The Environmental Center

Break Down: Explaining the U.S. Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021
2021-03-31 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Hey Oregonians! There is a big plastic-related bill in the federal legislation this year. Sign up for this webinar with Oregon Senator Merkley to learn all about why it’s important for us to Break Free from Plastic Pollution.
Join Plastic Pollution Coalition and co-host Break Free From Plastic for a conversation with Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Representative Alan Lowenthal of California, Co-Sponsors of the historic Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act (BFFPPA) of 2021. Moderated by Judith Enck, former Obama Administration EPA Regional Administrator and Founder of Beyond Plastics, this conversation will explain how this proposed legislation builds on statewide laws across the United States, and outlines plastic reduction strategies to improve the health of people and our planet.

Successful Regional Trails Collaboratives Webinar
2021-03-31
Why are regional collaboratives valuable, what can they accomplish, and what’s the recipe for success?
This webinar will draw on examples from three collaboratives in Oregon: The Deschutes Trails Coalition, Ochoco Trails, and the newer Rogue Siskiyou Trails Coalition.
Speakers:
Rika Ayotte, Executive Director, Discover Your Forest
Kim McCarrel, Vice President- Public Lands, Oregon Equestrian Trails; Deschutes Trails Coalition and Ochoco Trails Member
Kira Sandiford, Chair, Rogue Siskiyou Trails Coalition

#areYOUintheblastzone : 350.org Week of Action
2021-04-01 - 2021-04-09
Join 350Deschutes April 1 – 9, 2021 in a national week of action with the #BuildBackFossilFree coalition to escalate the demand for President Joe Biden to be a real Climate President by stopping all new fossil fuel projects.
What: #areYOUintheblastzone as part of national Build Back Fossil Free week of action. Post images of yourself at your favorite local parks, breweries, businesses, or even at your home to show how much of Bend is within the blast zone. Tag @350deschutes and use the hashtag #areyouintheblastzone
Why: Here in central Oregon, particularly in Bend, we are literally living, working, learning, and playing in a potential devastating train derailment, spill, fire or even explosion. We need to raise awareness that trains carrying fossil gases are putting us all at risk and urge our city council to pass a resolution opposing their unsafe transport through our community.

“Salmon’s Agreement” Film Screening and Discussion
2021-04-01
Salmon have always kept their word. Year after year since time immemorial, these anadromous fish have returned to their home tributaries to spawn and give their lives for future generations.
Filmmaker Woodrow Hunt (Klamath/Modoc, Cherokee) of Tule Films brings us Indigenous stories and perspectives from the Columbia River that illuminate our relationship with a fish that remains a cultural lifeblood to Native people. This documentary short is a collaboration of Tule Films, Confluence, NW Documentary Freshwaters Illustrated, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The screening of “Salmon’s Agreement” will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and Tamastslikt Cultural Institute Executive Director Bobbie Conner of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Bend COTA Work Events
2021-04-01, 2021-04-08, 2021-04-15
When: Thursday Aug 11, Tuesday Aug 16, Tuesday Aug 23 and Tuesday Aug 30, 5:15 to Dusk
Where: Meet at the old Ray’s parking lot, NE corner of Simpson Ave and Century Drive in Bend
Worksite: Varies
There’s only one thing better than mountain biking in Bend, OR and that’s riding in Bend, knowing that you helped build and maintain the trails you love.
Please bring a hydration pack with water and a snack.
Be sure to bring appropriate layers to accommodate whatever the weather may be.
Questions? contact@cotamtb.com
All COTA trail work events require the following safety measures:
All participants are required to have the following protective clothing and equipment:

Sturdy shoes or boots
Gloves
Eye protection with clear or light colored lens
Long pants

Due to COTA’s insurance requirements and the inherent dangers of trail work, we must implement the following policy regarding children at work events:

For anyone 14 years of age or younger, we require one parent, guardian, or responsible adult for supervision of every four kids attending any COTA trail work events.
All minors under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian available to sign our waiver.

Anyone who arrives for a work event may be turned away if he/she cannot meet the above requirements.

