February 2023 * No 15

Dear Sustainable Silverton supporters,


H a p p y  F e b r u a r y !


We are looking forward to seeing you all again at the Farmers Market on February 4th.


In this issue:

Sustainable Silverton is a nonprofit and is accepting donations. 

Your donations will be greatly appreciated! 


Mail your tax deductible check to:

Sustainable Silverton, 1205 Tenino Dr., Silverton, OR 97381 


Or, you can now donate through our website HERE (Paypal)


In addition, we will be using BottleDrop to help us raise funds

 (see article below)


Your donations help us pay for Constant Contact to send out email newsletters,

print posters, buy necessary things for the Farmers Market booth and


Thanks to our DECEMBER 2022 Saturday Farmers Market volunteers


* DECEMBER

Booth Volunteers: Kelley Morehouse, Driver: Joe Craig

Carton Recyclers: Meagan Griffin, Kevin Mowrey

  

We can't do this without your help 


    Please sign up to volunteer at the Saturday market.    

 

Contact sustainablesilverton@gmail.com,

attn: Kelley Morehouse

 RECYCLING CORNER 

Reminder for Sat., February 4th Farmers Market


Cartons must be:


* Clean

* Dry

* Flattened

* Caps on (if you have them)

* Push straws into the carton (juice boxes)


We will ask for a donation to cover shipping costs

TETRA PAK and juice boxes - wash, dry and unfold the corners 

ETRA PAK - Flatten and put the cap on! Voila, it is nearly flat!

MILK/CREAMER/JUICE carton - UNDO the top. 

Styrofoam

A gentle reminder that we can only accept WHITE BLOCK STYROFOAM. Spongy foam will not be accepted 

Alternatives to Plastic Storage Bags 

Karen Garst


As you may know, plastic is very difficult to recycle, yet we are overwhelmed daily with containers and other items that cannot be recycled. So remember the adage – Reduce, reuse, and recycle.


One idea is to purchase reusable plastic bags to put food and other items in. One type is shown in the picture. They are economical and considering you can reuse them, they will save you money in the long term.


I have used these for the last couple of years and find it easy to just place them over the spokes in the dishwasher. They come clean easily.



LINK TO PRODUCT

UPCOMING EVENTS - SAVE THE DATE

SILVERTON FOOD COOP

 ♥️ VALENTINE'S ♥️ POP-UP 

Silverton Grange

201 Division St.

Friday, February 10, 2023

5-7 pm

More information is coming soon!

Reach out to us at: info@silvertonfood.coop 

Silver Falls Library, Sustainable Silverton and Marion County Environmental Services have set a date for the second REPAIR FAIR in Silverton, to be held on Saturday, March 11, from 11am -2pm. 


Our local bike shop, Fall Line Sports, will repair bikes in the outdoor tarped area of the Silver Falls Library; otherwise, the event will be held indoors, which includes clothing repair, jewelry repair, and repair of small appliances as well as favorite items of sentimental value. Please let us know what you need fixed by sending an email to sustainablesilverton@gmail.com so that we can provide a time and Fixbert (expert) available for you. Drop-ins are also welcome. 


Please be sure to take advantage of this helpful resource.

Upcoming BottleDrop Fundraiser

for Sustainable Silverton


Karen Garst


We have just received notice that as a non-profit organization, Sustainable Silverton can collect bottles and cans and receive credit for them through BottleDrop. These are the containers with the redemption amount printed on them. (As you may know, Oregon refunds a $0.10 cent deposit for each can/bottle when they are returned). The blue bags have been ordered and we can provide one to you to collect your cans and bottles. Once the bag is full, please deliver it to the front porch at 1205 Tenino Drive. Karen Garst will label the bag and return it to the redemption center at Roth’s. (We are required to return the bags ourselves in order to get credit). If you would like a blue bag, send an email to sustainablesilverton@gmail.com and we will get one to you! Thanks so much for participating in this fundraiser for Sustainable Silverton.


COMMUNITY CORNER

Gathering YOUR ideas for sustainable products

Kelley Morehouse

Seeking your recommendations!


We are asking community members to recommend environmentally-safe household cleaning and laundry products, especially those with minimal packaging that are priced economically and are produced locally. We will be compiling a list of these products to share with our readers. 


Please fill out our SURVEY with your recommendations

Book Reviews - Eric Hammond

As I write, the gray, gloomy sky overhead is held up by countless trees around our town. The skyline of Silverton is defined by these trees, not tall buildings. Even when we don’t have a tree growing in our own yards, here our glances hold many. This is a luxury many people in other parts of the world do not experience. The question of how we prosper in our urban forest so we can live in its verdure is the central theme to two standout books I read last year. 

The books are: The Politics of Street Trees, edited by Jan Woudstra and Camilla Allen, and The Green Leap, A Primer for Conserving Biodiversity in Subdivision Development by Mark E. Hostestler. They  combine to provide a timeline to urban forestry’s failures and past successes. They show ideas that build in endurance, increase biodiversity, and maintain a livable urban forest for the future.  

The first book is an impressive collection of essays. It weaves a theme around  a controversial action against street trees in Sheffield, England and the ensuing political action to save them. Those ill-fated trees, planted as a memorial to fallen World War 1 soldiers, reveal the struggles every municipality faces – from buckled paving and decaying limbs, infrastructure problems, and funding woes, to the sadness and hope of its residents. Valuing the contribution trees make to the community is difficult. The intangible impacts trees have in a community are vast. It’s not only the carbon removed from tailpipes, but it’s also the high quality urban greenspace that increases childhood IQs. I found the chapters discussing Berlin’s tree action groups of the 1970’s and 80’s fascinating and empowering. Tree planting there, in a small way, helped topple the Berlin wall. Challenges faced around the world, from England to South Africa, present the sparks that will become solutions to make urban forestry better. 

Professor Hostestler’s book builds on the value trees bring to society and wildlife. It describes methods for development which preserve trees and forests while meeting the needs of a growing population. His ideas need local adjustment but provide for provocative thought experiments. The book builds hope for innovative ideas like Dark Sky standards, quantity of lawns, and quality of parks. It describes the basics of incentives-based programs that meet the needs of developers, the city, and citizens concerned about a greener future. It’s a small book and quickly read. 

Planting trees as memorials bridges the past with the present into the future. The severed thread of the soldier’s story is faith woven with tree planting into future stories told with new threads. Building homes in greener spaces, growing a parks system, planning to maintain and increase biodiversity are all future-focused acts. The urban forest we grow today will impact Silverton and beyond into the future and both these books help us to envision and prepare for that future.