of the national election, we will host a lively session all about how we can act locally to create Complete Communities to ensure a more equitable, climate-resilient future.
GET TICKETS FOR NOV 13 ONLY

Sorting Truth from Trash: A November Green Drinks on America Recycles Day.
2024-11-15 16:00 - 18:00 | The Environmental Center, 16 NW Kansas Avenue, Bend, OR, 97703
In light of recent coverage of some of the deceptive practices behind “advanced plastics recycling” and plastics recycling in general, join the Rethink Waste Project and local expert panelists for Sorting Truth from Trash: The Realities of Recycling on America Recycles Day.
We’ll show a short film and presentation, then take a deep dive into your questions about recycling, while covering why it’s important we move the conversation from recycling towards reduce and reuse wherever possible. Come grab a drink, a bite, and meet others at this informative happy hour.
This free event is now sold out, but you can still sign up for the waiting list!

OSU-Cascades Science Pub: Mapping War Zones via Satellite
2024-11-19 17:30 - 19:00 | OSU Cascades – Edward J. Ray Hall, Atrium, 1500 SW Chandler Ave, Bend, OR, 97702, United States
Join Jamon Lee Van Den Hoek, Associate Professor in OSU’s College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, for a guest lecture on mapping conflict zones with satellite at the November Science Pub.
In war torn areas, physical damage can be immense and reporting of it inconsistent or worse, unreliable. Learn how Jamon Van Den Hoek and his team in the Conflict Ecology Lab use open satellite data to monitor damage caused by armed conflict and to develop new approaches to map refugee movements and assess environmental and climatic change in politically fragile contexts around the globe. The lab’s maps and data covering the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine have been published in the New York Times, BBC, Al Jazeera and other major global news outlets.

Food Provided (Heavy hors d’oeuvers prepared by OSU-Cascades EDGE Catering No-host bar with beer, cider, wine and non-alcoholic beverages)
REGISTER HERE

Electric Vehicle Adoption Leadership (EVAL) Information Session
2024-11-20 12:00 - 13:00 | OR
Are you an employer interested in bringing workplace charging to your organization?
Join the Electric Vehicle Adoption Leadership (EVAL) Information Session to learn more about Forth’s workplace charging certification program. The program provides recognition and technical assistance to organizations supporting the adoption of clean transportation. Forth will provide an overview of the EVAL Certification Program, share resources and allocate time for a Q&A session.

Repair Café with Deschutes Public Library in Redmond
2024-11-20 17:30 - 19:30 | Redmond Proficiency Academy, 657 SW Glacier Ave #2710, Redmond, OR, 97756, United States

Groundwater Grief, River Relief: The Status and Future of Central Oregon’s Water Supplies
2024-11-21 11:30 - 13:00 | Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 61980 Skyline Ranch Road, Bend, OR, United States
Central Oregon faces unique and evolving challenges in water use, driven by new state-imposed groundwater rules layered on top of complex and often arcane water rights allocations. Join moderator Emily Cureton Cook of OPB and a panel of water experts as they unpack the complexities of managing this precious resource in a region dealing with prolonged drought, population growth, and competing needs from agriculture, tribes, and urban areas.
Confirmed Panelists:

Bobby Brunoe, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
Ed Fitch, City of Redmond

Winter Bird Walk with Think Wild
2024-12-01 09:00 - 11:00 | Hatfield Ponds, McGrath Road 22395, Bend, Oregon, 97701, United States
Interested in learning more about bird migration and our feathered friends who overwinter here in Central Oregon?
Join us for a morning winter bird walk led by our passionate youth volunteer and bird expert, Mason! We will learn to identify different Central Oregon bird species and discuss some of their winter adaptations and habits.
Meet at Hatfield Ponds on Sunday, December 1st at 9 am. Binoculars and field guides will be provided.
Event contact: becca@thinkwildco.org

The Future of Mt. Bachelor
2024-12-05 08:00 - 09:30 | Wille Hall, Coats Campus Center, Central Oregon Community College, Bend, 2600 Northwest College Way, Bend, OR, 97703, United States
There’s snow in the mountains, so let’s talk about Mt. Bachelor
With Mt. Bachelor now officially up for sale, the future of our local resort is at a crossroads and you might be wondering how the sale could impact our beloved ski resort, our local economy, and the ski community. Join local and national experts for an insightful analysis of regional and national trends and challenges, such as consolidation of major ski areas, workforce retention, liability waiver standards, and climate change.
Speakers:

Kate Porsche, Director, OSU Center for Outdoor Recreation Economy (Moderator)
Stuart Winchester, Editor & Host: The Storm Skiing Journal & Podcast
Jordan Elliott, President, Pacific Northwest Ski Area Association
Mt. Bachelor Community, Inc.

