Building community through cooperation at Oasis of Change

Do you want to save time and money by having your needs met all in one place? Oasis of Change is such a place! A place where you can build community in ways that encompass natural health, therapeutic play, cooking classes, entertainment and more.

Co-founder, Dov Judd, shared that “Oasis of Change is a way to show families that there’s a different way to live, and that you can do these things in your own home too. We’ll help show you the way.”

Engage in activities that stimulate the mind, body and soul

Dov asked himself, “How do you permit a dream?” Oasis of Change is that dream, which began in April 2019 in North Portland with activities driven by the community and its members. There is a team of decision-makers, however its members help create models to keep it sustainable and progressive.

Membership allows people to utilize the space and classes by becoming members. There are different membership levels, some of which include volunteer hours to give back to the community.

Member highlights include:

• Farm-to-Table vegan dining 

• Cooking classes

• Adult and children's activities

• Weekly meal prep

• Health classes for all ages

• A Maker Space for arts and crafts

• Affordable childcare

• Co-working spaces for lifestyle medicine doctors and mental health groups

• Massage

• Live music and evening entertainment

• Fun fitness classes

• Farm and garden tours

A focus on food is a big part of the community. There are two kitchen spaces (one of which is allergy-free) in the old house that has become the heart of the Oasis of Change community. Dov explained that the food that is prepared and shared is vegan and vegetarian because they don’t want to use ingredients over $2 a pound. This excludes dairy, meat and nuts. Because it is a teaching atmosphere, cooking classes and eating meals together allows families to test recipes and come up with meal plans that save money. He has booked different local chefs to help share cooking tips with members.

There are various providers at Oasis of Change offering group-based models, not private sessions, to empower people and to meet others who may be experiencing similar things.

Dov is a practicing play therapist. He values relationship building and care for all. “We can’t pick or choose when we care.” He wants to provide every child with an opportunity to explore and enjoy the world around them. He meets kids where they are, and includes his dog, Ziza, a pediatric service dog, as part of his practice.

A recent edition of the e-news included a plethora of happenings! There is already a writer’s workshop, yoga and meditation and upcoming parenting classes and tutoring opportunities. Dov said the outside area, which includes a large garden, could hold up to 200 people for live music, markets, parties and more events.

Are you ready to come together in community to make a healthy lifestyle accessible, affordable and fun? If so, take a closer look at Oasis of Change.

Pictured: Dov with Ziza at Oasis of Change.

Top resourceful trends over the last decade

Resourceful PDX has existed in its current format for the last six years. In that time, there has been a lot of information shared, questions answered and resources that have come and gone.

The top posts from Ideas and Tips followed trends with similar themes: share, repair and DIY.

Sharing stuff for free

Portland residents are interested in sharing items they no longer need or want – and getting things for free through swapping and reusing.

The most popular post and how many people find out about Resourceful PDX is through Rooster. Rooster is a community of neighbors who share resources at no cost. It’s about borrowing things you need—and making rewarding connections in the community. 

Other community resources that offer free options include:

PDX Free Store is like a rummage sale except everything is free - clothes, housewares, music, toys and games. Bring clean, working items to donate, and take items you need.

Swap Positive offers clothing and accessory swaps around the Portland region, plus offer annual spring and holiday events.

Freecycle is a grassroots movement committed to a sharing economy and helping people give and gain cool free stuff. It promotes reuse and keeping usable items out of landfills.

Buy Nothing Project members post anything you’d like to give away, lend or share. It is neighborhood- and Facebook-based, focused on items you’d like to borrow or acquire, at no cost, from neighbors.

The repair movement is strong

Free repair events, open to the public, took off with Repair PDX in 2013. Now events take place all over the Portland region every month, where people bring broken items to be fixed. Items like small appliances, bikes and clothing are repaired by volunteers who give their time and talents to help anyone keep their items in use longer. Some bring in items that are nostalgic, others for economic or environmental reasons.

