Seeking: Friends of Trees

October 22, 2015 by Jenn

Photo from Matt Pizzuti and FriendsofTree.org

Portland Pedal Power was happy to partner recently with the awesome organization Friends of Trees, currently seeking crew leaders for their fall plantings. More information is included below:

The Northwest is covered with outdoor spaces where, although they are open space, the impact of human encroachment is still all too apparent. They are corners of parks and greenbelts where vegetation is trampled or disturbed, or riparian zones where invasive species have choked out native plants. As more and more local land is taken up by development, these protected green areas in and around the city are extremely important habitat for wildlife as well as flood and pollution control.

With an ever-improving understanding of these urban-boundary ecosystems, Friends of Trees is one organization restoring local watersheds by planting native shrubs and trees. As a Crew Leader, you’ll get special training in plant identification, planting techniques and troubleshooting. You’ll lead crews that plant hundreds of baby trees, beautifying these spaces and offering them back to the wilderness.

Friends of Trees’ most visible work in urban areas is promoting and planting the yard and street side trees that you’ve probably noticed in your area with Friends of Trees tags on them. Urban trees bring numerous benefits you can enjoy directly when they’re growing in your home or neighborhood, and this, too, is done through the leadership and support of Crew Leaders who can provide volunteers with direction and teach planting techniques. You’ll learn a lot about identifying and caring for trees and interact directly with communities.

Being Crew Leader is an easy way to quickly get some knowledge and experience with trees and plants, as well as some basic leadership experience with a lot of support from Friends of Trees staff. After a one-day training you’re ready to show up on planting days to greet your fellow crew leaders, enjoy free food, get your assigned plot and lead your volunteers as they arrive. Crew leading is also a great way to get some regular light exercise and take some photos to spread awareness of trees. For your first season (November-April), you’ll co-lead your crews with an experienced mentor while you learn the ropes.

Register today to save your spot! If you have any questions or need more information about this role, please don’t hesitate to contact Jenny & Randi in the Volunteer & Outreach Program at 503-595-0213 or by emailing [email protected].

[Post submitted by Friends of Trees: friendsoftrees.org. Material from Matt Pizzuti]

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Why You Should Switch to a Credit Union ASAP

August 12, 2015 by Marketing

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Bike your way to a better bank!

Back in 2011, during all the activities related to Occupy Wall Street, I took my money out of my big bank and switched to a credit union as part of Bank Transfer Day. It was a small move in the right direction for me. I have never regretted this choice.

Credit unions are not-for-profit organizations that exist to serve their members rather than to maximize corporate profits like big banks. I can always get someone on the phone, there are no wonky hidden fees, and they have a really usable phone app.

By nature of being member-driven, credit unions tend to be involved in the community and are run under the philosophy of “people helping people.” One of our current partners USAgencies, was founded in 1936 under this foundational philosophy.

Over the years USAgenices has grown to be one of the best member-driven cooperative credit unions in the Pacific Northwest.

People helping people

As a member, you’ll receive super convenient, anytime-anywhere banking with personal one-on-one service, with access to thousands of ATMs and shared branches, online and mobile banking, and 24-hour phone access.

Over the years, USAgencies has expanded their field of membership to serve many more groups in the Pacific Northwest including: active and retired military personnel; state, county, city and municipal employees; Native Americans; and family members of any eligible member.

USAgencies works to be a consistent resource for members along the path of their financial life. Through the USAgencies Community Giving Team they support the social mission of credit unions – to assist with meeting basic needs and to invest in programs to strengthen and enhance the community.

They also offer some pretty smart tips and tricks for managing home maintenance, encouraging members to use the CU as a resource for putting home equity to work. If you have equity in your home, you can use it for nearly any purpose: remodeling, vacations, debt consolidation, and even education expenses. It’s a way to maximize your assets so you can meet your financial goals.

Look into working with USAgencies and switching to a credit union ASAP, you won’t regret the move!