Past-to-Future: Vanishing Glaciers in the Deschutes Basin
2021-04-01
From fish to farms, from flora to fire hazard, glaciers are crucial to our well-being. And yet…
Oregon’s glaciers are the natural water reservoirs of the high Cascade water towers. Glacier meltwater sustains rivers during the late summer and fall for flora, fauna and irrigation. The glacier melt chills streams for salmon and trout, with the attendant effect of cooling surrounding forests that reduces fire risk and intensity. In short, glaciers are an integral part of Central Oregon ecosystems and economies.
And yet, we do not know how many glaciers remain today in the basin, let alone how many existed a century ago. In this talk, Dr. Anders Carlson will present on the Oregon Glacier Institute’s findings from the first census of glaciers in Oregon since the 1950s. You will hear how these glacier changes are related to regional climate change, concluding the discussion on what the future holds for the remaining glaciers in the Deschutes Basin.
Where: Zoom, coz Covid. Here’s THE LINK

Our Economy—One Year After Shutdown
2021-04-06
Join the Bend Chamber and their expert panelists as they discuss how our economy has shifted and changed roughly one year since our first COVID-19 shutdown.
Panelists:

Curtis Dubay: Senior Economist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Damon Runberg: Regional Economist for the Oregon Employment Department

Putting Fire Knowledge into Action: Advocating for Forests and Fire Policy
2021-04-06
Great Old Broads for Wilderness are hosting a four-part webcast series this month on fire. While the first of the presentations on March 2nd – Fire in the Forest: A Natural Process and Unnatural Changes -has already filled up (it will simul-cast to their Facebook page), be sure to take a look at the other three offerings. Click here for more details on each presentation and and follow the links below sign up!

José Andrés – Creativity in the Kitchen and Feeding the World
2021-04-06
Chef and humanitarian Andrés will offer a unique perspective on the intersections between social and environmental issues in our food system. Local restaurateur Jesse Cool will join him in conversation at our final Wallace Stegner Lecture for 2021.

Bend YP Expert Webinar: Time Management and Self Motivation to Avoid Burnout
2021-04-08
Young Professionals are working from home, working from the office part-time, or working from the office full-time. Some have kids that are in school, or not in school. Work lives and personal lives have melded together and need help to keep it all organized!
Learn from Laura Boehme, Ph.D, Chief Information/Human Resources Officer at COCC and project management expert about how to manage time, energy, and how to actually implement the time management things we have heard a thousand times. Let’s learn together how to organize our time and avoid the burnout of always playing catch-up.

You're Invited! Bike Bill 50th Birthday Party
2021-04-08
Join for a virtual event to celebrate 50 years of walking, biking, and rolling in Oregon. Includes a special visit from Senator Floyd Prozanski and Special Guests, Safe Routes karaoke, and bike swag giveaways. Learn how you can cement the Bike Bill’s vision by passing Senate Bill 395.
Learn more about SB 395 here: https://www.thestreettrust.org/SB395

Let's Talk About Food Security With Jillian Hishaw
2021-04-08
Food insecurity: being without access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food.
Join High Desert Food & Farm Alliance as they talk with Jillian Hishaw about the work she is doing in farming communities to reduce rates of food insecurity in rural communities.

Environmental Justice Pathways Summit
2021-04-09 - 2021-04-10
The long-awaited Environmental Justice Pathways Summit (EJP Summit) is finally here! The EJP summit will host renowned national and state speakers, and create space for interactive discussions and presentations with the goal of creating a collaborative network and policy guidelines dedicated to Environmental Justice in the state of Oregon. The EJPS will feature Environmental, Cultural and Human Rights Advocate Sheila Watt-Cloutier for the annual University of Oregon Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples lecture on April 9 at 12 pm and the Keynote Lecture on April 10 at 6 pm with Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali, with the National Wildlife Federation. Information is included below. We hope you can join!

