Concordia Neighborhood Association | Portland, Oregon

Thanks for Asking – She embodied what’s fading from landscape

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Karen Wells | CNA Media Team

Since she died in 2017, you will no longer see Judy Mae Phillips participating in her community from a bench outside Alberta Co-op. But her memory lives on with the people who interacted with her daily, and in a photo memorial displayed proudly in the window. Photo by Karen Wells

Taking photos in the neighborhood recently, two images got my attention. A photo of Judy Mae Phillips in the window of Alberta Cooperative Grocery and a “Black Mamas Matter” placard in another window nearby.

A Google search revealed a 2017 Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) story on the former.

Judy Mae “Pretty Eyes” was a 5-foot, 3-inch “tiny” woman, “a force of nature,” passionate about community with a beautiful singing voice.

She cared for her aging mother and older brother, helping with self-care, meals and daily routines.

When she wasn’t caregiving for family, she passed the time on the bench outside of Alberta Co-op, keeping an eye on life passing by. The bench was “her office,” a porch for her “day job.”

Judy Mae had a trusting familiarity with passersby, regardless of outward appearances. She was a cultural placeholder, a reminder of a way of life being replaced by a faster cadence.

She was the “eyes and ears” of the community. Judy Mae was woven into the cultural landscape, and she greeted volunteers and staff at Sabin Community Development Corporation, Alberta Co-Op and adjacent businesses.

Her purview included Otesha Place just across 15th Avenue. She knew the kids and parents.

Otesha Place is a mixed-use building with offices and affordable apartments. At the time of her passing in 2017, Judy Mae had progressed to first on the wait list for Otesha Place. She would’ve had a home of her own.

The OPB story used “panhandler” to describe her vocation while “at the office on the bench.” This description suggests Judy Mae was a “vagrant.” That’s the label used in the post-Civil War South for Blacks who couldn’t find work because of race codes of the era.

Judy Mae was a mother of three, a grandmother of 15. A symbol of “Black Mamas Matter,” she had a vocation and was always home by midnight to care for her mother and brother. She contributed to the social fabric of community.

Unfortunately “vagrant” hints at unintentional bias coloring her aura of humanity. Judy Mae was the embodiment of a neighborhood fading from the Alberta Arts District landscape.

What connects a photo in a storefront window and a placard in a neighbor’s? Humanity’s resilience. Do we celebrate an activist or pen a requiem for a neighborhood?

Thanks for asking.

Karen Wells is a semi-retired adult and early childhood educator. She serves on the planning committee of Womxn’s March and Rally for Action in Portland, WomxnsMarchPDX.com.

Taking Ownership helps reduce gentrification

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Michael French | CNA Media Team

Taking Ownership PDX founder Randal Wyatt, foreground, visits Lorene Wilder, a 50-year Woodlawn resident who benefited from critical furnace repair and other home services. Photo by Michael French

When her furnace went out this winter, 83-yearold Lorene Wilder lived without heat for days before she took a leap of faith. With just $400 in the bank, she wrote a $722 check for repairs and hoped for the best.

Help came just in time when a friend connected the 50-year Woodlawn resident to Taking Ownership PDX. The soon-to-be nonprofit provides free critical repairs to Portland-area Black homeowners and business owners. The organization covered her furnace repair, ordered heating oil and cleaned up her overgrown yard, all at no cost to Lorene.

“It’s providing reparations to Black homeowners and business owners in the form of repairs,” said Randal Wyatt, founder of Taking Ownership PDX.

“Right now we are prioritizing weatherization and life-safety issues. We’re doing a lot of roofs and window replacements and making sure homes are safe, dry and warm.” I

n an effort to hold off gentrification that’s driving Black residents out of neighborhoods, Taking Ownership PDX serves people like Lorene, who are often retired or disabled, living on fixed or low incomes and unable to keep up with repairs.

Randal finds these residents are often reported to authorities by neighbors who see the unkept-looking homes as unsightly, resulting in liens that force owners out of their homes when they’re unable to afford costly repairs.

Tyrone Tyler, 56, lives on Social Security income with his sister in the Woodlawn home their parents purchased in 1990. They endured discomfort – and combatted the moisture that caused it with tarps on the roof – for 10 years before getting a new roof from Taking Ownership PDX.

“It feels dry, safe and warmer,” Tyrone said. “It was a gift from God.”