Repair PDX by the numbers:

·         Helped 2,665 people

·         Sharpened 404 tools and knives

·         Looked at 1,629 small appliances

·         Sewed 1,212 items

·         Worked on 219 bikes

Portland Repair Finder includes a variety of ways to fix and maintain existing goods, including shoes. The post ‘With a little TLC, your shoes will love you back’, continues to be one of the most popular.

In the next decade, we may be digging into the Right to Repair. State legislation for owners to be able to repair their own things – from electronics to farming equipment – is taking off in other states and Oregon is among them.

Do-It-Yourself (DIY)

From forging your own knife to learning to make a cutting board, creating, making and learning to DIY is widely popular.

The ReBuilding Center Open Shop is filling a gap in the community maker space since options have come and gone over the years. Become a member to use tools and equipment or take one of many classes they offer.

Or grab your friends and book time at the DIY Bar in North Portland.

As a reminder, there is always the Resourceful PDX map, available to show residents where to find all the community resources to continue to reuse, repair, donate, lend and swap.

Contact us in the new year to share ideas, resources or questions.

Donate at the holidays or anytime

The winter weather and holiday season may provide thoughts of cozy, indoor activities, but for many people in the community, it is also a time when warm clothing and more resources are needed. You can help provide an extra hand or gently used goods to those in need this season.

Portland has many resources and opportunities to give back. And while local service and nonprofit organizations need assistance, they don’t need items that have to be sorted which takes more volunteer or staff time. Help these groups be efficient by doing the legwork ahead of time.

A main resource in Portland is 211info, which is informed of donation and volunteer needs for community organizations working in Multnomah County Joint Office on Homeless Services.

As they list online, “outreach providers need winter gear they can pass out now, so folks outside are ready for the cold, and to have in reserve during an emergency. Having the right gear staged in the right places before a crisis will help providers better focus on direct services and life-saving efforts in the moment.”

Other local resources:

• Red Tricycle has a recent post about where to donate children’s items in Portland. 

• Oregon Live listed resources for clothing donations after Netflix launched the Marie Kondo tidying up show.

• The Resourceful PDX map has a Donation Center section where community and nonprofit resources are listed.

Give the gift of ‘gently used’ this holiday season

Purchasing used items as holiday gifts is an alternative that reduces waste and saves money.

Find fun and unique items and feel good about re-gifting at the Cracked Pots second annual holiday pop-up shop. This year, the pop-up shop is in the St. Johns neighborhood commercial district in Portland and features 40 artists that utilize reclaimed materials, with all items at least 80% upcycled. Enjoy the festive spirit as you shop for something especially meaningful for your loved ones!

Read how residents feel about shopping for used goods at ReClaim It! and Community Warehouse in a previous blog post.

The annual Holiday Gift and Toy Swap, hosted by Swap Positive, is another way to find alternative gifts for kids and adults alike. This event needs you to RSVP ahead of time. Swap Positive also hosts swaps throughout the year for you to bring unwanted or unneeded items to share with others. Who knows, you may just find something that becomes a treasured gift to pass onto a loved one.

If you’re ready to bring a gift exchange to your office, choose to reuse. How about a silent auction with used goods to benefit community groups that share values with your workplace? Find 15 gift exchange ideas for your office holiday party.

For more inspiration, here are 9 ways to reduce waste over the holidays.

These handy apps help you reduce holiday food waste

Fall and winter holidays bring opportunities to enjoy meals together. By planning ahead for all the steps – buying, preparing, cooking, eating – you can help reduce food waste to make the most of your holidays!

Plan

Search for recipes online, find tips to use leftovers faster and easier, and create shopping lists (and even share your list with your co-chefs).

• Keep track of your shopping needs, your pantry’s inventory, and manage your to-do list items with Out of Milk.

• The Guest-imator from Save the Food helps you plan exactly what you need based on the number of guests and types of dishes.

• Paprika Recipe Manager offers recipes plus interactive options so you can cross off items as you go along, highlight your current step and convert measurements.