2021 Salmon Run
2021-04-10
A Benefit For The Environmental Center
Volunteers needed! Sign up for a shift here.
One of Bend’s oldest organized races and a local favorite. Kick off the 2021 race season with a true Bend tradition. One of the first half marathons of the year in the Northwest, the Salmon Run is a testing ground for those looking to be a factor on the racing scene. Enjoy the cool temperatures and flat terrain as well as those crystal clear Central Oregon skies.
Celebrate the amazing expedition at the 32nd Annual Salmon Run!
Each year, the mighty salmon make an expedition of a lifetime back to their homes – traversing thousands of miles and overcoming countless obstacles on their river journeys. Their achievement is awesome in the true sense of the word. Drawing inspiration from this icon of the Pacific Northwest, join hundreds of runners on their own journeys. Choose your distance: Half Marathon, 10K or 5K! Each race is professionally chip-timed and supported by outstanding event staff and medical personnel who are there for you at every turn.

Red Planet Mars
2021-04-13
Mars and Earth have much in common. They’re both small rocky planets, and although Mars is smaller, both planets have a similar length of day. Both planets have ice at the poles, and Mars may even have water flowing like Earth. Mars also may have quakes and similar geologic features. Scientists have been gathering evidence that Mars, too, may hold ancient life, in the form of microbes. This lecture will be given by Jim Todd, Director of Space Science Education at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI).

Oregon Home Builder Roundtable: Chasing Opportunities in Energy Code
2021-04-14
Live Webinar | April 14 (9-10:30AM)
Join Energy Trust of Oregon for this webinar that will take a deep dive into 2021 Oregon Residential Specialty Code requirements, focusing on the following:

Bringing ducts and air handlers inside (the thermal boundary)
Balanced ventilation options

The first hour of the webinar will be a presentation, followed by 30 minutes dedicated for questions. Register for the webinar today.

Bring Back the Pollinators: What you can do to help support bees
2021-04-14
With the arrival of spring, many of us living in Oregon turn our thoughts toward flowers and gardens and the plant lover’s favorite friend: the bee!
Get a glimpse into the amazing diversity of bees and other pollinators. Debbie Schlenoff of the Lane County Audubon Society and Aimee Code of the Xerces Society, will discuss the unique needs and behaviors of the hundreds of bee species that inhabit Oregon. They’ll describe the alarming decline in bee species and also let you know about the many opportunities to help bees survive and thrive. You’ll learn about everything from pollinator-friendly gardening to community science, and much more.

Confluence Conversation: A Native Lens on Regenerative Ecosystems
2021-04-14
Since settler colonialism, seasonal flooding along the Columbia has been a threat, a destabilizing force to be mitigated. Native understanding knows that seasonal flooding brings necessary replenishment and resources for sustainable ecosystem health. Join David Lewis and Eric Quaempts for a discussion about Traditional life along the watersheds and how Native knowledge is addressing concerns for healthier watersheds today and moving forward.
This partnered event is the first of a three-part series offered by the Columbia Slough Watershed Council. The series examines the history of the watershed and its management to help inform current developments of a new watershed district with a stronger commitment to improved wildlife habitat, water quality, and the promotion of equity and social justice.
Support for this program comes from the Oregon Cultural Trust and the Multnomah County Drainage District.

Farmers as Agents of Change in Greening Agriculture: Challenges & Opportunities
2021-04-15
Join FAO North America and the Embassy of Denmark in the USA, to learn about the challenges and opportunities facing farmers in ushering in a green transition towards more sustainable agriculture and food production.

Reaping What You Sow: Refugee Caravans at the U.S.-Mexico Border
2021-04-15
Discover how the long and troubled history of U.S. military and covert interventions in Central America and failed U.S. economic assistance and climate change policies are responsible for the waves of desperate people currently fleeing El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and why the United States has a legal and moral responsibility to admit them as refugees.

