Join the King Neighborhood Tree Planting!

In partnership with Friends of Trees, the King neighborhood is planning a tree planting project for February 12, 2011! Join us on Saturday morning to help plant trees and create a healthier community.

Planting a tree in your yard or parking strip creates long lasting benefits enjoyed by everyone. Did you know that trees remove pollutants from the air? A typical tree absorbs 10 pounds of pollutants, cleans 330 pounds of carbon dioxide, and creates 260 pounds of oxygen each year. Having cleaner air in your neighborhood has all sorts of health benefits, such as reduced asthma rates. Trees also help intercept and retain 760 gallons of rainwater each year, which help keep our rivers clean and help save us money on stormwater fees. Trees can cool our homes in the summer and shade our city which helps us stay cool all summer. Trees raise the property value of your home by up to 20%. Also, unlike many other things, trees appreciate in value each year. And by planting trees now, we can keep our city green into the future.

This winter, King residents will be offered street trees starting at $35.00. The cost will include a site inspection by the Urban Forestry Department to ensure you choose the right tree for your home, hole digging, help with planting your tree, stakes, mulch, ties, labels, follow-up monitoring, and information on proper tree care techniques. For more information, please visit www.friendsoftrees.org.

Planning has begun for the King Tree Planting event, to participate please contact Irek at (503) 828-6943 or king@plantitportland.org.

Groundwork Portland Houseparty

From Groundwork Portland:

You are invited to Groundwork Portland’s first houseparty!
This year, we were proud to partner with residents of all ages and diverse backgrounds to design the Emerson Street Garden. Groundwork Portland’s Houseparty supports sustaining our impact in the community through:

…Community-led development
…Equal access to parks and open space
…Increased local harvest of fresh fruits & veggies
…Civic engagement and local job creation
…Developing our youth as leaders

We hope you will join us on Wednesday, November 17th for an evening of food, fun and connection. Please RSVP to Cassie Cohen –info@groundworkportland.org (503) 662-2590

Wednesday, November 17th from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
3934 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. #101

Support Your Local Schools with Project Community Care

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Get your community schools ready for fall by coming out to your King public schools, King and Sabin. Along with most other PPS schools, they will have their events on Saturday, August 28th from 9:00-noon. We will be weeding, cleaning, painting and doing general upkeep of the grounds. Meet the new King Principal, Kim Patterson and get involved with the PTA as a parent or community member.

Pre-register at
www.community.pps.k12.or.us.
Questions? Call 503-916-3078 or
e-mail ajackso2@pps.k12.or.us
Your efforts will make a difference for students and the neighborhood.
Interested in additional volunteer opportunities? Visit www.community.pps.k12.or.us to select opportunities such as landscaping, tutoring, painting and more!

There will be a Community Appreciation Barbeque after the event at Clarendon-Portsmouth K-8 School, 5103 N. Willis Blvd. from 1-4 p.m.
Free food, live music, back-to-school information and more!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEXUuulszvc&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Emerson Street Garden Groundbreaking Ceremony a Success

Thanks to all who came out to celebrate progress on the Emerson Street Garden. Many neighbors and supporters from diverse backgrounds and age groups came to appreciate the new community design for the garden, the cleaning of contaminated soil, and most of all, great entertainment, food, art, and people.

Respect and gratitude to our funder, EMSWCD, and all the volunteers, performers, organizations, businesses, and friends who helped make Saturday come to life. The celebration was a great reminder of how to truly make this an inclusive community garden and space, built through the voices and decisions of many leading the way.

Groundwork Portland will continue supporting the community to convert 822 NE Emerson Street into a garden. The Emerson Working Group will meet this Thursday night. These meetings are for making decisions on how to advance the garden. All who are interested are welcome to come.

Date: Thursday, August 5th
Time: 6:30-8:00
Location: The Kennedy School — 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave. — in the outdoor courtyard connected to restaurant
Transportation: Bus #72, 73 (or call 503.662.2590 if you need transportation assistance)
Language: call 503.662.2590 if you would like translation/interpretation