Prepare

Colorful foods like apples, pears, cranberries, winter squash, hazelnuts, walnuts, chard, kale, leeks, beets and potatoes all look beautiful on your plate. Find these seasonal treats with the farmers market map based on the neighborhood and the day they want to shop. Many are open year-round, and even more are open leading up to Thanksgiving.

Choose up to 3 ingredients and BigOven will tell you what you can make.

Cook

While the holidays bring together family, friends and food, they also allow for time in the kitchen together. Are there dishes you can prepare ahead of time? Invite friends over for a pie night to bake together and save time and money by sharing the work and the ingredients.

Eat

Now, enjoy the meal you have prepared or the special dishes you bring to a holiday gathering, potluck or dinner at someone else’s home. Sharing your favorite dishes elsewhere allows for less cleanup and  a chance to take home leftovers (don’t forget your reusable containers!).

Reuse pop-up fills zero waste needs

The term ‘zero waste’ is being used more and more these days. It could be because of what we see and hear in the news: several environmental crisis on an international scale, such as recycling disruptions and issues with single-use plastics. This has led to new efforts, or a new sense of urgency, to minimize waste, reduce consumption, and promote product reuse and repair.

This zero-waste movement is alive and well in Portland - from community-based efforts to businesses promoting a lifestyle of less.

One of these businesses is Utility.

Utility promotes refill and reuse by selling personal and home care products from bulk and encouraging shoppers to bring their own containers. Each ingredient in every product is researched, so customers can be assured they are using products that are safe for their health and the environment. The store also sells plastic free versions of commonly used items, such as toothbrushes, kitchen sponges, etc. The majority of products are produced locally and made to last.

Rebecca Rottman and Nadine Appenbrink started Utility in April 2019 as a way to help mitigate local plastic pollution and provide Portlanders an opportunity to buy products that are safe for their health and the environment. “We were both tired of having to go to multiple places just to buy shampoo and laundry soap that didn’t have petrochemicals and other harmful ingredients, were safe for the environment and had refill options. Inspired by the many “zero waste” shops popping up in cities around the U.S. and internationally, we decided to start Utility in Portland”.

Although Utility follows some tenets of the zero waste philosophy, Rebecca and Nadine refer to themselves as a “low” waste business rather than “zero”.

Nonetheless, here are some of the ways Utility aligns with zero waste:

●     Sells products from bulk instead of individual plastic bottles.

●     Encourages and promotes the reuse of containers.

●     Carries products that contain only natural ingredients and safe for humans, animals and the earth.

●     Sources from local producers as much as possible.

Utility currently operates as a pop-up shop and online store with local delivery only, no brick and mortar...yet. Pop-ups have been held at retail stores like J. Crew and Nike, bringing these tenets to employees and consumers around Portland.

Bring your own containers

There are pop-up events happening around Portland. Look for upcoming dates online and/or follow them on Instagram. 

Utility will be partnering with eco-conscious and reuse promoting businesses such as GO Box, Gather Resale and Patagonia this fall.

Read about other zero waste initiatives in Portland and get more tips to reduce waste at Resourceful PDX.

Chinook Book is your key to sustainable living

It’s the 20th edition of Chinook Book! As always, the annual book includes hundreds of offers that are in line with being a thoughtful consumer in Portland, and why they are a Resourceful PDX partner. 

The Chinook Book highlights local, sustainable businesses that thrive in the community by giving back. There are close to 500 offers in seven categories this year – Dining, Entertainment and Family, Fashion and Gifts, Grocery Retailers, Home and Garden, Travel and Recreation and Wellness.

Some family-friendly favorites listed under Entertainment and Family include:

• OMSI

• Oregon Children’s Theatre

• Saturday Academy

• Oregon Zoo

• SCRAP

• Cloud Cap Games 

The Chinook Book team provides criteria so the businesses that appear in the book have been vetted for sustainability practices. This year, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability has both a recycling ad and the Resourceful PDX ad, below.