Celebrate Earth Day with film screening of Microplastic Madness
2021-04-16 - 2021-04-25
The Environmental Center and Bendfilm are teaming up to bring you a free screening of Microplastic Madness. Followed by a live panel discussion.
Microplastic Madness is an optimistic take on the local and global plastic pollution crisis as told through a refreshing urban youth point of view with an inspiring take action message.
The live panel discussion on 4/22 at 6:00PM will help connect global plastic pollution in the oceans to our local Central Oregon actions. Panelists include microplastics scientists Dr. Janice Brahney and Dr. Elise Granek, the film’s producer, and local legislator Phil Chang.

View trailer here!

Emerald Earth Film Festival
2021-04-17 - 2021-04-24
Center for Environmental Futures presents: Emerald Earth 2021 Film Festival
This year’s EEFF theme is “Toxins.” Once you register, you will be able to stream the films on demand!
Here is the line-up:

Painted Nails by Erica Jordan and Dianne Griffin
East LA Interchange by Betsy Kalin
Around Crab Orchard by Sarah Kanouse

The EEFF is hosted by Center for Environmental Futures.
There will also be a series of conversations with the film producers on April 19th, 20th, and 21st. To register and find out more, visit: https://cef.uoregon.edu/emerald-earth-2021-toxins/

Vigil for Daunte Wright
2021-04-18
Join The Cenral Oregon Peacekeepers and Kerstin Arias this Sunday April 18th at the peace corner in Bend Oregon from 6pm-7pm to give a moment of remembering, a moment of silence and a moment of solidarity for Daunte Wright.
Please bring a candle, dress warm, ASL provided and wear a mask.

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
2021-04-20
In celebration of Earth Day, join Camp Fire for a discussion around the future of our planet and how we can inspire our kids to become stewards of the environment. By instilling a love of nature, we can give young people the agency and confidence to make a difference in the fight against climate change.

Stories from the Sagebrush Sea
2021-04-20
Join ONDA for the final event in the 2021 High Desert Speaker Series as they take a virtual journey through the high desert with Ed Jahn, Executive Producer of “Oregon Field Guide,” Oregon Public Broadcasting’s flagship television series dedicated to exploring Oregon’s wonders. Ed’s team has crawled every backroad and landscape in Oregon with an eye toward the beautiful, the fascinating and the wonderous. From charismatic wildlife to dark, astoundingly starry night skies, Oregon’s dry side offers a plethora of reasons to cherish and connect with this one-of-a-kind place. Follow along on a behind-the-scenes tour of the captivating stories Ed’s crew has captured through the years.
This event will be hosted online, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST. Registration is free and required. All registrants will be entered to win a giveaway prize package!

What Happened Before the Big Bang? with Ethan Siegel
2021-04-20
In the 1920’s, cosmologists theorized that the Universe originated from a hotter, denser state: this led to what we know today as the Big Bang. By extrapolating backwards to a variety of temperatures and times, we were able to predict a number of consequences of this scenario. But this extrapolation led to problems as well: things that were observed but weren’t predicted. Scientists couldn’t simply give up and conclude that we couldn’t figure out what came before the beginning. Ethan Siegel will share how the last 40 years of research has uncovered what happened before – and beyond – the Big Bang, and where the frontiers of knowledge are today.

Othering & Belonging Spring Summit 2021
2021-04-21
Join the Othering & Belonging Institute on April 21 for a groundbreaking day of connection and big ideas for building a world based on belonging, justice, and care—for our communities, for our living planet, and for our future.
Summit will feature special sessions with Toshi Reagon, john a. powell, Tokata Iron Eyes, Xiye Bastida, The Nile Project, Naomi Klein, Taeku Lee, Astra Taylor, Norma Wong, Sarah Crowell, Alphabet Rockers, and more. Agenda and speakers can be found on Summit webpage.

Game Changers: Youth-led Action on Climate Change
2021-04-21
Join Art Works for Change, the ISB Intersectional Activism club, and Beaverton City Library for a climate change-themed game night, featuring student art, poetry, and presentations from climate change organizations. This event is one of a series of interactive experiences to promote action on climate change, and is part of a new storytelling project that will help people visualize the impact of global warming and the pathways to solving the climate crisis. All ages are welcome. Registration required; register with an email address and an email will be sent with the link prior to the event.