Whether you’re an avid skier or invested in the future of Central Oregon’s outdoor economy, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss!
If the financial cost of attending is a barrier, use Promo Code CivicCO for a complimentary forum registration.

Electric fireplaces—cozy and clean
2024-12-10 12:00 - 13:00 | OR
Electric fireplaces offer realistic flames and smart technology for a cozy vibe free of smoke and fossil-fuels.

A Sense of Place Webinar Series: Indigenous Perspectives of Earth, Water and Sky - Featuring David G. Lewis, PhD
2024-12-12 12:00 - 13:00 | OR
A Sense of Place Webinar Series: Indigenous Perspectives of Earth, Water and Sky – Featuring David G. Lewis, PhD. – Assistant Professor, Anthropology & Indigenous Studies, Oregon State University.

PPC Webinar | Policy Matters: Tracking Plastic Laws After Global Treaty Negotiations
2024-12-12 14:00 - 15:15 | OR
After two years of intense negotiations, the 5th and final planned session to agree on a UN Global Plastic Treaty is scheduled to conclude on December 1, 2024. The Treaty, once agreed, will have widespread implications for plastic law around the world, as well as the businesses, activists, journalists, lawyers, and many others working on plastic issues.
Join Plastic Pollution Coalition on December 12, 2024, for a discussion with legislative, advocacy, and media experts about the UN Plastic Treaty, and the importance of continuing to advance and track plastic policy at all levels. One critical tool to monitor progress and implementation is the Global Plastic Laws database and resource center, which we will also present.
Joining the discussion will be Dr. Jamala Djinn, Science/Policy Advisor, Break Free From Plastic; Jennifer Gleason, Law Program Director, Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide; Shane Trimmer, District Director at the U.S. House of Representatives – Office of Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02); and Joseph Winters, Staff Writer, Grist. The webinar will be moderated by Madison Dennis, Project Manager, Plastic Pollution Coalition.
SIGN UP
Date: Thurs., December 12
Time: 2-3:15 pm PT | 5-6:15 pm ET
Click here to convert to your timezone.

Kids' Entrepreneur Holiday Market
2024-12-15 13:00 - 16:00 | Elks Lodge, Three Sisters Room, 63120 Boyd Acres Rd, bend, Oregon
A holiday market run entirely by kids ages 5-17. This is a real-world experience that allows children to be creative, build confidence, learn skills beyond the classroom – and above all, fun! You will find gifts, artisan crafts, graphic arts, services, games, food, drinks, jewelry, and more. Come support young entrepreneurs in our community!
Date: Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024
Time: 1-4pm
Location: Elks Lodge – 63120 Boyd Acres Rd, Bend, OR 97701
Cost: Free to attend. To participate: $10-$20.
Register to participate: www.KidsEntrepreneurMarket.com

Beneath the Surface: Navigating Oregon's New Groundwater Rules and Their Impact in Central Oregon
2024-12-16 17:30 - 18:30 | Open Space Event Studios, 220 NE Lafayette Ave, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Understanding the largest change in Oregon’s water policy in decades. What changed? Why did it change? And what does it mean for the future of water in Central Oregon? Register here!

Year-End Review and Outlook for Transportation Electrification
2024-12-17 10:00 - 11:00 | OR
This webinar will provide a recap of the key achievements, challenges and milestones from 2024. Highlights will include the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Grant Program, policy and program development successes and valuable lessons learned. In the second half of the webinar, Forth will reflect on the impact of the 2024 election and look ahead to the upcoming year. Forth will share key insights into the emerging trends and developments in our industry.

OLCV's Virtual Town Hall on the Environment with Senator Ron Wyden
2024-12-19 11:30 - 13:00 | OR
Senator Ron Wyden has been a champion of OLCV’s conservation and environmental values in D.C., voicing their support for strong safeguards for our air, water, forests, wildlife, and communities. During OLCV’s Town Hall on the Environment with Senator Wyden, we’ll celebrate his leadership and learn about the latest news on a broad range of environmental issues, including benefits for Oregon powered by climate investments of the IRA, conservation efforts in progress, and threats to public lands in our state.

