Today’s Forecast

49º | Showers | 84% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:50 a.m. | Sunset 4:40 p.m.

Waste not, want not

Make a difference during Food Waste Prevention Week in Portland

A pile of food scraps with bagels, watermelons, and other vegetables visible.

Starting in 2025, food service businesses will not be permitted to put large amounts of food in the garbage. | Photo via Oregon Metro

Today marks the beginning of Food Waste Prevention Week — Monday, April 10-Sunday, April 16 — so let’s not waste time. Oregon Metro reports that each year, we send the equivalent of 5,000 semi-trucks worth of food to landfills, by throwing it in our garbage.

That material then releases methane gas, which fuels climate change. Inefficiencies also drive up costs, not to mention the number of people who suffer from food insecurity.

We all contribute to the problem, but how can we change our habits to make a more positive impact?

Shopping savvy

Just like restaurants can improve their buying processes, how you get groceries and store food can lead to less ending up in the trash.

Make sure the most-perishable items are visible in your fridge or pantry
Extend food’s shelf life with tips from dontletgoodfoodgobad.org
Keep an inventory of what you need to use up before it goes bad
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) suggests several more techniques to incorporate into your routine

Get educated

This Friday, April 14, the DEQ and Feed The Mass will host a free class for families to learn about the effects of waste at home and how to prevent, reuse, and properly dispose of food waste.

A gif shows a shovel going into a compost bin. — At home, it’s best to avoid composting meat, bones, dairy, and cooked foods.
|
Gif via Common Ground Compost

Composting is cool

Make sure accepted items are taken away in your green compost bin (food and yard debris). If you’re making compost for your own garden, you’ll want to follow slightly different guidelines.

Phone it in

Business owners and nonprofits — have you heard of Careit? The app provides an online platform to facilitate food donations. Just make a free account, post your surplus goods, and arrange the time and location for drop off.
Too Good To Go uses a similar model, but takes the extra food straight to consumers — especially those who like pastries.

The 2023 Food Strategic Plan

Asked

How do you fight food waste in your home?

Did you know bananas will stay fresh longer if you keep them away from other fruit, including bananas? Share your best food storage hacks and we might share them in a future newsletter.

Let us know

Events

Monday, April 10

Everything and Nothing | Monday, Apr. 10 | 9-11 p.m. | Kelly’s Olympian, 426 SW Washington St., Portland | $10 | Join a live recording of the podcast that facilitates candid conversations with creatives about life, comedy, and mental health, while incorporating games and witty banter.

Tuesday, April 11

PPS HeART of Portland Opening Reception | Tuesday, Apr. 11 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Portland Art Museum’s Mark Building, 1219 SW Park Ave., Portland | Free | Support this K-12 showcase of visual art featuring more than 100 works by local students, including dance, music, and theater performances.

Wednesday, April 12

Hillsboro Hops vs. Everett AquaSox | Wednesday, Apr. 12 | 6:35 p.m. | Ron Tonkin Field, 4460 NE Century Blvd., Hillsboro | $8-$52 | Get the season going with a Green Out at the ballpark — you’ll also receive a schedule magnet for your fridge.

Thursday, April 13

April Showers Camp | Thursday, Apr. 13-Friday, Apr. 14 | 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. | OMEGA Gymnastics, 9700 SW Harvest Ct. Ste. 180, Portland | $106-$158 | While the rain keeps your kids indoors, might as well have them doing something active — like gymnastics.

Friday, April 14

1st Annual International Booklover’s Burlesque Festival | Friday, Apr. 14-Saturday, Apr. 15 | 7 p.m. | Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., Portland | $25-$40 | Literary and performance arts take the stage for a spectacle of the spoken word and maybe a little skin.

Saturday, April 15

Stride for Seniors 2023 | Saturday, Apr. 15 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | Portland International Raceway, 1940 N. Victory Blvd., Portland | Free | Walk solo or form a team to raise money for Meals on Wheels People’s mission to end food insecurity and social isolation for older adults in our community.

Spring into action

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Civic

The Joint Office of Homeless Services has a new permanent director. Dan Field, a former Kaiser Permanente executive, will take over leadership of the partnership between Multnomah County and Portland on Friday, April 28, pending the board of commissioners’ approval. Previously, he was instrumental in starting Health Share of Oregon. (OPB)

Award

Cue the brewhaha — the winners of this year’s Oregon Beer Awards have been announced, and there’s plenty of Portland representation. Highlights of the competition, which garnered almost 1,100 entries across 30 categories, include Grains of Wrath Brewing’s Built For Speed IPA and StormBreaker Brewing’s Set Freshies to Haze. (Willamette Week)

Plan Ahead

On Sunday, April 30, Nordic Northwest will host Vappu, the Finnish equivalent of May Day, on the grass surrounding Fogelbo to celebrate the end of winter. Guests can enjoy sing-a-longs and other kid-friendly events, play Kubb, and savor authentic cuisine like munkki and makkara, 12-3 p.m.

Coming Soon

Foodies of a feather, Flock together. The so-named food hall will occupy the ground level of Block 216 (where the Ritz-Carlton is also located) and is slated to open in November 2023. From birria and sushi to bulgogi “munchwraps” and coffee served by robot baristas, expect both familiar and fresh names. (Eater Portland)

Sports

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Californians are coming to Portland. Jokes aside, Providence Park and the Timbers will welcome Orange County SC at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26 — the venue’s first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup game since 2019. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

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Travel

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Trending

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Civic

🗣️ It’s time for PEP Talks

Lend your voice to the Portland Engagement Project

A person ride their bike past the front of Portland City Hall.

How can you and neighbors work with government to solve an issue? | Photo via @portlandgov

The city of Portland is ready to pop the question — how can it better engage with you, the citizens, in a more equitable way to solve the issues of today and the future?

The engagment model that is currently used is 50 years old and in dire need of an update, in both technology and approach. By its own admission, the city recognizes its growing pains — Portland’s population has increased by 12% since 2010 and 70% since 1970 — and understands that for many, the trust between community and government is shaky.

Enter the Office of Community & Civic Life’s Portland Engagement Project (PEP), a multiyear effort that will incorporate active listening sessions and a data-informed map to “pinpoint, prioritize and solve the root of civic issues.”

The department will kick off the process during a three-day summit with Oregon’s Kitchen Table and Portland State University’s Center for Public Service, Thursday, April 27-Saturday, April 29, at various locations.