Randal founded the organization last June. He is a musician who had worked as an advocate and mentor for Black, Latino, and low-income youth and young adults. He and a partner are the sole staff members, and they engage licensed contractors to perform the work.

Early publicity helped the organization. Community members donated $250,000 in seven months, enough to help 17 homeowners and one business. On the waitlist are 95 more. This year Randal aims to raise $500,000 to help 40 or more Black property owners with critical repairs.

Requests for support may be made at TakingOwnershipPDX.org.

Financial contributions and material donations are welcome. Due to licensing and liability concerns, volunteer labor may be provided only by licensed, bonded and insured contractors.

While seeking nonprofit status, All Ages Music/Friends of Noise serves as fiscal sponsor. Tax-exempt donations may be made at TakingOwnerShipPDX.org.

Michael French is grateful to live on 28th Avenue in Concordia, a place where neighbors talk to each other and he can get most places on foot, by bike or transit. Contact him at MFrench96@ gmail.com.

Trustee files foreclosure on CU

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, CU Sale

By Nancy Varekamp | CNews Editor

The Concordia University campus has been devoid of students and instructors — and the
staff has dwindled — since classes ended last spring. Pedestrians, dog walkers and other neighbors who read posted copies of the Trustee’s Notice of Sale wonder who the new owner will be. Photo by Chris Baker

Trustee Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation initiated foreclosure proceedings against Concordia University Jan. 27 for defaulted loans. It came 13 days short of a year after the school announced it would close its doors.

News of the foreclosure spread quickly after certified copies of an 11-page Trustee’s Notice of Sale were posted on the campus by the trustee.

According to the notice, if CU does not repay the loans upon which it has defaulted, a sale of the properties and facilities is scheduled for 1 p.m. June 29.

“In a foreclosure, if the borrower cures the defaults and pays the amounts due, the lender will cancel the foreclosure sale,” explained the trustee’s attorney Teresa Pearson.

Many of the questions CNews asked weren’t answered. Among those unanswered are: May someone pay the in excess of $37 million named in the Trustee’s Notice of Sale and preclude the June 29 sale? Will the four distinct areas named in the notice of sale be sold separately, or as one piece? Do those four areas comprise the entire campus, or only the majority of CU’s property?

However, there is an answer to one question many neighbors ask, and that’s to what uses a new owner is allowed to put the 24-acre campus.

Quite simply, that depends on what the new owner wants — and what the city allows.

Currently zoned Campus Institutional (CI1), colleges and medical centers – and a few other accessory uses – are allowed. That’s according to Eric Engstrom, principal planner for the Portland Bureau of Planning & Sustainability.

He added, “A fundamental question, of course, is if the site is purchased by another educational institution who would use it in a similar way as Concordia, or if a new owner had an entirely different vision in mind.

“The current zoning does not allow general commercial uses or housing (other than student or employee housing associated with a campus institution),” he wrote in an email. Continuing as a CI1, any major additions of new facilities would trigger a transportation impact review, he added. And that would involve community input.

If a new owner wants to change or modify the zoning, there are two options. Both require opportunities for public input, and the city council makes the decision, the planner pointed out.

“In both cases, considerations would include traffic, infrastructure adequacy and consistency with the city’s overall planning goals,” he explained. “Some of those goals touch on things like community character and public involvement.”

Editor’s note: The story doesn’t stop here. There are already a few details known that don’t fit this CNews space. Visit ConcordiaPDX.org/OtherCUIssues. And more details are expected to be revealed in coming weeks and months, so stay tuned to CNews, ConcordiaPDX.org and Facebook.com/groups/ConcordiaPDX.

Nancy Varekamp is semiretired from her career in journalism, public relations and – her favorite work engagement – writing and editing targeted newsletters.

Letter to the Editor

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

To the Editor:

For over 10,000 people living in Portland’s Concordia neighborhood, there is a lot at stake with the impending sale of the private Concordia University campus on the steps of the Multnomah County Courthouse on 29 June.

Given the site’s current educational zoning and the 116 years of continuous investment in building academic property assets, my first hope is that a large public Oregon university, such as OSU or UO, would purchase the 24-acre campus to establish a campus foothold in the state’s largest metropolitan area with access to over half of Oregon’s population.

Like OSU’s Cascades campus in Bend, it is an amazing opportunity for a large and diverse public institution to establish new educational opportunities for people of Oregon. With this, PSU or OHSU, already based in Portland, would also seem to be a logical new owner possibility as an extension of their existing Portland campuses.