Green Energy Series #23 : Passive House Basics
2025-01-04 10:00 - 11:00 | OR
The free, monthly Green Energy Series takes a closer look at topics related to energy, solar + storage, and green technology. January will focus on Passive House design to make more efficient houses.

Community Craft Swap and Share
2025-01-11 10:00 - 12:00 | Brooks Room, Deschutes Public Library, 507 NW Wall St., Bend, OR, 97703, United States
Share your unused craft supplies, and find something new

It’s winter: a time to get cozy, stay inside, and be crafty. If you’re creative and curious, you may have craft supplies from many forgotten hobbies hiding under a bed or in a closet. Clear them out and bring them to the library! The thing that you’re done with and over, might be the exact thing someone else wants to try out. Chat with other crafters, and maybe learn something new.
We will have crafters-in-residence who can answer questions about crafting, getting started, or problem solving. Topics may include hand-stitching, English paper piecing, sewing and more.
We encourage you to bring clean, usable supplies. Please no broken tools or unusable items. This will be more of a share than a strict swap: individuals may donate their items, then select that which they feel is equitable in return.
This is an all ages program, everyone is welcome.
Questions? Contact josieh@deschuteslibrary.org

EV Charging at Home
2025-01-15 12:00 - 12:30 | OR
Learn everything you need to know about charging your EV at home to maximize savings and convenience.

Home Energy Assessment: Empower Your Home
2025-01-15 14:00 - 15:00 | Becky Johnson Community Center, 412 SW 8th St, Redmond, OR 97756, Redmond, OR, 97756, United States
Do you qualify for upgrades to lower home energy costs?

This event will be recorded. A link will be available here later.
Join The Environmental Center (TEC) for a hands-on session on improving comfort and reducing energy costs for your home! TECs mission is to weave sustainability into the everyday lives of Central Oregon residents, and we’re committed to helping underserved communities access resources for a healthier, greener future.
The Environmental Center and Energy Trust of Oregon are collaborating to provide energy-saving solutions to communities that have often been overlooked, including low- to moderate-income households, people of color, Indigenous communities, individuals with disabilities, and rural residents. Through our free energy assessments, you’ll be connected to incentives and resources that make home upgrades like insulation, efficient heating, hybrid water heaters, and new windows more affordable, comfortable, and accessible.
In addition to sharing resources for TEC’s free program, resources for standard incentives beyond the program will be shared, so there’s something for everyone trying to have more sustainable, low-cost upgrades for your home. Find out more about the Home Energy Assessment program at https://envirocenter.org/programs/the-energy-challenge/hea/
Event Highlights:

Learn how the Home Energy Assessment program works and whether you qualify for assistance.
Get guidance on signing up and accessing free or low-cost energy upgrades.
Connect with Environmental Center staff ready to answer your questions about sustainability upgrades.

Questions? Contact laurelw@deschuteslibrary.org

PPC Webinar | Microplastics Within Us: Are We Becoming Plastic People?
2025-01-15 14:00 - 15:00 | OR
Microplastics have been found in our food and drinks; in Earth’s air, soils, and oceans; and inside of our bodies.
Join Plastic Pollution Coalition for a special webinar featuring scientific, advocacy, and media experts on January 15, 2025, to learn about how microplastics and plastic chemicals may impact the future of humanity, and what we as a society can do about the growing danger of microplastics—including protecting yourself and your loved ones. Sign up.

January 2025 Green Drinks Film Screening
2025-01-16 17:00 - 19:00 | The Environmental Center, 16 NW Kansas Avenue, Bend, OR, 97703
The Environmental Center is thrilled to be kicking off the 2025 Green Drinks series with the screening of Footprints on Katmai. For this event, we will be showing a thought-provoking film that focuses on Ocean plastic and marine debris in Alaska. We will wrap up with a Q&A with Current and former staff and High School students who will share their own experiences on their ocean plastic cleanup expeditions in Alaska.

Thursday, January 16, 5-7pm.
The Environmental Center: 16 NW Kansas Ave.
Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Free event, but limited seating, so RSVP today.
Accessibility: The Environmental Center has two gender-neutral restrooms and one accessible/family restroom inside its facility. It also has one accessible parking space behind its facility. For those needing ramp access, there is a ramp behind its facility.
This film will be captioned in English.
Please let us know in advance if there is something our team can do or provide to support you in participating in our event.

