The Environmental Center

Solar Speed Dating - Getting to Know the Basics of Solar
2015-09-23 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Pick and choose which solar stations to stop by. Learn how solar works, what incentives are available, investigate if your home is a good fit for solar, and check out the latest solar panels. The kids will have their own stations to eat cookies baked by the sun and race solar cars!
This event will last for two hours, but you are welcome to come and go as you please.
Guest Presenters:

The Bend Energy Challenge
Energy Trust of Oregon Oregon
Department of Energy
E2 Solar
Neil Kelly Solar
Sunlight Solar

Getting to Know Your Home's EPS
2015-09-23
This one hour presentation provides a basic understanding of what energy efficiency and high performance means in today’s building industry by examining the leading energy label, EPS (Energy Performance Score), and other Energy Trust of Oregon resources that are available to builders, brokers, and consumers in the region.

Learning Objectives:

Introduction to Energy Trust of Oregon
Explanation of EPS label and how it provides savings, comfort, health and durability benefits for consumers
Understand how you can use EPS to help drive sales for both new and existing homes
Learn how to leverage Energy Trust marketing resources for you and your customers
Benefits and requirements of becoming a Trade Ally with Energy Trust

Guest Presenter:
Matt Douglas, Earth Advantage

Building Techniques for Zero-Energy Homes (Lunch invluded. RSVP required, see below*)
2015-09-24
How can you build a home that uses no energy for heating, cooling, lights or appliances? Today it’s possible to build a zero-energy home using readily available products and proven techniques. Zero-energy homes are going up across America, with many good examples right here in Central Oregon. In this one-hour seminar, learn what takes to take your next project all the way to zero.
Guest Presenters:
Bruce Sullivan, BASE Zero
To RSVP, please view the following address in your browser:
http://bit.ly/1JW0KwC

Deschutes Children’s Foundation Anniversary Open House
2015-09-24
The organization will commemorate their Silver Anniversary with an open house at the Rosie Bareis Community Campus on Thursday, September 24th, 2015 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. The event is open to the public and will feature music, wine, beer, and light hors d’oeuvres. All are invited to learn more about the organization’s unique mission to promote a community of services for children and families.
DCF thanks the sponsors, donors, volunteers, and community members who have made this milestone possible.

Fall Color Tour
2015-09-25 - 2015-09-28
Fall Color Tour, sponsored by Sierra Club’s High Desert Committee.
The high desert areas around Steens Mountain are spectacular to explore as the aspen turn to brilliant shades of yellows and golds. Join us as we meander through the area and enjoy the last warmth of the season and the color displays. The exact location of the hikes has not been determined yet, but we will head to the general area around Steens Mountain and Hart Mountain.
To register, contact:
Borden Beck 503-706-3634 or bborden@teleport.com

Upper Deschutes River Cleanup
2015-09-26
Join SOLVE for the annual river clean up in our own backyard – the Upper Deschutes River in Sunriver. Families are welcome for this volunteer event and all supplies will be provided.

Discover Nature Festival
2015-09-26
Discover Nature Festival is a fun and action-packed event that engages families in outdoor recreation and learning. The 4th Annual Discover Nature Festival is a free community event to be held on Sunday, September 9th, 2018 at Riverbend Park in Bend, Oregon. The event will feature:

Over 35 hands-on outdoor activities presented by more than 20 organizations
Recreation activities including climbing wall, archery, fly casting practice, Leave No Trace activities, survival skills, and a bike rodeo
Nature education activities including birding, wildlife tracking, live birds, and volcano demonstrations
Health and wellness activities highlighting the benefits of staying active, getting outdoors, and healthy eating

Discover Nature Festival provides kids and families a fun day to try new outdoor activities, learn about the natural world, challenge themselves, and spend time together!

2015 Green Tour
2015-09-26
Go ahead and pledge to get into your comfort zone.
There is sure to be something for everyone to take home.
Saturday, September 22nd
10:00 – 5:00
The 15th Annual Green Tour is organized by The Bend Energy Challenge with support from the Energy Trust of Oregon. This year’s Tour will feature 7 homes packed with energy saving features. They vary from brand new zero energy homes to a 1971 energy retrofit. Check out the Kid’s Corners at some of the sites for activities to keep the kids busy while you get to snoop and be a smarty pants.
FULL TOUR SCHEDULE

Latino Community Association Festival of Cultures
2015-09-26
A celebration of our Central Oregon Cultures featuring food, music, vendors, non-profits and great people!

