OKNA Email Post: bikes, solar panels, watersheds & schools

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[OverlookPDX] bikes, solar panels, watersheds & schools

1. Wanted: Beach Bike Club volunteers

2. Solarize North Portland Workshops (2/5, 2/17)

3. 2011-2012 CWSP Grant Application and Workshops

4. 2011 Education Summit (Mon., 2/7)

1. Wanted: Beach Bike Club volunteers

Are you are a bicycle enthusiast? Do you like working with kids? Beach School has the perfect opportunity for you! We are looking for adults to lead our spring Bike Club. Comprehensive training is provided by the Community Cycling Center, who will also provide curriculum materials and support for the club. The club will meet one day a week from Monday April 4 to Thursday June 2. Volunteer stipend pay may be available. For more information, please email Pam atafterschool@beachpta.org, or call the Beach After School Enrichment (BASE) phone line at 503-916-6562.

2. Solarize North Portland Workshops (2/5, 2/17)

Have you considered adding solar power collection to your home but have been put off by costs, confusion or complications? Now is the time to check out Solarize North Portland and the volume purchasing power of your neighbors. Solarize North Portland (www.solarizenorth-nw.org) is supported by North Portland Neighborhood Services and your neighborhood association. Homeowners can recover 50-75% of their initial investment, and prices for solar panels have come down dramatically.

Please attend one of four free informational meetings in January and February to hear speakers from Energy Trust, PGE, Solar Oregon and other organizations. You will learn how Solarize North Portland aims to provide solar systems for the lowest cost.

Solarize Basic Information Meetings:

Saturday, Feb. 5, 10 am – 12:30 pm, Columbia Cottage, 4339 N. Lombard (in Columbia Park)

Thursday, Feb. 17, 6:30-8 pm, Kenton Firehouse, 8105 N. Brandon

Weatherization Workshop: Weatherization reduces energy use, lowers utility bills and conserves natural resources. A free weatherization workshop will be presented by Community Energy Project. Mark your calendar for Tuesday, Feb. 22, 6:30-8 pm, at St. Johns Community Center, 8427 N. Central.

Facebook: search for “Solarize North Portland” on Facebook for updates.

Registration: Sign up for Solarize North Portland to receive a free evaluation of your home's solar potential. Online registration will be opened at SolarizeNorth-NW.org by Jan. 17 or thereabouts.

Solarize Q&A Workshops: Three presentations beginning Feb. 28 will answer technical questions about solar installation, financing and other topics. Look for the schedule atwww.solarizenorth-nw.org/workshops-north/.

3. 2011-2012 CWSP Grant Application and Workshops

Now Accepting Applications!

The Community Watershed Stewardship Program is now accepting applications. CWSP provides annual stewardship grants of up to $10,000for community projects that protect and enhance watershed health.

Funded projects engage the community and benefit the watershed and can include education, stormwater management, restoration, pavement removal, community gardens, and more.

Please visit the CWSP website to learn how to apply, view re

sources for grant writers, and download the 2011-2012 application packet.

Applications are due Friday April 8th at 4 PM.

Community Watershed Stewardship Information Sessions

Join the CWSP at one of our upcoming community events to learn about the application process and talk to others involved in community watershed stewardship. Your RSVP to Garrett Phillips at 503-823-7917, or garrett.phillips@portlandoregon.gov, is appreciated but not required.

Saturday, January 22nd

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Central Library

801 SW 10th Avenue

Wednesday, January 26th

6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Kenton Library

8226 N. Denver

Thursday, February 17th

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

East Portland Community Center

Multipurpose Room 3

740 SE 106th Avenue

We're here to help

Call Garrett Phillips or Bridger Wineman at 503.823.7917 to talk about specific project ideas or learn how to become involved in watershed stewardship in your community. We can help with project scoping, refer you to technical expertise, and help you make connections with other groups.

4. 2011 Education Summit (Mon., 2/7)

WHAT: 2011 Education Summit

WHEN: February 7, 2011, 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

WHERE: Self Enhancement, Inc. (3920 North Kerby Ave.)

WHO: Citizens who care about the future of our region

Registration is FREE. Please click here to register.

By eliminating the achievement gap in Oregon's schools over the next 10 years, we would boost the total size of Oregon's economy by up to 1.8 percent! The success of all students impacts all of us. Especially in our current economic climate, seismic change for youth can only occur by rethinking priorities and realigning services so that communities work better for all residents.

The theme of this year's Portland regional education summit focuses on creating an educational renaissance within every neighborhood in Multnomah County. Systemic challenges require looking beyond the confines of the school building, and working in partnership with the surrounding community. From K-12 and higher education leaders, community activists and parents, to transportation pioneers, business executives and housing advocates, all citizens need to be involved if we are to transform our neighborhoods to benefit all youth.

The Summit will:

Ground our work within national and local contexts

Highlight service gaps and partnership opportunities in targeted neighborhoods

Inform the Portland Plan's Five Year Action Plan for Education

The Summit's keynote speaker, Linda Darling Hammond, author of The Flat World and Education, is currently Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University, where she founded and oversees the School Redesign Network. Her research, teaching, and policy work focus on issues of school restructuring, teacher quality and educational equity. The Summit will also feature community fishbowl conversations, dialogue and analysis, a policy panel about neighborhood transformation and equity, and an opportunity to provide input for the Portland Plan.

For more information, please visit the Education Summit Web site.