Electric Vehicle Adoption Leadership (EVAL)
2025-01-21 08:00 - 09:00 | OR
Are you an employer interested in bringing EV charging to your organization?
Join the Electric Vehicle Adoption Leadership (EVAL) Information Session to learn about Forth’s workplace charging certification program. The program provides recognition and technical assistance to organizations supporting the adoption of clean transportation. FORTH will provide an overview of the EVAL certification program, share resources and allocate time for a Q&A session.

Professional Development for K–12 educators
2025-01-21 16:00 - 18:00 | OR
Professional Development
This virtual workshop is for K–12 educators across multiple content areas. Confluence Professional Development’s purpose is to educate teachers in the pedagogy of Indigenous curriculum and lessons. It is to prepare adults, teachers, and educators with a more perceptive understanding of Native American lifeways, history, cultural traditions, and ecology that define our Native identity.
Over the two-day virtual workshop, the cohort will learn directly from Indigenous workshop facilitators/speakers and have the opportunity to think through Indigenous education concepts together using materials from Confluence Media Library, our publications, Columbia River Sites, and our work from Camp Confluence and Confluence in the Classroom. We will also show the parallels of our work at Confluence with Oregon’s Tribal History/Shared History and Washington’s Since Time Immemorial curriculums.
This cohort will meet on Zoom on Jan. 21 and Jan. 28 at 4–6pm. Our theme this month is:
Voices of the River Volume 1: Stories to Be Told – Ancestors Always Present
Register HERE

Roundabout Books Community Read
2025-01-21 18:00 - 19:00 | Roundabout Books, 900 Northwest Mount Washington Drive #110, Bend, OR, 97703, United States
JOIN Roundabout Books for a community read and workshop around CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Goal: Your personalized civic engagement plan for 2025 made easy!
Not sure where or how to start to get involved? You’ll discuss Democracy in Retrograde together and will workshop a variety of exercises across four weeks to determine where your passion lies, what kind of engagement fits your style, and how to put your plan into action!
Tuesday, January 21, 6pm
Tuesday, January 28, 6pm
Tuesday, February 4, 6pm
Tuesday, February 11, 6pm

How To Go Solar + Storage
2025-01-22 17:30 - 18:30 | OR
Are you ready to take the first step in going solar?
In this free workshop, we will answer your questions about how solar energy and battery systems work, share information about incentives available, and help you take the first step to add solar to your home or business.
This workshop is free and open to everyone!

Backcountry Film Festival - Bend, Oregon
2025-01-24 15:00 - 21:00 | Volcanic Theater & Pub, 70 SW Century Drive, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Join for the 20th annual Backcountry Film Festival presented by Winter Wildlands Alliance and Discover Your Forest! The Backcountry Film Festival celebrates the power and spirit of humans in winter with a diverse, thought-provoking and artistic lineup of films.
ALL funds from this event go directly towards helping Discover Your Forest maintain free, outstanding hands-on conservation education for thousands of Central Oregon’s youth, and will help them grow their reach to underserved communities by purchasing adaptive equipment and support to ensure that all people, regardless of their ability or identity can experience the thrill of the outdoors.
This year there will be 2 Bend showings at the Volcanic Theatre Pub on Friday, January 24th:
-3pm, doors at 2:30pm
-7pm, doors at 6:30pm
Both shows will run 2 hours with a half hour intermission.
There are some awesome raffle prizes from local partners to give away during the event. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the door.

Backcountry Film Festival - Sisters, Oregon
2025-01-26 18:30 - 21:00 | Sisters Movie House, 720 S Desperado Ct, Sisters, OR, 99759, United States
Join for the 20th annual Backcountry Film Festival presented by Winter Wildlands Alliance and Discover Your Forest! The Backcountry Film Festival celebrates the power and spirit of humans in winter with a diverse, thought-provoking and artistic lineup of films.
ALL funds from this event go directly towards helping Discover Your Forest maintain free, outstanding hands-on conservation education for thousands of Central Oregon’s youth, and will help them grow their reach to underserved communities by purchasing adaptive equipment and support to ensure that all people, regardless of their ability or identity can experience the thrill of the outdoors. Click here to learn more about our youth education programs.