A Day in the Life of a Whychus Fir
2015-09-30
30th Anniversary Event: A Day in the Life of a Whychus Fir
Thirty years ago, when Executive Director Paul Dewey found out about a proposal to pipe Whychus Creek and clear-cut its banks, he made a promise to an old-growth Douglas Fir that he would save its life. And with that, the seed that became Central Oregon LandWatch was planted. Join us as we hike to LandWatch’s origin tree, located in gorgeous canyon country along Whychus Creek. Afterwards, we will BBQ with views of North Sister.
Hike begins at 3pm, with a BBQ afterwards!
$10 suggested donation
Space for this event is limited so please reserve your spot today. More details will be provided.

Shaping Our City: Bend's UGB and You
2015-09-30, 2015-10-06
This fall, our City Council will be making some big decisions about how we shape our city.
As Bend prepares to develop a new Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and accompanying policies, we must take into consideration how these changes will impact housing availability, traffic congestion in our neighborhoods, wildlife habitat, access to outdoor recreation, complete neighborhoods, and more.
The City will be asking for your input on what kind of City Bend will become, and we want you to feel prepared to make your voice heard. Save the date for one of these upcoming events!
Shaping Our City: Bend’s UGB and You

Wednesday, September 30th
6:00pm-7:30pm
Downtown Bend Library
Tuesday, October 6th
11:30am-1:00pm
East Bend Library

Awesome Bend Application Deadline
2015-10-01
APPLY FOR A GRANT!
Application deadline: October 1, 2015
Awesome Bend awards a $1000 grant quarterly to a project that will make Bend even more awesome. The definition of “awesome” is intentionally left up to your imagination. It could mean solving a problem, making someone stop and think, or spreading joy– think social good, the environment, technology, arts and beyond!
The grant has no strings attached (other than doing something awesome and telling us about it). We are high on action and low on bureaucracy. The application takes 15 minutes or less. Finalists deliver a 3-minute pitch at Pitch Night, where we select a winner and hand out $1000 on the spot to help them turn their awesome idea into reality.
Our only rules:
1.The project must be feasible and completed within 3 months of the award.
2.The money cannot be used for personal expenses or operating expenses for an established charity.
3.You agree to come back to the next Pitch Night and tell the community all about your project, thus inspiring future awesomeness.
(Hint for success: In your application, state very specifically, how your project will make Bend even more awesome.)
AWESOME BEND PITCH NIGHT on October 20th, 2015, 6-8:30pm, Deschutes Brewery Tap Room 1044 NW Bond St (Upstairs)
Live crowdfunding– Shark Tank style– for community good. $1000 awarded on the spot! Join us for a free night of Ideas & Inspiration.
Check out our TV coverage and story: http://www.ktvz.com/news/awesome-grant-winner-will-share-serious-message/32501202?ens=1&utm_source=Daily+News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Noon+Headlines_548763080cf23ea604f143dd_bend&utm_content=20150422_1400

Taste Local Thursdays
2015-10-01
Join participating HDFFA Partner Businesses for Taste Local Thursdays, a fall restaurant series featuring specials made from Central Oregon ingredients. Each business will be featuring a Central Oregon special on the dates below.
Use the #TasteLocalThursdays and #HDFFA on social media and enter to WIN a local food gift bag!

10/1 Broken Top Bottle Shop
10/8 Jackson’s Corner (Westside)
10/15 Spork
10/22 Oregon Spirit Distillers
10/29 Bethlyn’s Global Fusion

Bend UGB Remand Community Meeting
2015-10-01
The City of Bend encourages Bend citizens and area residents to attend an upcoming community meeting to learn more about and comment on the City’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) Remand project, including an evaluation of different UGB expansion scenarios.
Attendees are encouraged to arrive at any time. A presentation will be provided beginning at approximately 7 p.m.. Staff will be available throughout the meeting to provide information and answer questions. Attendees also may review a variety of meeting displays describing the working results of the scenarios evaluation process. Children are welcome to attend and activities will be provided for them. Attendees will also be shown how they can use an interactive, online tool to comment on the UGB scenarios. That online feedback tool will ask community members to weigh in on the relative importance of different evaluation criteria, identify a preferred UGB scenario and comment on possible approaches for managing future growth in Bend. The tool will be accessible from the City’s website, beginning on or before September 24. More information about the meetings and the project is available on the City’s UGB website: www.bendoregon.gov/bendugb

Wild & Scenic Film Festival
2015-10-02
Come see where epic adventure and environmental advocacy meet at the Oregon Natural Desert Association’s 12th annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival. An evening of short films showcasing our earth’s natural wonders, feats of courage and athleticism, and the amazing stories of activists working to protect our environment.
Catch one of two screenings–buy your tickets by clicking either showtime below:

