The Environmental Center

ReStore Grand Opening
2014-12-09 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Bend Area Habitat for Humanity is celebrating their 25th Anniversary by moving our ReStore to a new location, 224 NE Thurston Ave. Join us for a week of Grand Opening Festivities Dec 9-13. Our Ribbon Cutting, Habitat style, will take place Dec 9 at 8:45 a.m. ReStore is an incredible way to purchase needed items such as building materials, furniture and appliances AND help Habitat serve more families through homeownership and home repair. Proceeds from ReStore benefit Bend Area Habitat for Humanity.

Peer Exchange Call: Combining Solar & Home Performance Services
2014-12-11
REGISTER: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/759015944
Join the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Better Buildings Residential Network on Thursday, December 11, from 3:00-4:30 PM Eastern Time for a peer exchange call on the topic of Combining Solar and Home Performance Services. The call will explore how to deliver cost-effective solutions for homeowners to increase comfort and reduce energy bills. For background on this topic, refer to the article “The Struggle to Combine Energy Efficiency and Solar Power,” which describes how programs have structured services and incentives that helped customers make cost-effective choices about energy efficiency measures and solar technology. According to the article, “Programs for solar and efficiency are in separate silos. Installers do not collaborate as effectively as they could. When solar companies do not address energy efficiency in tandem with solar power, systems can be oversized – increasing costs for homeowners.”
We’ll hear from representatives of two organizations profiled in the article who will discuss their knowledge and experience about combining solar and home performance services:
• Tim Harvey, Austin Energy
• Ria Langheim, Center for Sustainable Energy

Locavore Holiday Gift Faire
2014-12-13
The 5th annual Locavore Holiday Gift Faire to help make your holidays local. Crafts, foods, clothing, and more.

Stand Out! Social Media & Websites
2014-12-13
From our member group, the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance, learn how social media and websites can draw in customers, and get the word out about your farm, product or business. We will provide basic and advanced concepts to meet everyone’s needs.
Please visit the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance website for more information on the entire Agricultural Business Workshop Series.
More information about this workshop:
Turn your agricultural business into a more profitable enterprise. If you need help organizing your paperwork, or just evaluating whether or not you are running your farming business efficiently, one or more of these workshops may be just what you need!
The purpose of this workshop series is to increase the viability of small to medium producers to supply specialty crop and meat products to the Central Oregon marketplace. The goal is to provide resources for producers to:
Determine how a wholesale food hub model will benefit producers
Determine if wholesale crop production works for them
Develop and implement wholesale crop and livestock planning
Learn, develop and write annual production cost forecasts and benchmarks
Mitigate on-farm risks through business planning and financial analysis
Learn and develop farm-specific branding
Cost: $10/farm per session – or sign up for all of them for only $100
Location: COCC’s Redmond Technology Education Center, 2030 SE College Loop, Redmond
on the corner of Veterans Way and Salmon Drive, across from the Redmond Airport.
To Register: https://agbiz.eventbrite.com or email kvandis@coic.org or call Tim Deboodt at 541-447-6228
For additional information contact:
Tim Deboodt at OSU Extension 541-447-6228
Katrina Van Dis at COIC kvandis@coic.org
These Ag Business Workshops are a joint effort of Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, the Small Business Development Center at COCC and OSU Extension, along with rancher Billie Estridge of Timber Creek Farm, providing education, advising and assistance to small agricultural businesses in the Central Oregon region.
This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2012-49200-20030.Funding for this project was provided by the Washington State University Western Extension Risk Management Education Center, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), US Small Business Administration, State of Oregon, and Central Oregon Community College.

Outdoor School Statewide Public Engagement Gatherings
2014-12-13
The Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) and the Oregon Outdoor Education Coalition (OOEC) are hosting a series of vibrant community discussions across the state to hear what YOU think about Outdoor School and how it can best serve the needs of your community and children.
Oregon’s outdoor school programs have a rich history dating back to the late 1950s. But today, less than half Oregon students get to participate in the program. Help shape education in Oregon by telling OFRI and OOEC what you think Outdoor School should look like moving forward.

To register, go here. Space is limited, so please register by November 28th for LaGrande and December 5th for Bend.Read about the initiative & sign up for news updates here.
For additional information, contact Jennifer Robare, Project Assistant for the Friends of Outdoor Schools or call her at 541-316-5686.

These events are organized by Oregon Outdoor Education Coalition, and in LaGrande, the event is co-hosted by Boise Cascade and Wallowa Resources, Bend’s event is co-hosted by Brent Fenty of the Oregon Natural Desert Association and Kirin Stryker of The Environmental Center.

Himalayan Holiday!
2014-12-13
Remember the annual Ten Friends Himalayan Holiday on Saturday, December 13th at the Belfry in Sisters. You’ll find unique holiday gifts for friends and family, or for yourself! Shopping begins at 2:00. Also live music from Brad Tisdel and a slide show highlighting the scenery of Nepal and Ten Friends’ projects. We’ll have a fantastic meal catered by Taj Palace.
Dinner is at 6:00 for a $12 donation. Proceeds will go to the Himalayan Education Center. For more information see www.tenfriends.org. Children are welcome. We hope to see you there. Thanks for your support!