Beyond that, perhaps a private Oregon college could be a new owner with the goal to establish a vibrant Portland campus.

This kind of intact and close-in campus coming up for sale is exceptionally rare and could be an academic game changer not just for the institution that acquires it but also for the equity of a whole new population of Oregon students that already live right here in the City of Roses. Because of over a century of investment, certainly preservation of the site as an academic institution makes sense.

It fits well into the site’s history and proscribed use as well as it is a prime opportunity for a new century of scholarship and good neighborly relations that serves progress for the people of Oregon. — Keith K. Daellenbach

CNA respects the views and beliefs of all Concordians, and their cultures and faiths. The views expressed by these writers do not necessarily reflect the views of CNA. Submit letters (250 words maximum) to CNewsEditor@ConcordiaPDX.org.

From the Board – Imagine being homeless

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Peter Keller | CNA Chair

It’s mid-February as I write this, and we’ve just come to the end of a long, snowy weekend and possibly winter’s last gasp. When we get these occasional big snow storms, we’re fortunate to live on one of the best hills in our corner of Concordia for sledding.

Every year we watch the neighbors with their various sleds, tubes, cardboard boxes, etc. as they slide down the hill. While I was covering some of my plants to protect them from freezing rain, I decided to try to use one of the bottoms of the plastic planters as a makeshift saucer.

It didn’t work, but one of our neighbors ran up with a saucer for me to borrow. It was a perfect day for it, and I felt like I was a kid for those two rides down the hill. I love how the snow puts everyone in a great mood, and you see the best in people.

The next morning the power went out and stayed out for more than 24 hours. This is not uncommon when we have these ice storms, and fortunately this wasn’t too bad, but living without power for 24 hours or more helps you empathize with how hard it must be to be houseless – especially in the cold.

We have thousands of people currently living outside in Portland as we all know. Comparatively, the inconvenience of a power outage is nothing.

In 2007, the city declared it would put an end to homelessness but, despite all the good work and money going into the effort, the crisis may get a lot worse especially with looming evictions in June.

On the Feb. 16 broadcast of OPB’s “Think Outloud,” Lisa Bates, of Portland State University’s Homeless Research and Action Collaborative, said 89,000 households in Oregon are behind in their rent. Of those households, they predict 25-62% could be evicted in June. Of these households, over 90% have suffered unemployment due to the pandemic, 50% are households with children and 40% are BIPOC households.

These statistics are alarming, and I cannot do the topic justice in this short column, but we do want to start a dialogue with the neighborhood.

At the upcoming CNA general meeting we will have Jonathan Lewis, program coordinator for the city of Portland’s Homelessness and Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program, on hand to make a presentation.

He will speak to the program’s mission, vision and strategic plan – as well as expanded hygiene access, outdoor emergency shelters and the Shelter to Housing Continuum project.

Please join us for the presentation and Q&A at 7 p.m. on March 3. Details on how to join the virtual meeting are at ConcordiaPDX.org/CNAMeetings.

Native Portlander Peter Keller has lived in Concordia since 1997. He runs a small marketing agency with partner Max, out of their home studio. He loves exploring outdoors with and without his dogs.

The Food Truck serves up lunches curbside

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Nancy Varekamp | CNews Editor

Lorenzo Daliana was looking for a new challenge in his 30-plus career in the food industry when the pandemic struck. His cooking skills, creativity and a retired postal truck resulted in The Food Truck, which delivers lunches curbside five days a week. Photo courtesy of The Food Truck

Lorenzo Daliana feels like the Pied Piper when people greet his food truck on his drives through northeast and north Portland five days a week.

“The response has been tremendously successful,” he reported about applying traditional ice cream truck strategy to serve lunches. The route varies daily, and customers hail him curbside to order when they hear the music that announces his approach.

Unlike the Good Humor trucks’ “Turkey in the Straw,” The Food Truck plays the tunes of Big Bad Trumpet Player Kormac. Lorenzo chose it for the NewOrleans-like, happy, toe-tapping style.

He’s been part of the Portland food scene for 30-plus years. You may recall his restaurant, Lorenzo’s on north Mississippi Avenue. His resume names restaurants he cooked at previous to his own, like Zefiro and Higgins, and more recently as chef de cuisine at Nike World Headquarters.

In the early days of the pandemic, Lorenzo noticed food carts thriving. “But I didn’t want to be parked in a pod and paying rent. Instead of waiting for someone to come to me, I go to them.”