Matinee: Doors 3:30pm | Show 4:30pm | $15 general admission | $11* students
Evening: Doors 7pm | Show 8pm | $17 general admission | $11* students

*Valid with student ID upon entry.
All prices listed here include the $3 Historic Theatre Preservation fee.
Come for the films, stay for the amazing raffle loaded with gear for your next adventure. Plus, ticket holders are invited to a complimentary happy hour between screenings next door at OutsideIN. All proceeds benefit the Oregon Natural Desert Association’s efforts to protect, defend, and restore Oregon’s high desert.

Deschutes Land Trust 20th Anniversary Celebration
2015-10-02
The Land Trust is turning 20! Come help us celebrate with a backyard BBQ at Deschutes Brewery’s downtown Public House. Enjoy food (available for purchase), beer and other beverages, and music from the Moon Mountain Ramblers in the back lot of the Public House.
Remarks at 6:30pm. Come help us celebrate 20 years of great land conservation! Please RSVP.

Oregon Drive Less Challenge
2015-10-05 - 2015-10-18
Discover healthy, green travel options for work, school, errands, and play—join the Oregon Drive Less Challenge Oct. 1-15! Burn calories instead of gas by biking to work, or walking to the store. Divide the ride and the cost by carpooling or vanpooling. Take the bus and let someone else do the driving so you can listen to music, or read that page-turning book. Then log your trips at DriveLessConnect.com to win weekly and grand prizes! Over 55 prizes will be awarded.

Joint Residential and Employment TAC Meeting
2015-10-07
The Residential and Employment TACs will meet on Wednesday, October 7, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, at the Bend Police Dept. (Municipal Court Hearing Room), 555 NE 15th Street. This will be the first of several discussions regarding how the City can address Remand requirements for lowering vehicle miles travelled per capita (VMT), a key measure of transportation impact and carbon footprint. Land use strategies are the starting point for lowering VMT, so we need input from our TAC members.

Boundary TAC
2015-10-08
The Boundary TAC will resume its work in a two-meeting sequence in October. On Thursday, October 8, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM at the Bend Police Dept. (Municipal Court Hearing Room), 555 NE 15th Street, the Boundary TAC will discuss the results from the scenario evaluation. This meeting will set the foundation for continued discussion on Thursday, October 22nd, where the goal is for the Boundary TAC to direct the preparation of a hybrid UGB scenario. The meeting on October 22nd is scheduled from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM will be held in the Barnes/Sawyer Room, Deschutes Services Building, 1300 NW Wall Street.

Capital Campaign Launch Party
2015-10-08
Join us for happy hour at the Central Oregon Cascade Culinary Institute restaurant, Elevation, to kick off our equipment capital campaign, Fleet for the Future. Complimentary beverages available from 5-5:30 and program begins at 5:30. Hor d’ouervres also served.

Joel Salatin at Farm to Table: Freedom of Choice 2015
2015-10-10
“America’s most famous farmer”, Joel Salatin, will be speaking at Farm To Table: Freedom Of Choice 2015 on October 10th at Windy Acres Dairy in Prineville, Oregon. This outdoor event on the 32-acre farm of Billie Johnson is not to be missed!
Joel’s multi-generational Polyface Farm in Virginia became famous in Michael Pollan’s NY Times bestseller, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”. Using nature as a pattern, the Salatin family healed an abused piece of land. Through unconventional, environmentally-friendly practices, Polyface was transformed into a non-industrial food production oasis. The innovative techniques developed at Polyface are now utilized on farms worldwide. Come hear Joel speak on farming, freedom and food rights!
The farm will be open to all ticket holders and the public at 10:00 a.m. on event day.
Event location: 3320 NW Stahancyk Lane, Prineville, OR 97754
There are two ways to enjoy the day with Joel:
Full Event
Begins at 11 a.m. for an hour “meet and greet” with Joel on the farm’s back lawn. At noon be seated for a three-course lunch (for menu, click here), featuring meats and dairy from Windy Acres along with other locally-sourced ingredients. Oregon wines and brews will be poured to accompany the meal. Full Event ticket holders are welcome to remain in their seats for Joel’s presentation (at approximately 2:15 pm) followed by audience Q & A. Full Event tickets are $60 per person / $100 per couple.
Note: Full Event tickets are limited to 120 guests and are SOLD OUT. If you would like to be placed on a waiting list for Full Event tickets if they become available, please email us at: farmtotable2015 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Lawn Seating
Ticket holders (and the public) may visit our sponsors’ exhibits on the front lawn where there will be food and beverages available for purchase. At approximately 2:15 p.m., Lawn Seating ticket holders will join the Full Event ticket holders on the back lawn for Joel’s presentation and audience Q & A. Please bring a blanket or chair! Lawn Seating tickets are $15 per person.
A portion of the proceeds to benefit the Farm-To-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and Central Oregon Locavore. Everyone is welcome!

