The Three Waters Project of the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition’s Water Action Team will be presenting a:

FREE Rainwater Harvesting Design and Installation Workshop
Thursday, February 23, 2012
7:00 – 9:00 pm
At the First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op South Store
Meeting Room Building
1007 SE 3rd Street
Corvallis, OR 97333

Workshop Leaders: Dave Eckert and Hazen Parsons

Pre-registration is required for this free workshop. Save your spot today by calling customer service at the Co-op – (541) 753-3115 ext 0, or stopping at the Customer Service desk at either the north or south co-op store to register for this workshop.

Over 400 local residents have already completed this workshop and rainwater collection is now becoming common throughout Corvallis. This class tells you how to get started. Dave Eckert has been teaching rainwater classes for over 10 years. Hazen Parson owns a company that installs rainwater collection systems (as well as other low impact design features). Both are members of the Coalition’s Water Action Team.

Hazen and Dave will also be leading the following free 2-hour workshops in March and April for the Coalition’s Three Waters Project:

• Designing and Installing Raingardens, Vertical Gardens and Permeable Pavers
• Reducing Your Water Bill through High-Efficiency System Change

Stay tuned to www.sustainablecorvallis.org for more information about these upcoming workshops you won’t want to miss!

All Corvallis area residents are invited to attend the Sustainability Fair and Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, March 1, at the CH2MHill Alumni Center, 725 SW 26th Street on the OSU campus. Don’t miss out on one of our community’s most important events of 2012!

Plan to arrive at 5:00 pm for the Sustainability Fair, which will feature exhibits by the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition’s partner organizations and action teams. Come and learn about the wide variety of efforts that are already under way to create a sustainable community. Food, music, and informative displays promise to make this a lively and engaging event.

At 7:00 pm, attendees will gather in the ballroom for the Town Hall Meeting, where the focus will be on the sustainability efforts of the whole community. Participants will be invited to engage in a highly interactive community conversation about how we’re doing and what else needs to happen to accelerate our efforts to become a thriving, sustainable city and county.

The event itself will demonstrate sustainability by analyzing various event features such as energy and water use, waste generation, and refreshments that are primarily local. Help make the Sustainability Fair and Town Hall Meeting a model event by doing your part:

· Use energy-efficient transportation – Walk, bike, carpool, or take the bus to the event. Bike racks are on the north side of the Alumni Center and on the northwest side of LaSells Stewart Center. For bus routes, see www.corvallistransit.com.

· Leave no trace – Bring only recyclable, compostable, or reusable items with you to the event. (Example: Bring your own water bottle or mug.)

· Turn trash to treasure – Place recyclable and compostable items in the proper receptacles. We will have staffed recycling stations.

Everyone is welcome to attend the March 1st Town Hall Meeting, but space is limited! On-line registration is strongly encouraged. Simply click on http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TownHall2012Registration to register.

Sponsored by First Alternative Co-op, Pacific Green Party, Abundant Solar, and the Corvallis Farmers’ Market.

Doors open at 7 pm at the Odd Fellows Hall (223 SW 2nd Street, above New Morning Bakery). Come early – seating is limited!

FREE, with suggested donation of $5/person, $10/family, and/or canned goods for the South Corvallis Food Bank.

Friday, February 3 – Vanishing of the Bees

Examines the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between people and the earth.

Friday, February 10 – Economics of Happiness

Features communities that are coming together to re-build human-scale, ecological economies based on an economics of localization.

Friday, February 17 – Play Again

What are the consequences of a childhood removed from nature? Follow six young people as they move from virtual reality to real connections.

Friday, February 24 – Pipe Dreams

Explores the greatest environmental battle in the US today – the Keystone XL Pipeline – and the potential consequences it poses to human health, agriculture, and our climate.

Please help spread the word!

For more information: info@corvallisenvironmentalcenter.org, (541) 753-9211

Recent studies have shown a strong connection between volunteering and significant health benefits. So it’s no surprise that the Health and Human Services section of our Community Sustainability Action Plan includes the following goal:

“By 2025, 50% of Corvallis residents will volunteer in the community, resulting in

1) dedicated citizens, 2) healthier and happier residents, 3) inclusion of diverse groups, and 4) sharing of expertise to help meet the needs of the community.”

HandsOn Linn-Benton was launched in 2011 to address critical social issues through the power of volunteerism. It is a volunteer action center with a network of 120+ local partner agencies, including the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition.

If your organization needs volunteers, HandsOn Linn-Benton can help you recruit and retain quality volunteers.

If you want to volunteer, HandsOn Linn-Benton can help match you with organizations geared to your interests – organizations that need volunteers!

To find out more or to register your organization, go to www.handsonlinnbenton.org.

View the report below:

Registration is now open for the Sustainability Coalition’s annual Town Hall Meeting. Space is limited — register HERE today!

Join us on Thursday, March 1, 2012, at the CH2MHill Alumni Center on the OSU campus for an evening of festivities and inspiration. This will once again be a model sustainable event — zero waste, low energy and water use, and local food.

5:00 to 7:00 pm FAIR – Exhibits by our partner organizations and action teams, music by the Camerata String Quartet, and fabulous local food.

7:00 to 9:00 pm TOWN HALL – Highlights include:

• The annual “Community Scrapbook” slide show featuring sustainability accomplishments of our partner organizations and action teams during the past year
• A film short about the Buy Local First campaign, featuring your friends and neighbors
• Stories from your fellow community members about what they’re doing to create a Sustainable Corvallis… and much more!