His maiden voyage was Sept. 21. Customers picked up on The Food Truck concept immediately. They work from home, quarantine with their children and/or don’t want to cook but aren’t inclined leave home to pick up lunch.

“People come out of their homes wearing headsets, PJs and – while it was still warm – were barefoot. Kids too. It’s a family thing. It’s very exciting.

“I’m one of the people who is doing what they’re supposed to do,” Lorenzo pointed out. “Food is one of the most intimate things you offer someone.”

During his childhood, Lorenzo’s parents divided their time between Manhattan and Italy. Others may have taken the opportunity to visit churches, but his focus was on food.

“‘Moving salesmen’ is a cultural thing, from the pretzel and hot dog guys in New York to the guy going down the beach in Italy with warm, just-made sugar doughnuts.”

The Food Truck menus have morphed during the past four months. City ordinance limits his parking time to 10 minutes, so originally Lorenzo prepared all the food in the morning and wrapped it for sales.

Now a veggie sandwich, pork sandwich and salad continue to comprise the pre-made menu. And as many as four hot items are completed curbside, from chili dogs to New York strip sandwiches.

To speed the process, all payments are digital. Also high-tech is the availability of routes, menus and a Google Maps app to track the truck at TheFoodTruckPDX.com.

Nancy Varekamp is semiretired from her career in journalism, public relations and – her favorite work engagement – writing and editing targeted newsletters.

All the carts in this pod offer vegan cuisine

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Tara Williams | CNA Media Team

A meat-eater, a vegan and an ovo-lacto-pescatarian walk into a food cart pod. Start of a joke?

Not at Shady Pines, 5240 N.E. 42nd Ave., where all dietary lifestyles can enjoy satisfying food choices with a free side of environmental sustainability.

Founded by Lukah Churchill, Christine Neary, and Lindsey and Ashley Butler, the all-vegan pod opened last March.

Currently, three of the six carts are open Thursdays-Sundays. Dirty Lettuce – recently nominated for Food Cart of the Year by Veg Times – was due to reopen Jan. 20.

Lukah, aka “Uncle Squatchy,” looks forward to relaunching Fatsquatch and its vegan comfort food soon. It’s owned by the Shady Pines founders, and you can track its re-opening plans at FatsquatchPDX.com.

Ramblin’ Rose will be serving up vegan, coconut-milk-based frozen treats upon return from winter renovations Stay tuned at RamblinRose.express.

“All of the carts here are women-, BIPOC- and/or LGBTQ-owned,” Lukah said. “We’re excited about creating a presence of intersectionality and using food to bring people together.”

Details about the pod are available at @ShadyPinesVeganFoodCourt and Facebook.com/shadypinesveganfoodcourt.

Dirty Lettuce
DirtyLettuce.square.site

Alkebulan Moroski’s college studies in environmental science convinced him industrial meat is unsustainable. So he learned to cook vegan. Photo courtesy of
Dirty Lettuce

Dirty Lettuce, started as a family business in Mississippi, focused on burgers and fries.

“I’m a picky eater who doesn’t like vegan food much,” said Alkebulan Moroski. “Then I learned to cook.” He strives to appeal to – and convert – meateaters with authentic Cajun and Creole dishes.

“If you can get the look and texture of meat, the mental half of the battle is won,” he reported. Study of environmental science in college convinced him industrial meat is unsustainable.

Why the move from the deep South to the Northwest? Customers and ingredients. “It allowed us to fully veganize the menu,” Moroski said.

Sushi Love
SushiLovePDX.com

SushiLove founders Diandra Totten and Ashley Craemer hope vegan sushi – like that served at the women-owned and staffed food cart – can slow the consumption of sea life by providing satisfying alternatives. “

When people eat a spicy tuna roll, it’s not just tuna they are consuming,” Diandra said. “Large fishing nets can destroy habitats and species. While catching fish, they destroy coral reefs and larger mammals as ‘by-kill.’ A dead ocean is a dead Earth. The ocean is vital to keep our planet thriving.”

Safframen
Safframen.square.site

Zoe Lichlyter, Safframen co-owner, helps staff the food cart Thursdays through Sundays at the nearly one-year-old Shady Pines all-vegan food cart pod. Photo by Tara Williams

Armon Paktel and Zoe Lichlyter started Safframen as a weekly pop-up in 2019. “We took our immigrant parents’ Persian and Japanese backgrounds and fused those cuisines into a bastard hybrid concept that ended up working somehow,” Armon explained.

