Congratulations to Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) garden writer Kym Pokorny, who landed a Page One byline today for her excellent feature on vegetable gardening, fruit trees and other edibles. As we have reported previously, interest is very high in food gardening right now. Not only can edibles save a lot of money, but they look pretty […]
Plastic into oil
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People talk all the time about recycling plastics. Agri-Plas Inc. in Brooks, Ore., has gone a step beyond that by converting used agricultural plastics (greenhouse film, plastic pots, etc.) back to their source material — crude oil, which then can be refined into fuel. As noted by two publications (www.sustainablebusiness.com and www.environmentalleader.com), the company recently […]
SPROut presents phytotechnology conference March 30-April 1
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The Sustainable Plant Research and Outreach Center (SPROut) will present “Soak It Up: Phytotechnology Solutions for Water Challenges,” a three-day conference, from March 30-April 1 at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton, Ore. This year’s conference will focus on plant-based solutions for stormwater and wastewater challenges. Keynote speakers will include Gerould Wilhelm of Conservation Design […]
Short notice
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We received this information today, and although it’s very short notice for most folks, it still is worth passing along: Do you have old pesticides you want to get rid of? There will be a FREE collection event (PDF flier) on Saturday, Feb. 7 from 9 a.m.-3 for Marion and Clackamas county residents. This is […]
‘Less care’ … not ‘no care’
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Gardening columnist Carol Savonen’s newest installment in the Salem, Ore. Statesman Journal concerns native plants, and how they can make a garden more attractive and easier to care for at the same time. But there’s an important bit of advice in there: This doesn’t mean that you can just plant them and walk away. “Many […]
OAN legislative agenda
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The Oregon Association of Nurseries announced its federal and state legislative agendas for 2009. On the federal level, the top priority continues to be comprehensive immigration reform, which includes border security, an adjustment of status for workers currently in the United States, and a visa system that is flexible and provides for a future flow […]
Oregonian asks, ‘Is your Christmas tree green?’
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More positive publicity for real, Oregon-grown Christmas trees. In this one, Mark Rohlfs of Santa & Sons talks about the misconceptions some of his customers have, and what the industry is doing to counteract them.
More trees = less CO2
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It may seem like a “well, duh” kind of statement, but word is getting out that planting trees is a sustainable thing to do, according to this article from Salem Monthly/WillametteLive.com. Several eco-minded growers are mentioned in the piece, including Fisher Farms, Yule Tree Farms and Northwoods Nursery.
REAPing the rewards of green energy
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Oregon growers such as Northwoods Nursery (Molalla, Ore.), Harts Nursery (Jefferson, Ore.) and McKenzie Valley Bamboo Nursery (Springfield, Ore.) have already made the commitment to install renewable energy and energy efficiency projects (such as this efficient in-ground heating system) with help from the USDA Rural Energy for America (REAP) grant program. If you would like […]
Conference judged a success
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The recent Sustainability Conference at Chemeketa Community College – which had support from SPROut and the OAN – got some ink.