This year we are participating in GivingTuesday on December 1st. GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. If you are able to and inspired to participate in the global day of giving, make a plan today to donate to Lloyd EcoDistrict.

Online Basic Preparedness Training

The Portland Bureau of Emergency Management offers an online, introductory-level training that residents can watch to learn to make their households resilient to any type of emergency. Topics include an overview of hazards in the Portland area, how to assemble an emergency kit, how to make a family emergency plan and how to stay informed.

Lloyd Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET)

Do you want to help make Lloyd or your building a safer, better prepared, and more resilient community? Interested in emergency preparedness? Lloyd EcoDistrict is planning to support the creation of a Lloyd Neighborhood Emergency Team (NET) and other resiliency/disaster preparedness initiatives. If you want to be part of the Lloyd NET or community resiliency projects, please email us so we can add you to the list to receive information on these efforts.

With the holidays right around the corner, we know many of you are planning to prepare plenty of delicious home-cooked meals… I can practically taste the apple pie just typing this! With that in mind, we thought we’d share some of our favorite kitchen energy saving EcoTips. So get your kitchen apron out, your favorite recipes, and read on for some simple tips and tricks to keep your cooking as green as possible! 

• Defrosting: Instead of using your microwave or oven to defrost food, plan ahead and put your frozen food in the fridge to defrost.

• Boiling Water: In order to conserve water and energy required to bring water to boil, use only the minimum amount of water required to cook that delicious pasta. Try using a measuring cup to ensure that you are using the right amount and add a little extra to make room for spillage or evaporation. 

We’ve got more energy-saving kitchen tips on our blog here.  We hope you enjoy learning about a few planet-saving ways to approach your holiday cooking!

Speaking of which, stay tuned for our next newsletter because we plan to share a Monthly EcoTip regularly. Now is the perfect time to instill some EcoFriendly habits, while we’re all at home social distancing. On that note, don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to share any EcoTips that you think others who read our newsletter might be interested in hearing about. To do so, simply email emma@ecolloyd.org.

Did you miss Bat Week? No worries! Our intern, Emma Butterfield, put together a great blog with lots of fascinating bat facts and details on how they play crucial roles in many pollinator-dependent ecosystems:

• Bats help rid gardens and greenspaces of pests that sometimes carry diseases, such as mosquitoes and flies.
• Some species directly pollinate over 500 crops worldwide. 
• Some are also fearful of bats due to the belief that they feed on blood, which is only true for three species out of 1,300.
• Bats are in danger in large part due to a disease called White Nose Syndrome, a fungal disease that grows on their skin and wakes them up while they’re hibernating.
• However, bats in urban areas are less affected by the disease because they usually hibernate in man-made structures that stay warmer than caves.  Due to more opportunity and less competition, it is possible that some of these urban and migratory bats could begin to enter the realm of forest and cave-dwelling bats, serving as the saving grace for white-nose syndrome. 
• Cities like Portland can play an important role in supporting these urban-dwelling bats and creating a more diverse and healthy urban ecosystem. This includes creating habitats such as bat houses and providing pollinator-attracting plants.

Read the full blog and learn more about bats here.

• Portland’s design commissioners were unanimous in their early approval of two midrise office buildings in the Lloyd District’s Oregon Square. 
• The campaign, Reimagining Peace Memorial Park: Let’s Get It Built!, has kicked off to raise funds for the park’s construction work.
• East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District’s fall and winter workshops are here! Attend a free online workshop to discover simple gardening practices: including naturescaping, native plants, rain gardens, attracting pollinators, etc.
• Our Executive Director, Sarah Heinicke, was interviewed 
  about the challenges communities face in becoming certified EcoDistricts and developing long-term programs needed to combat climate change and focus on equity and resiliency.
• Sarah Heinicke also spoke at the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association’s Leadership/Workforce Development Summit on “small wins lead to big changes; building community resilience”.

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