The small, hyper-focused menu hides a vegan pun at its core. “In Japanese, Tonkotsu is the style of ramen usually made from pork bones. ‘Ton’ means pig, and ‘kon’ means corn. So Konkotsu ramen is corn-kotsu ramen,” he revealed.

Avocadamama
Avocadamama.square.site

Avocadamama co-founder Taylor Solomon calls the cart’s menu items the creamiest, most flavorful mac and cheese you’ll find. She and partner Nathaniel Perales launched as a YouTube channel in 2017, then found themselves wanting to do more than teach people how to cook.

“I wanted to cook for them. Mac and cheese is such a staple,” Taylor said. “We wanted to provide the vegan scene with the best.”

Tara Williams is new to Concordia and loving life on Liberty Street. She’s a writer and English professor, not always in that order. Contact her at Eudaimonia. Dr.Williams@gmail.com.

Find flavors of Yucatan just down the road

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Local Businesses

By Carrie Wenninger | CNA Media Team

Fredi Castillo and Manuela Interian offer the tastes of the Yucatan at their food cart in Cully. Photo by Garlynn Woodsong

Gloomy Portland winter weather got you down? Visiting Loncheria Los Mayas offers a quick trip to the Yucatan, no air travel or reservations required.

Here in the parking lot in front of Alder Commons at 4212 N.E. Prescott St., you’ll find a charming food cart offering Mexican specialties from the home state of proprietors Manuela Interian and Fredi Castillo.

Although for the moment their warm and sunny smiles are hidden behind COVID-safe masks, their culinary offerings are sure to communicate a deep love of food and a sense of place.

“The poc chuc – citrus-marinated, grilled pork – is quite unusual and people love it,” Manuela shared. “Try new things, one at a time, like the panuchos – stuffed tortillas – and salbutes – crisp-fried tortillas with toppings. And come back to explore other items when you can.”

Their intention is to build relationships with the community, and they encourage customers to return to try new dishes, depending on the season, the weather and one’s appetite.

Anything can be made vegetarian, and there are vegan options, too. Just inquire.

The couple came to the United States 20 years ago with a dream to build a business for themselves and their family. By working diligently, their objective was realized through sharing the food of their home country.

Other banks denied them loans despite having known them for years. Point West Credit Union stepped in, believed their vision was worth investing in and assisted them with the hefty expense of securing their cart and equipment.

To say they are grateful for the opportunity may be an understatement.

Originally opened in 2017 in the Cully neighborhood, Loncheria Los Mayas has been at this new location since July. Matt Faunt and Edy Martinez – of Native American Youth and Family Center and Our 42nd Avenue – assisted in finding the space.

Manuela and Fredi also expressed their appreciation to community members for their support, and to Karl Keefer and Rachel Munzig at Alder Commons.

The community space provides a storage area and assists with logistics, while all the food – including the handmade tortillas – is made in-house in the cart’s tiny kitchen.

Dine socially-distanced at outside tables, order to go or inquire about catering at 503.754.3059 or LoncheriaLosMayas@gmail.com. It’s open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.

Carrie Wenninger lives on 29th Avenue in Concordia. She is a freelance writer, a mom, a world traveler and a small business marketing consultant. Contact her at WurdGurl@gmail.com.

Her advocacy makes a difference

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News

By Marsha Sandman | CNA Media Team

Annette Pronk resolved her own housing instability with a move to Cully, so housing issues rate high among the several community issues for which she advocates. The former Sugar Shack strip club property pictured behind her is on track to become a 141-unit affordable
housing project. Photo by Nancy Varekamp

When Annette Pronk arrived in Portland from the upper Midwest in 1997, she spread her wings and planted her roots.

She was no stranger to the housing pressures many Portlanders experience. In fact, she moved between three Concordia properties – while she strived to find affordable housing – before she discovered housing stability in Cully.

With this burden lifted, Annette began to explore her new community.

She connected with her new neighbors, attended meetings in people’s homes and listened to stories of others facing housing insecurity as she once had.

“Sharing our stories and our lived experiences opens us up to take the next step, together,” Annette explained.

“I’m a big believer in creating space for community conversation, whether it be about racial justice, community resiliency, housing stability or root causes to houselessness.”