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The Newest Exhibit at the Portland Art Museum: Gods and Heroes

June 4, 2015 by Jon Elias

Jacques-Louis David, Erasistratus Discovers the Cause of Antiochus’ Disease, 1774, Oil on canvas. École des Beaux-Arts, Paris

As a child, I remember that going to the museum was an event. On a particularly memorable trip in middle school, my class took a field trip to the Portland Art Museum to look at Native American artwork and artifacts found in the Pacific Northwest. Never have I spent a day in a classroom and learned nearly as much than that day in the museum. There’s just something about seeing the pieces, being up close and personal with these real life artifacts that inspires you, and makes you want to learn more.

That’s one of the reasons Portland Pedal Power is telling everyone about this new exhibit that is coming to the Portland Art Museum, entitled Gods and Heroes. Gods and Heroes will feature artwork exploring the mythos of humanity, from the Epics of Homer to Biblical Texts dating back to Rome.

The Gods and Heroes exhibit will include beautiful masterpieces which have traveled across the ocean from Paris, specifically the École des Beaux-Arts, or the School of Fine Arts for those non-French reader out there. This exhibit will feature nearly 140 painting, sculptures, and even written works that can be dated all the way back to Ancient Rome and Greece.

The most dynamic feature of this exhibit will show just how much the arts have changed throughout history, how anatomy, facial expressions, and perspective played a deeper and deeper role as time rolled by. You will see works that served as models for early students in the arts, such as drawings by Raphael Sanzio da Urbino (or The Raphael, for short) and prints by Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt van Rijn.

Of course, you don’t have to be a history buff to appreciate Gods and Heroes, either! The exhibit will examine themes from our own culture, such as courage, sacrifice, and death. You’ll see among the featured works examinations of what it is to be a hero, how we face our own mortality. You will see artist renditions of the Gods, seen as all powerful manifestations, but just as deeply flawed as any human. Despite being centuries old, you will see artwork struggling with many of the same issues – moral, ethical, philosophical – that we struggle with even today.

Ancient History? Of course, but just as relevant today as it was in its inception? Yes.

Interested in checking out these exquisite works of art? Check out the Portland Art Museum’s website to learn more. The Members Preview Day opens on June 12th, and the exhibit opens to the public on the 13th. Be sure to check your schedule and get yourself to PAM!

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Shurky Jurky: Meat Your Taste Buds!

October 14, 2014 by Jon Elias

At Portland Pedal Power, we are big fans of things done differently. Anyone can go with the groove, but someone who decides to shake it up a little? That’s what peaks our interest.

That’s why we are very excited that we came across Shurky Jurky, a completely new take on what most of us take to be a simple snack food. Instead of sticking with the Status Quo, Shurky Jerky mixed it up and created a superior flavor, no artificial sugars, and using whole fruit for flavor.

Shurky Jurky is a new kind of Gourmet Sustainable Artisan Snack Company. Instead of heading down the road of artificial flavoring, Shurky Jurky are bringing back the Perfect Portable Protein, a Classic Home Style, Rip Tear Jerky handcrafted for individuals leading active & healthy lifestyles. Shurky Jurky are Purveyors of Choice Artisan Jerky made responsibly from scratch using real fruit and without any refined sugars, additives, non-natural flavorings or preservatives.

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Enjoy the best Eastern Cuisine from the Comfort of your Own Home

April 24, 2014 by Jon Elias

When you consider the bland, mundane food that was plaguing Europe during the dark ages, you can’t help but feel a twinge of remorse for the poor souls who didn’t know any better. It’s no wonder explorers traveled across half the world to find something more palatable.

Of course here in PDX, you don’t need to go on a lifelong expedition to find the best tastes of the world. Instead you can jump online, look at our wide variety of choices, and suddenly you’ve done what took Marco Polo over 20 years to do. Portland Pedal Power does the hard work, and you can stay at home in your footie pajamas. Imagine if Marco could see us now…

Check out a sample of what you can find on our dinner menu, and start planning what you’re going to enjoy tonight:

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