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Whole Trade Roses from Whole Foods!

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Roses: The tried and true way of telling that significant other that they mean the world to you. Other flowers just don’t seem to cut it, and certainly don’t send the right message (take it from me, a handful of dandelions stopped being cute when you pass the age of 9)

But at the same time, everyone does roses, right? What kind of message are you sending with wilting, drab flowers you grabbed at the last minute from the drug store?

Whole Foods and Portland Pedal Power are teaming up to bring you something completely unique for this coming Valentines Day. You can order two dozen Whole Trade Roses to be delivered in the Downtown Portland area this coming February 13th and 14th. (Valentines Day!)

So what are Whole Trade roses? The Whole Trade® Guarantee seal means these flowers meet specific criteria, including:

  • Meets Whole Foods Product Quality Standards
  • Provides more money to producers
  • Ensures better wages and working conditions for workers
  • Cares for the environment
  • Donates 1% of sales to Whole Planet Foundation®

This isn’t just empty bragging rights, either. Whole Trade products also give back to the communities they come from. Thanks to the Whole Trade® Guarantee, a “social premium” amount is paid for every case of flowers, supporting community projects in Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica. Take a look at the positive impact yourself:

Ready to get some bonus points in the Valentines Day department? Get your orders in early so you can head into the Valentines Day weekend stress free this year!


Wilamette Week Makes Giving Easier!

TGG-2012-Logo1he Holidays have the ability to bring out the best of people. We make an extra effort to reach out to the community during the holiday season, making sure everyone gets a little joy in their life.

This year, Wilamette Week is making it easier to give back to the community. WW has hand-selected 136 great Portland nonprofits that need your help this holiday season. This helps make it easy for you to make a donation – and a connection – to groups in your community. What you give today will help make Portland a better place all year long.

This guide doesn’t just cater to a small portion of the community, either. Whether you’re a health nut, an animal lover, or a patron of the arts, or all three, WW has a way you can help out the community. Choose from a variety of nonprofits benefiting animals, education, arts, the environment, health and wellness, and other alternatives.

And the best part is, the more you give, the more you get back! Donating at any level, and you’ll receive free and discounted products from your favorite local brands, like Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Chinook Book, Portland Center Stage, Widmer Brothers, and more!

Give Guide also features Big Give Days. Donating a minimum of $10 to any organization on one of these days, and you have a chance to win a great incentive. The next Big Give Day is December 2nd, with a Bike Gallery Bike giveaway.

On top of that, you can also take place in the McMenamins Challenge! Nonprofits with the most individual donors 35 and under in each category will be awarded $1000!

Help make Portland a better place for the whole year round by giving a little extra this season. With incentives like these, everybody can celebrate the season!


The RosWheel Frame Pannier Bag

RosWheel BagAt Portland Pedal Power, we always like to keep our eyes open for new and exciting products on the market. We came across this very cool RosWheel Frame Pannier Bag, developed for AGPTek products. RosWheel has a variety of bike products, but this particular bag caught my attention.

The bag has some roomy space for your keys, wallet, energy bars or even a bike lock, but the most interesting feature is the clear PVC window on the front to allow access to your phone. The bag is big enough to hold a phone that measures up to 5.5”, so even your extra large smartphones can fit nicely.

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Drive Less, Save More

Drive Less, Save MoreHave you ever wondered how Portland became such a great cycling city? Look no further than the people, organizations and programs that are invested in building a rich community of cyclists through promoting cycling as an alternate means of transportation. Drive Less, Save More is one of those organizations, and they’re changing the face of our community.

Launched in 2006 by the Oregon Department of Transportation, Drive Less, Save More raises awareness about the practical, economic and environmental benefits of improving the way in which ODOT manages our transportation system. Reducing individual car trips is one of the main goal, and, bicycles are a big part of the solution, while public transit, carpooling and ride-sharing are emphasized as well.

Here’s the rundown from their website:

“Traffic congestion takes a heavy toll on residents, our economy and the environment. Oregon’s population is projected to grow exponentially, and traffic will only get worse unless action is taken.

Compounding the problem is the fact that there are insufficient funds to build new roads on a sizable scale. Part of the solution is to better manage the demand put on our transportation system and maximize its capacity. That’s the primary aim of Drive Less Save More.

Launched in 2006 by the Oregon Department of Transportation, Metro and its public and private partners, Drive Less Save More seeks to reduce individual car trips as an integral part of a larger solution to addressing traffic congestion. The goal is to raise public awareness about the benefits of driving less through trip chaining and other smart driving strategies, such as riding transit, carpooling, vanpooling, ridesharing, telecommuting, biking and/or walking. Today, Drive Less Save More has expanded beyond the Portland metro area into Salem, Eugene/Springfield, Medford and Bend.”

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