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Looking to join a Northwest Earth Institute discussion group this fall?
Now’s your chance!
Portland State University students are organizing Voluntary Simplicity discussion courses that are open to the community.
Portland State University students are organizing Voluntary Simplicity discussion courses that are open to the community.
Eight different groups will be starting next week, and you all are invited to join! Click here to order your copy of Voluntary Simplicity, and simply show up to one of the following locations to get started.
Food for Thought Cafe/PSU campus, 11:30am-12:30pm on Mondays
contact: jwanm@pdx.edu
Food for Thought Cafe/PSU campus, 2:30-3:30pm on Mondays
contact: mcbridesm@pdx.edu
Chit Chat Cafe/PSU campus, 5-6pm on Mondays
contact: rayko@pdx.edu
Vancouver area (location to be announced), 6-7pm on Mondays
contact: jpmusmc247@yahoo.com
Food for Thought Cafe/PSU campus, 12-1pm on Tuesdays
contact: abellm@me.com
PSU/URBN Building, 2nd floor commons, 2-3pm on Wednesdays
contact: julian.kegel@gmail.com
PSU/ISS Building Room 115 (4th and Market), 12-1pm on Wednesdays
contact: everghl@pdx.edu
PSU Campus McMenamins, 11:30am-12:30pm on Fridays
contact: vspsu@yahoo.com
The goals for the discussion course are:
-To understand the meaning of voluntary simplicity
-To explore the material and psychological distractions that prevent us from caring for Earth
-To acknowledge the connection between our lifestyle choices and the condition of Earth
Please be in touch with the students by email if you have any questions.
The new discussion books are in!
And, with some help from our furry friends, we’re getting the books out to you! Two of NWEI’s Staff Dogs helped us ship over 500 copies of A World of Health this week!
A World of Health: Connecting People, Place and Planet
A World of Health is a six session discussion course program that explores “good health,” connecting human health with the environment, and examines how we can sustain both. Learn about the places where our personal health intersects with the environment — our food, our living spaces, our communities and ultimately, our planet. Each session of the book includes readings, video clips, and short assignments with accompanying group discussion questions that aim to inspire sustainable education and lifestyle change to promote a healthier future!
To order your copy now, click here!
A few weeks ago we asked all of you to send us your title ideas for our new course on health and the environment. 
Jan Aiels of the Indian Creek Nature Center is our big raffle winner! Her name was drawn from the 100+ we received. We ended up using bits and pieces from all of your suggestions, and the final title is… drum roll please… A World of Health: Connecting People, Place, and Planet. And for the “Most Humorous” category, the winner was I’m Green, but I’m not an Alien. Quite creative.
The six-session course begins by discussing some of the limitations of the current medical model and its approach to health. It then progresses through the places where our personal health intersects with the environment — from our food and homes, to our communities and society, and finally, to our planet. At each stage we find individual actions that promote good health and in turn, promote a healthier environment. These positive changes reinforce one another, as a healthier environment is a fundamental condition for sustaining human health and well-being. We’re still putting the final touches on the material, but it will be available in early September.
Congratulations again to Jan! She will be sent 10 copies of A World of Health for her to engage her community. Thanks to all of you who inspired us with your helpful suggestions!
We are hiring new Outreach Team Interns for the summer and fall months. If you are interested in applying for the program, please click here for a description of the position.
Please send a resume and cover letter electronically to Sarah Menzies at sarah@nwei.org by Monday July 19th.
**Please note: ‘Internship Application’ in the subject of your email, and paste your cover letter in the text of the email**
Thank you! We look forward to receiving your application!
Based on six years of intensive research on solutions to man-made global warming, Portland filmmaker Matt Briggs’ DEEP GREEN cuts through the clutter to bring new clarity to an increasingly urgent situation. Traveling the globe unearthing the best applications in energy efficiency, green building, low-carbon transportation, sustainable agriculture, forest restoration, renewable energy and smart grids, Briggs finds 
many promising ideas. Some are profoundly personal and practical—like what one person can do to lower the carbon load at home—others complex endeavors such as Southern California Edison’s quest to find the best batteries to electrify transportation. From France, Sweden and Germany to China, where the flourishing green industry has, as a percentage of its GDP, surpassed the US in green technology, the world is at work to find green solutions to one of the 21st century’s most important challenges.
Shows with: TREES (2010) and THE KRILL IS GONE (2010), two ecologically-minded, animated short films by Portland’s Bent Image Lab.
Filmmaker Matt Briggs will be in attendance.
The film will be showing at the Whitsell Auditorium (1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland) on Thursday July 1st at 7pm. Hope to see you there!
First green general store chain, Seven Planet, recently opened its doors to sustainable consumers in Portland, OR. Located downtown, the shop offers products in seven different silos: apparel, energy, food, health, household, shelter, and travel.
Amongst the racks of clothing and shelves of goods is a very comfortable and communal area to spend time, filled with work from local artists. In this area, locals will gather every two weeks to engage in and discuss food systems and the effect agriculture has on culture, society, and ecological systems. Seven Planet is planning on offering Menu for the Future to the community, and is hoping to continue offering NWEI discussion courses to those interested in participating. In the near future, NWEI discussion materials will be available for purchase at Seven Planet, so stay tuned!
The following NWEI discussion course opportunity will be open to everyone starting mid-February:
What will be your menu for the future? Get in on the discussion as we get people talking about what, and how, they eat. This 6-session course will engage participants in thoughtful discussion about how to eat more sustainably. Come to Seven Planet General Store for an info session about how to get involved!
- Introductory presentation Feb 17th, 7pm at Seven Planet in Old Town
- Six discussion sessions will meet every two weeks starting March 3rd
- Meet at: 412 NW Couch, Suite 112, PDX
- $20 Course Materials will be available at the first meeting
- Contact Ryan for more information, intern at nwei dot org
Alright! An opportunity for the public, already, and the blog is still in its wobbler phase!! (In case you don’t know, a wobbler is a child stuck in the grey space, torn between toddler and upright walking stages.) Quick, get Grandma on the phone! Hooray!
Thanks, and we’ll see you there.
ur ideas about sustainability and discover how making small changes can make a big difference!
Ryan Harper
Deborah McNamara
Kerry Lyles
Mike Mercer
Lacy Cagle
Carolyn White
Rob Nathan