Bnd Dsgn Conference
2015-10-14 - 2015-10-15
Bend Design 2015 is Bend’s citywide celebration of design thinking and design doing. We want to increase awareness, stoke curiosity, spark innovation, empower collaboration, and make things happen. Drawing inspiration from multidisciplinary design thinkers in Bend and across the country, Bend Design 2015 will feature workshops, lectures, tours, and hands-on design opportunities, inviting the entire community to participate in a conversation around the shape of our shared future.
Register Now

Locavore Food School: Spice It Up
2015-10-15
Locavore Food School: Spice It Up – Using Spices to Enhance Local Food
Matt Perry of Savory Spice Shop teaches the basics of using spices and spice blends to keep things interesting in the kitchen and enjoy the bounties of Central Oregon farms and ranches all year long. Dressings, slow cooker recipes, and quick dinner ideas to make healthy local food fun and extra delicious.
Central Oregon Locavore’s “Locavore Food School” program hosts monthly nutrition and cooking classes and is the culmination of many nutritionally-minded volunteers and community members including doctors, nurses, nutritionists, chefs and alternative health care practitioners.
Event URL: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ebmf08xvf59ae66f&llr=htntlqdab
Ticket URL: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ebmf08xvf59ae66f&oseq=&c=&ch=

Craft Pint Night to benefit ONDA
2015-10-15
Enjoy a cold brew and benefit high desert conservation. Craft Kitchen & Brewery is hosting a pint night next Thursday, Oct. 15. For every pint sold, Craft will donate $1 towards ONDA’s effort to protect, defend, and restore Oregon’s desert wildlands. Plus, don’t miss music from JB Boxter.
Pint Night at Craft Kitchen & Brewery
Thursday, October 15, 5 p.m. – close
803 SW Industrial Way, Bend
Open to all – bring a friend or two!

OLCV Scorecard Release at Pints and Politics
2015-10-15
Join us for one of our favorite events of the year. OLCV External Affairs Director Christy Splitt will present the 2015 Scorecard for the Oregon Legislature. Find out your legislators’ voting records on conservation issues and hear about OLCV’s notable champions and leaders in the 2015 Oregon Legislature. We will also offer an opportunity to learn about and support potential 2016 environmental ballot measures. RSVP here!

Fall Colors Walk
2015-10-16
Join the Deschutes Land Trust and Carol Wall on a fall hike at Camp Polk Meadow Preserve. Explore this historic meadow while taking in the beautiful fall colors of aspen and cottonwood. Learn about the human and natural history of one of Central Oregon’s oldest places that has transitioned over the years from an army outpost to a restoration site.

Registration is required.

Work Party: Spring Creek Planting
2015-10-16, 2015-10-17
Roll up your sleeves and help the Deschutes Land Trust plant native trees, shrubs, and grasses at Spring Creek, a private Land Trust protected property near the Metolius River. Get your hands dirty and have fun while improving key fish and wildlife habitat in the Metolius Basin.
Last year, the Land Trust and partners placed logs in Spring Creek to slow water and create deeper pools to protect growing fish. Planting native trees, shrubs, and grasses is the next step to restore Spring Creek, and will benefit not only fish, but native birds and wildlife that live along the creek’s banks.
Activities will includes digging holes, planting, and setting up wire exclosures to protect new vegetation from deer and elk browsing. Registration is required.
Rating: Work party with moderate difficulty, digging and lifting required
What to Bring: Work gloves and shovel if you have them, sturdy hiking shoes, snacks/lunch, water. Dress for the weather.

Santiam Wagon Road Walk
2015-10-17
Join the Deschutes Land Trust and Carol Wall for a walk back in time to explore the Santiam Wagon Road at Whychus Canyon Preserve. Picture life as a pioneer in Oregon, moving from the crowded Willamette Valley to the wide open spaces and unsettled lands of Central Oregon. Walk the route followed by wagon trains as they travelled east and west on the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountain Military Road (better known on its western end as the Santiam Wagon Road). We’ll also explore the site of an early homestead at the Preserve. Registration required.