Find savings by using both the print book and mobile app, available at local retailers and through school and nonprofit fundraisers. And don’t forget, every book includes a 12-month app subscription!

It’s almost back to school! Tips for a no-waste lunch

School days are right around the corner! One area that parents have some control over for back-to-school savings is lunch related. Packing a lunch for students saves money, resources and helps prevent waste.

No-waste lunch tips

Pack your lunch in a reusable bag or a lunch box

Wash and reuse

• plastic containers for sandwiches, soup and snacks

• plastic water or juice bottles

• locking plastic bags for crackers, carrots, cookies

Bring your own

• reusable forks and spoons

• cloth napkins

Save packaging – buy large, pack small

• Choose large bags of snacks like pretzels, chips and raisins over individually packaged ones

• Pack single servings in reusable containers to save resources

By planning and creating weekly meal plans, you can reduce waste while shopping, too. Stock the fridge in one trip, and you’ll save time and resources too.

Check out other back to school resources in our previous kids in school posts.

Bring your own bags to reduce waste at the grocery store

Reduce and reuse

You can help reduce waste by reusing plastic bags of any kind. If you reuse them even once, you’ll end up using half as many. Keep them in a place where they’ll get reused, like your car or your kitchen.

Plastic bags and plastic wrap cannot be recycled at home. Throw them in the garbage.

Keep plastic bags of any type out of your recycling bin. The same goes for plastic wrap, which includes things like cling wrap and the packaging for toilet paper and paper towels.

The City of Portland has had a plastic bag ban since 2011 and Oregon passed a statewide ban this legislative session. That means plastic bags will no longer be available at stores throughout the state, and there will be a fee on paper bags.

Plastic bags and plastic wrap create big problems. They can end up as litter, impacting the environment. You can make a difference by reusing them or not using them in the first place.

So now is a good time to remember to bring your own bag. Pack your durable containers in reusable bags to take to the store and that can be used for years. As a bonus, many grocery stores offer a refund if you bring your own bag. 

Tips to remember reusable bags:

·         Return bags to your car or bike.

·         Store bags near your house keys.

·         Keep a small bag in a purse or backpack.

·         Put a reminder on your grocery list.

Want help sorting it out?

Recycle or Not is a new community resource created by Metro and local government partners in the greater Portland, Oregon, area. These agencies are working to reduce waste and protect the environment by sharing information about how to recycle right.

Read (or listen) to this NPR story about sorting out plastics at the grocery store.

Choose to refuse

Say no to unnecessary take-out items because these items belong in the garbage

• Take advantage of the discounts local businesses offer for bringing your own coffee mug and reusable shopping bag.

• For to-go orders, take only what you need.

• If you don’t need the straw, fork, spoon, cup, condiments, containers, or a bag, say so! Hundreds of Portland restaurants and bars have switched to offering straws only upon request or asking if you need single-use items.

• Another step to reduce single-use waste is to have what you need when you need it. Make a to-go kit for your car, day bag or bike bag that includes grocery bags, a coffee mug, silverware or small containers for leftovers.

A costly habit

Single-use items — from paper napkins and coffee cups to straws and plastic bags — have been in the news a lot lately, and for good reason. We use many items for just a few minutes before throwing them away. Disposable products may provide convenience and ease at home and on the go, but they require natural resources, energy and water, which increases carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.

In Portland, all plastic and paper to-go items should be tossed in the garbage.

They do not belong in the recycling or compost bins, even if they claim to be compostable.

With a little effort we can reduce the disposable stuff we throw away to prevent waste and save money.

When is “compostable” not compostable?

Items labeled “compostable” or “biodegradable” belong in the garbage. The labels are well-intentioned, but they’re not always accurate. Many products that are labeled “compostable” or “biodegradable” don’t break down at our local composting facilities.

Do not put them in your recycling or compost bins.

Find more inspiration from a previous post about the 10 things you can do to reduce your waste and read a New York Times article about people trying to live plastic free (spoiler: It’s hard, but doable!).

Ready to pledge to go plastic-free in July? You can do that too!