By Melissa Wagoner Horticulturist Eric Hammond didn’t need to enroll in the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District’s (MSWCD) “Little Habitat Project” to know the front garden of his Silverton home meets the organization’s criteria for a resilient ecosystem. But when Ron Garst, a fellow member of Sustainable Silverton – a group promoting planet friendly choices – suggested certifying would […]
By James Day The calendar leaves are fluttering through September, which means it is time once again to launch ourselves into OAKtober. For the second year Sustainable Silverton and its partners, the Pudding River Watershed Council and the Marion Soil & Water Conservation District are organizing OAKtober events to celebrate the venerable Oregon oak. Last year volunteers gathered information on […]
By James Day Sometimes the best way to teach somebody how to do something is to just plain show them how to do it. That was how Steve and Alyson Budde put across their message on composting at a Sustainable Silverton “Tools for Adaptation” event at The Oregon Garden. The Buddes set up a table underneath the deck of the […]
By James Day The Silverton City Council passed its regular budget for 2024-25 and one for its urban renewal agency at its June 17 meeting at the Silverton Community Center. But both spending plans, which total approximately $79 million, involved little councilor discussion and no amendments were offered. The budgets passed unanimously, and the largest chunk of time at the […]
Members of Sustainable Silverton are hoping to start a tool lending library in the community. The group has received start-up money from a local backer and is developing a plan to start a lending program for residents. The goal of the library is to provide, at as low a cost as possible, tools for those who only need temporary use of […]
By James Day Approximately 30 people participated recently in a half-day session on climate change and adaptation at The Oregon Garden. The event, called “Tools for Adaptation,” was organized by Sustainable Silverton and used the education center and the fire safety house at the Garden. The conference was divided into three sections, air and water, earth, and fire, with regional […]
The Silverton Food Co-op is holding an Earth Day event at GeerCrest Farm, with family-friendly educational activities and live entertainment. Scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 20 at the farm, 12390 Sunnyview Road NE, Salem, this free event is offered in partnership with GeerCrest and Sustainable Silverton. A main focus will be the role of oak trees […]
By James Day Thriving in Times of Change is the theme for the Sustainable Silverton event set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 6 at The Oregon Garden. Admission is $12 and includes refreshments. Registration is available at https://www.simpletix.com/e/thriving-in-times-of-change-tools-for-adap-tickets-163552/. The conference begins inside the Garden’s education center, which is the building on the right as you enter […]
Sustainable Silverton is hosting a Repair Fair and Share from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, at the Silver Falls Library, 410 S. Water St. Free services to be offered at the event include small appliance repair, simple jewelry repair, sewing and textile repair, house plant consulting, simple bike repairs and tech assistance with computers/phones/tablets/electronics and tool […]
By James Day Sustainable Silverton is putting on an event on how communities such as Silverton can thrive in changing times. The free event runs 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb., 8 at the Silver Falls Library, 410 S. Water St. Presenters in the “community conversation” will look at the examples of the 2020 wildfires and the 2021 ice […]
Sustainable Silverton is sponsoring an emergency preparedness pop-up “escape room” from Friday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Nov. 26. It’s an hour-long interactive learning experience, taking place from noon to 8 p.m. on all three days at High Water Grill, 215 N. Water St. Side Quest Escape Games will bring in its mobile escape room that teaches players about emergency preparedness. Those […]
By James Day Silverton is celebrating the venerable oak tree during September and October, or OAKtober, as Sustainable Silverton organizers are calling it. “OAKtober is a month-long celebration of oak trees in Silverton, of their history and what they do for us, and how we can help them, so we have them to enjoy now and in the future,” noted […]
A defensible space and wildfire resiliency workshop featuring experts from around the state is set for July 22 at The Oregon Garden in Silverton. The 9 a.m. to noon event is free but reservations are required. Space is limited to 50. See https://tinyurl.com/e5uynwuk to register. The workshop offers the essential skills and knowledge needed to protect your home and […]
By James Day Sustainable Silverton will be hosting Earth Day Projects on Saturday, April 22 and volunteers are welcome. The day will start with a 9 a.m. effort to remove invasive species at Old Mill Park near Salamander Island at the end of Cowing Street. In the afternoon two oak sapling protection projects are set, at 2 p.m. at the […]
By Melissa Wagoner This spring Sustainable Silverton’s Urban Natural Resources Action Team is enlisting the help of local experts to hold an educational series about birds, bees and butterflies at The Oregon Garden. “It aligns with our mission statement and Action Team goals and the need to find a way to create more awareness about preserving or maintaining natural resources,” […]
Silverton will host its second repair fair and share on Saturday, March 11. The event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Silver Falls Library, 410 S. Water St., is a collaboration of the library, Sustainable Silverton and Marion County Environmental Services. All work will be carried out inside the library except bicycle repairs, which will take […]
By Melissa Wagoner Whether your goal is to save the planet, save a little money, or perhaps a bit of both, conserving water can be a good place to start. “There are times when your pocket book is the only thing that matters,” Eric Hammond – a horticulturist and member of Sustainable Silverton, an organization whose mission is to increase […]
By Melissa Wagoner In 2019 Christy Davis attended a Repair Fair – an event put on by Marion County Environmental Services (MCES) in Salem that encouraged community members to bring broken items – those in danger of being thrown out – in order to have them repaired by an expert. “What I saw at the Repair Fair was awesome,” Davis […]
By Melissa Wagoner Addressing sustainability and climate change concerns on a city-wide basis is a complicated issue and one that is often exasperated by the very nature of city government. “[The] City Council is comprised of volunteers with limited time and terms, while changing city code requires significant time and effort, especially as parties who may not share the City’s […]
By Melissa Wagoner In a typical year the North Willamette Valley Habitat for Humanity builds one or perhaps two houses. “We’ve always been a onesie-twosie organization,” Kari Johnson, executive director since 2019, confirmed. “But that’s one of the things they said when they brought me on is that they wanted to grow.” That is primarily because, with housing costs throughout […]
By Melissa Wagoner In the early part of 2018 a 12-acre solar farm began sending enough energy into the Portland General Electric grid to power 350 homes. This farm, on the west end of Pine Street in Silverton, is a movement toward more sustainable energy for local residents – a change that Elyce Brown, founder of the group Sustainable Silverton, […]
