Green briefs • Earth Day turns 40

Pamplin Media Group, Apr 15, 2010

JIM CLARK / Pamplin Media Group

East Multnomah County grocers hope to build a freestanding deposit-bottle redemption center in Wood Village, the first off-premises facility since passage of the state’s 1971 bottle bill.

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in a night of instrumental and choral music, sponsored by The Center for Earth Leadership.

Hear musician Michael Allen Harrison and choirs led by David York, share refreshments and conversation about the state of the Earth.

The event is Friday, April 23, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., at the First Unitarian Church in downtown Portland, on Southwest 12th Avenue and Salmon Street.

The church is cosponsoring the event, along with the New Thought Center for Spiritual Living. Donations are requested.

For more information, call Jeanne Roy, 503-244-0026

Bottle bill returns going off-site

Soda pop and beer drinkers may start returning their cans and bottles at centralized redemption centers, rather than the stores where they made their purchase.

The Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative proposed putting Oregon’s first centralized container redemption facility on Halsey Street in Wood Village, after running into a siting glitch at its first choice in Gresham. If the site is approved by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, it would supplant collection of bottles and cans at the nearby Safeway, Fred Meyer and Walmart stores.

The center also is expected to serve as a prototype for an eventual network of 90 similar facilities around the state, as the retail industry seeks to shift bottle redemptions off-premises for the first time since passage of the state’s 1971 bottle bill.

The Wood Village center would be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the summer and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. the rest of the year, along with a 24-hour drop box.

The grocery industry, along with beverage distributors, would shoulder the redemption center costs – in part with excess bottle deposits.

– Shannon Wells

Biker trails

Northwest Trail Alliance, a mountain bike advocacy and trail stewardship group, invites the public to celebrate Earth Day at its inaugural Portland Trail Fest.

Come hear speakers on mountain biking and socialize with fellow riders.

The event is 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, April 22, at Chris King Precision Components, 2801 N.W. Nela St., in Portland. For more information, check the Web site, www.nw-trail.org/trailfest.

Solarize Southeast, round two

Southeast Portland residents are invited to learn an affordable way to add rooftop solar to their home, as the popular Solarize Southeast program returns for another round.

Neighbors band together to get a bulk discount with a solar contractor, and get information on the technology, process and financing of home solar systems. Deadline to sign up is May 1 to get an assessment on your home. There is no obligation to install the solar system.

For information, check the Web site, www.southeastuplift.org/content/solarize-se.

‘Deep Green’ showing

Clackamas Community College invites the public to an Earth Day screening of “Deep Green,” a documentary film about solutions to global warming.

The one-hour film will be shown at noon on Thursday, April 22, at McLoughlin Auditorium.

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