After you register, don’t forget to tell your friends to sign up, too! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TownHall2012Registration

CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of the 2011 Buy Local Hero Contest!

The winners are…

1st Prize – Rebecka Weinsteiger

2nd Prize – Randall Bonner

3rd Prize – Marge Stevens

Participants in the Buy Local Hero Contest were challenged to make purchases from as many locally owned independent businesses as possible during a two-week period (Dec. 3 – 17).

Rebecka turned in receipts from 56 different locally owned, independent Corvallis businesses, while Randall submitted 45 receipts, and Marge turned in 36.

Contest participants submitted between three and 56 different receipts. More than half of the contestants turned in 11 or more receipts.

Each of our Buy Local Heroes wins a prize basket filled with donations from CIBA businesses.

The first prize basket contains certificates and merchandise valued at more than $1500. The second and third prize baskets are each valued at more than $500.

The winners received their prize baskets at the Sustainability Coalition Annual Meeting which was held on Thursday, January 5, 2012 – 12 noon to 1:30 pm at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.

Thank you to the following CIBA members who contributed to the Buy Local Hero prize baskets:

American Dream Pizza – Animal Crackers Pet Supply – Big River – Block 15 – The Book Bin – Citizens Bank – Cloud 9 – Corvallis Brewing Supply – Corvallis Sewing & Vacuum – Country Vitamins – Cycle Solutions – Darkside Cinema – Ecofusion Fitness – Element Graphics – First Alternative Co-op – Footwise – Garland Nursery – Gluten Free RN – Golden Crane – Gracewinds Music – Grass Roots Books & Music – HOUR Exchange – Irene’s Boutique – Lion’s Touch Massage – Live Well Studio – Many Hands Trading – More Than a Facial – Northwest Realty Consultants – Peak Sports – The Rain Shed – Replay Children’s Wear – Riverside Window & Door – Robnett’s Hardware – Schmidt’s Garden Center – Second Glance – Shonnard’s Nursery, Florist & Landscape – Sibling Revelry – Special Occasions – Stoker’s VitaWorld – The Toy Factory

The Buy Local Hero Contest is part of the Buy Local First Campaign launched earlier this month by the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition and the Corvallis Independent Business Alliance (CIBA). “Buy Local First” was selected as the Coalition’s next community-wide challenge by the 400+ attendees of the 2011 Sustainability Town Hall Meeting. The goal of the Buy Local First Campaign is to increase the percentage of money Corvallis residents spend at locally-owned, independent businesses in order to develop a healthy local economy.

For more information, see www.sustainablecorvallis.org or www.corvallisiba.org.

Contest Runs December 3 – 17, 2011

Local shoppers can save receipts from purchases made at locally-owned, independent businesses to participate in a Buy Local Hero contest, organized by the Corvallis Independent Business Alliance (CIBA) and the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition.  The contest kicked off on Saturday, when hundreds of shoppers patronized locally-owned, independent businesses for special promotions and treats.  If you missed Saturday’s shopping event, don’t worry – you can still participate in the contest by visiting a participating business and by Buying Local First.

For full contest rules and how you can be a Buy Local Hero, visit the Coalition’s Economic Vitality page.

The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition and Corvallis Independent Business Alliance announce the kick-off of Buy Local First, an ongoing community-wide challenge. Selected at this year’s Town Hall to be the Coalition’s focus, the Buy Local First campaign encourages Corvallis residents to first consider buying from a locally owned business before making a purchasing decision. The decision to buy local plays a crucial role in developing a healthy local economy.

Buy Local First Day: Saturday, December 3^rd, 2011

Visit a local participating business for special treats, sales or discounts. Participating businesses will also be handing out special envelopes for customers who want to participate in the Buy Local Hero Contest. Plan your Buy Local First Day shopping by checking out the list of participating businesses.

Buy Local Hero Contest: December 3 – 17^th, 2011

Visit locally owned independent stores and save your receipts for your chance to win fantastic prizes. Turn in the most receipts from different locations to win a basket filled with wonderful products from participating local businesses! Buy Local Heroes ranking 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place will receive prizes. View contest rules on the Coalition’s Economic Vitality Buy Local First page.

Visit the Coalition’s Economic Vitality page for additional resources and information about our local economy.

Have an energy efficiency project you want to complete on your home, but budget constraints are holding you back? Why not use our money for your project?!

Saving Energy Loan Fund (SELF) Workshop – FREE!

Wednesday, October 19, 7:00 pm

First Alternative South Co-op Meeting Room

These loans are available for a limited time only!

SELF is a federally-funded loan program that provides loans of $2,500 to $10,000 for household energy efficiency projects. Multiple efficiency projects may be bundled into a single loan. Interest rates vary depending on the loan amount, with the loan paid back over five years. Qualifying projects can include:

· WEATHERIZATION (floor, wall, and ceiling insulation; duct testing and sealing; duct insulation; and air testing and sealing)

· SPACE HEATING (high-efficiency heat pump, high-efficiency gas furnace)

· WATER HEATING (electric heat pump water heater, tankless gas water heater, solar water heating system, dishwasher)

· SOLAR ELECTRIC (installed in conjunction with another qualifying project)

SELF is made possible by a collaboration of the City of Corvallis, the Corvallis Environmental Center, and the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition. For more information, visit www.energizecorvallis.org or call 541-758-NRGY.