In an effort to pay it forward, she developed her skills as a community leader with the Cully Housing Action Team (CHAT). “This grassroots community-led group became a source of inspiration to me,” she said. “It lifts up the collective power to improve the common good through campaigns such as ‘Save the Oak Leaf.’” That mobile home park preservation effort prevented several families’ displacement at the hands of developers.

CHAT also campaigned to bring funding to the 141-unit Las Adelitas housing project underway at the former Sugar Shack property.

Resilient and resourceful, Annette also serves on the boards of the Cully Association of Neighbors and Verde. The latter is a Cully-based nonprofit that serves low-income communities of color by building environmental wealth and assets such as the Thomas Cully Park.

She is a lover of nature, holds a platinum level Backyard Habitat certification and is a Master Recycler.

As a solo parent and cancer survivor, Annette is quick to identify with the silver lining in any situation. That skill serves her well while she leans into building community resiliency against pending disasters. One effort is advocating for the Cully Neighborhood Emergency Team to broaden its capacity to work alongside the Latinx community.

“I see myself as a conduit of resources and information,” she noted. “How can I remove barriers to help folks feel prepared, feel connected?

“You do not have to sit on a panel or be an expert. All you have to do is be yourself. Try to offer a kind hello to someone,” Annette added.

“Be willing to listen with an open heart and mind. Be willing to share resources – one day at a time.”

After living east, south, north and west, Marsha Sandman is home at last. And she wants to hear your story. Contact her at MarshaJSandman@gmail.com.

Let’s make 2021 the year of climate action

Posted on by Posted in Concordia News, Land Use & Transportation

By Garlynn Woodsong | CNA Board Member, SW1 CNA LUTC Chair

We are emerging from not just four lost years, years during which our country made no national commitment to meaningful action in response to the threat posed by climate change. We are also emerging from a lost decade that saw us fail to achieve our emissions reductions goals for 2020 that were set at state, regional and local levels of government.

We must make 2021 the year we begin taking meaningful climate action.

There has been some discussion globally about 2021 being the year for sustainable energy. Indeed, sustainable energy is a policy focus at the state and local levels this year as well.

With passage of Ballot Measure 26-201 in 2018, the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) will soon begin paying for weatherization, clean energy installation projects, workforce and contractor development, green infrastructure, and regenerative agriculture. Its focus is on serving historically marginalized community members.

This will allow more neighbors to also begin to focus on sustainable energy at our own homes and businesses, with funding supplied through this program. Those folks who may not have sufficient income or assets to qualify for the Clean Energy Works Oregon (CEWO) program will especially benefit from the new PCEF program.

What does this all mean?
It means that buildings are a big chunk of the problem when it comes to climate emissions. It’s not just the petroleum-powered cars most of us drive around. Our homes and business buildings depend on electricity that comes from a grid that still includes a sizable amount of fossil fuel-sourced power. Buildings also may directly burn fossil fuels in the form of natural gas to heat water and our interior air.

The more we insulate our buildings, install double-pane windows and plant trees to shade our buildings during the hottest days of the year, the less energy it will ultimately take to heat and cool them.

Through PCEF and CEWO, a combination of loans and grants should be available for most residents and businesses to retrofit buildings. We can make buildings more efficient by installing electric room heating/cooling systems, such as heat pumps and mini-split systems. We can retrofit them with hybrid electric water heating systems, and renewable energy generation and storage equipment.

There’s at least one promising way to meet the moment locally when it comes to coordinated community responses to the need to transition our buildings off fossil fuels. That’s to form local sustainable energy cooperatives to hire and train local residents to retrofit buildings.

Work would focus on:

  • Increasing energy efficiency
  • Switching heating, cooling, water heating and lighting systems over to the most efficient options available today • Installing renewable energy generation and storage equipment
  • Installing grey water systems so trees planted in the yard to help cool the building receive water during summer droughts, even during outdoor watering curtailments

If you are or would like to be involved in such efforts, please contact me at LandUse@ConcordiaPDX.org.

—
Correction
The piece headlined “Let’s make 2021 the year of climate action” in the February CNews referenced the Clean Energy Works Oregon program, which is no longer available. CNews regrets the error.
—

Garlynn Woodsong lives on 29th Avenue, serves on the CNA board and is an avid bicyclist. He also is a dad who is passionate about the city his son will inherit. He is the planning + development partner with Cascadia Partners LLC, a local urban planning firm. Contact him at LandUse@ConcordiaPDX.org.