World Environment Day Portland, Oregon - June 5, 2013

The United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office of North America has selected the City of Portland to host this year’s World Environment Day (WED) on June 5, 2013. The worldwide theme this year is Reduce Your Foodprint. However, all environmental and sustainability groups can be part of the celebration by scheduling events in the six weeks between Earth Day on April 22nd and World Environment Day on June 5th.

World Environment Day is an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. World Environment Day activities take place all year round and climax on 5 June every year, involving everyone from everywhere. 
The World Environment Day celebration began in 1972 and has grown to become one of the main vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.
Through World Environment Day, the United Nations Environment Programme is able to personalize environmental issues and enable everyone to realize not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable development.
World Environment Day is also a day for people from all walks of life to come together to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter outlook for themselves and future generations.
Everyone counts in this initiative and World Environment Day relies on you to make it happen! We call for action — organize a neighborhood clean-up, stop using plastic bags and get your community to do the same, stop food waste, walk to work, start a recycling drive . . . the possibilities are endless.

World Environment Day comes to Portland!
on Facebook too

Just a FEW of the Events:

EXPLORING THE INTERTWINE: SHARROWS TO SPARROWS

June 1, 9 a.m. – noon

Mike Houck of the Urban Greenspaces Institute and Greg Raisman of the Portland Bureau of Transportation lead this 10-mile bike ride to explore southwest Portland’s Gabriel Park, Fanno Creek Greenway, and Nicol Road Marsh.

Directions: Meet Mike and Greg promptly at 9:00 a.m. at Gabriel Park

Community Center in the southwest corner of the park, 6820 SW 45th Avenue

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY FAMILY EVENT AT THE ROSE FESTIVAL

June 5, 3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

This event will include music and fun educational activities. 
Keep Checking www.portlandoregon.gov/wed and www.facebook.com/2013wedportland for details

Events this weekend, May 4

This Saturday, May 4th is set to be a busy weekend in the garden, in the neighborhood and in Portland.
Plus it is forecasted to be WARM & SUNNY!

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The annual Neighborhood Clean-up will be happening this weekend at Arleta School (SE 66th & Mitchell)
9AM-2PM
This is a Great way to clean-out the garage and get ready for the spring/summer AND it is the main fundraiser for the Neighborhood Association...so come out and show your support one truck/carload at a time!





- Be sure to check the flyer for a FULL list of things that ARE and are NOT able to be accepted!

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Also this weekend after a 10-year hiatus is the return of the Dunthorpe Garden Tour
This Garden Tour is a 1.5mile walking tour stroll through five distinctive gardens with shuttle bus service to and between gardens as well as tea and cookies at the final historic garden.

This 10AM-4PM tour is in celebration of the Riverdale School Districts 125th anniversary.
Tickets cost $30...for more information visit their website or facebook page
    "From cottage herb gardens, to rose "rooms", to sculpture gardens...this Tour has it all! Rumor has it, we may be treated to some informal talks by one of the landscape architects!"

Just a few Dunthorpe Garden Tour Factoids to share:

• The Tour program will feature a plant lists for each garden.
• Francoise Weeks will also be on hand to talk about her fabulous botanical shoes and purses at the Tea House
• Read more about the tour in this recent Portland Tribune Article

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And FINALLY -
Planning ahead to June for the Naturescaping for Backyard Habitats Tour
on Saturday, June 1st

Grab a friend and enjoy behind the scenes access to naturescaped yards & gardens that are bursting with creativity on this FREE self-guided tour! Chat with the do-it-yourself gardeners who have created low-maintenance landscapes that attract wildlife, conserve water, and have no need for synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Check it out and dig up fresh ideas that will help you create your own exceptional backyard habitat!

Tour Hours: 11am - 4pm

Yard Tour FAQs:

I'd like to attend. How do I sign up?
Advanced registration is required. You can register online beginning Thursday, May 9th.  Once registration is open, we'll send out an email announcement. Click here if you are not already on our email list & you'd like to receive an announcement.




How many gardens will be on the tour?
The number of gardens changes from year to year, but you can expect approximately 6-10 gardens.

Do YOU Pinterest?

Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing things you love....

...and FoPo Gardens is NOW on Pinterest!

We already have all sorts of pins and boards posted...including:

• basic gardening;
• tips & tricks;
• garden DIY and other fun ideas;
• NW native planting;
• pesticide-free info;
• backyard livestock and other wildlife;
• garden art;
• outdoor entertaining;
• edible gardening;
• pins relating to the Annual Garden Tour and the Foster-Powell Neighborhood

...AND SO MUCH more!

Join our community and start following us today!

Not on Pinterest? Well learn more about Pinterest or simply Join Pinterest and start pinning today!

 

Sharing the Green Beauty of Foster-Powell

In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week, SE Uplift is highlighting some of their coalition's amazing volunteer projects each day. Check out today's article about the 6th Annual Foster-Powell Garden Tour: 
http://www.southeastuplift.org/content/sharing-green-beauty-fosterpowell. 
Hope you all enjoy the beautiful weather and get your hands in the dirt today!

Annual Leach Botanical Garden is happening TODAY!

Need to add plants to your garden? Or just another excuse to get out in the garden...
Oh yes and they are a sponsor of this year's garden tour so do tell your friends and go out and show support!

Leach Botanical Garden's annual plant sale is this Saturday at Floyd Light Middle School.  
We have twenty unique plant vendors joining our own volunteers. 
Plants propagated from the Garden collections as well.
   9AM to 3PM

http://www.leachgarden.org/event/plant-sale-2013/?eID=3149

Community Garden Work Party THIS SUNDAY

Dear friends,
If you're hands are idle this coming Sunday, I have the perfect way to keep you from getting into trouble. Come join me in the Foster Powell neighborhood to help build a community garden in a vacant lot (at the intersection of SE 62nd and Powell). It's even free! You will not be charged to shovel dirt, cut grass or remove blackberries and grass! You can come for any length of time you wish, even just to stop in and give moral support (or cookies). If you plan to stay, bring gloves and tools.
Read more about the project at the website: www.62ndgarden.wordpress.com. See you there!

Vicki Lynn Wilson

Gearing up for the 6th Annual FoPo Garden Tour

Have you marked your calendar?
3rd Saturday in June...this year, the 6th year of this neighborhood tradition that is Saturday June 15th.
Today, 4/15/13, is technically the sign-up deadline and we already have 50+ gardens on the tour!!!
A new record indeed!

So with that said we have made some tour changes...we are splitting the tour into two parts:
- west of Kern Park (50th-67th) the tour will run 10AM-1PM
- east of Kern Park (67th-82nd) the tour will run 1PM-4PM

Dont forget our free raffle courtesy of our fantastic sponsors. We are still in the process of collecting sponsorships. If there is a gardening-related business you are fond of OR a Foster-Powell neighborhood business you really enjoy, please let us know

And of course, follow us on Facebook for the latest and greatest...updates and news -www.facebook.com/fopogardens

Questions, comments and feedback drop us a line - fopogardens@gmail.com