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It ain’t easy bein’ green. Expensive, time consuming, hard to figure out—all these valid objections can talk us out of finding sustainable alternatives to our day-to-day choices.
But we know the current, unsustainable approach isn’t exactly working. The average American produces 16 tons of carbon-dioxide equivalents a year. It would take between four to five Earths for everyone on the planet to live that way.
So, we at Willamette Week decided to put together our first-ever Green Living Companion, a modest guide to help us find ways we can make more conscious decisions about how we spend and how we live.
We’re not asking you to change the world, just a habit or two. Maybe you swing by Roger Konka’s mushroom stand to pick up a few maitakes grown from reclaimed mushroom blocks (page 11), or you sign up for Black Future Farm’s CSA and start eating locally grown produce (page 11). Got a cell-phone you need to toss? Green Century Recycling (page 26) will safely break down your e-waste, free of charge. Even your dog’s poop (yes, you heard us) can be recycled (page 29).
We’ve got tips on events, too, ranging from an environmental drag show (page 39) to a repair fair, where you can bring anything from broken bikes to jewelry to try and fix (page 38).
And what happens when we do make a few of these changes? We get to put our money into responsibly sourced, ethically run businesses, mostly local ones, which means keeping dollars here, keeping the city green on a lot of levels.
These are hard times for the planet, and we get that small gestures can seem inconsequential in the moment. But progress takes time—the most majestic of Doug firs grow from the smallest seeds, nurtured by the rain that falls on this one Earth, not four.
Dive into the pages ahead, and see what works for you. Happy greening.
Looking for a copy of Green Living Companion? Check this map for locations carrying our free magazine. The locations indicated in solid green (and listed below) are carrying the most magazines:
- ReRun | 6940 NE Sandy Blvd |Magazines just inside the front door.
- Portland Rock Gym | 21 NE 12th Ave & 10860 SW Barnes Rd, Beaverton | Magazines at the front desk.
- Homegrown Apothecary | 1937 NE Pacific St | Magazines in our front apothecary room, near the couch.
- Literary Arts | 716 SE Grand Ave | Magazines on and in front of a table near the cashier.
- Hippo Hardware | 1040 E Burnside | Green Living Companions will be on and in front of a table that is next to the cashier.
- Cargo | 81 Southeast Yamhill St | Magazines near the register.
- The Rebuilding Center | 3625 N Mississippi Ave | Magazines near register.
- Ross Island Grocery | 3502 SW Corbett | Magazine next to the coffee station
- EcoVibe | 1906 NE Alberta and 2380 SE Hawthorne Blvd
- Way of Being | 3418 SE Hawthorne Blvd
- Tigard Public Library | 13500 SW Hall Blvd
- Coava COFFEE | 1300 SE Grand Ave