Getting more delivered to your door?

The holiday shopping season has begun. With an increase of online ordering and shopping due to COVID-19, major retailers are offering sales now and into December.

Actually, data shows that 57 % of consumers plan to shop online more this year and spend about $80 more overall (online and offline) than in 2019. According to the survey, 45 % of consumers say they do more than half of their current shopping online – nearly three times pre-pandemic. (Source: Digital Commerce 360)

Shop Local

Support Portland’s small business community by shopping at local places to help keep money in the community. PDX SOS (Save Our Shops), Chinook Book and Zero Waste City Guide to Portland are resources to find brick-and-mortar shops, online offers and alternatives gift ideas.

An increase of deliveries brings an increase of packaging. Here's a cheat-sheet for what goes where.

Plastic-padded mailers: Garbage

Any padded envelope that’s lined with plastic bubble wrap should go in the garbage, never in recycling. Even if it’s paper on the outside, or labeled “recyclable” or “biodegradable,” it’s still trash.

Packing peanuts & plastic air packs: Garbage

No matter what they’re made of or how they’re labeled, all packing peanuts and air packs should go in the trash, never in recycling or compost.

Styrofoam: Garbage

All Styrofoam™ should go in the trash. (Or look for drop-off recycling locations.)

Paper or cardboard envelopes: Recycling

If it's made entirely of paper or cardboard it should go in your recycling bin. Tape, labels, or a plastic address window are OK. (But if it's lined or coated with plastic, it goes in the trash.)

More boxes than you can fit in your bin?

To save space, break down and flatten boxes before putting them in your recycling bin.

Still too many to fit? Tape flattened boxes together in one bundle, and lean them next to your blue recycling bin.

Bundles should be no larger than 3 feet in any direction, so the recycling truck driver can safely and easily lift them.

Save packaging for reuse

Padded envelopes, packing peanuts and air packs can be reused to protect fragile items, like holiday decorations, framed photos or art. Plastic padded envelopes can even be used as make-shift waterproof laptop protectors. 

Cardboard boxes can be flattened and tucked away for the next time you need to mail or store something. Or offer them to neighbors for a move: Consider listing them on Nextdoor, Buy Nothing Group, or Craigslist.

And, don’t forget about Buy Nothing Day! The day after Thanksgiving can also be an intentional time to hit pause on purchasing.

Discover wardrobe updates near home

As summer weather begins to wane, you may be ready to go through your closet yet again and get rid of unworn or ill-fitting clothes (whatever the reason!). Updating your wardrobe while (mostly) staying at home can help lift your spirits, especially if you score an unusual piece and find joy in sharing and decluttering.

Host a virtual clothing swap

If you have a group of friends who prefer to maintain physical distance, a virtual clothing swap may be an option for you.

Here’s how the idea works: 

Gather a bunch of friends and email this printable clothing swap wishlist to them. Everyone will fill out their name and clothing preferences. People can ask for clothes that are modern, nautical, vintage, futuristic or really any theme. 

They also can specify their color, favorite decade and size information. Then, everyone sends their wishlists back to you, and you distribute them out randomly among the group (sort of like a Secret Santa game but for clothes). 

Finally, everyone looks for clothes in their closets that match the wishlist they receive and ship out the clothes to their wishlist recipient. If this is a local group of friends, deliveries could be part of the swap. This is a fun take on a classic clothes swap and allows you to learn more about the clothing preference of your loved ones! 

Download this resource and other printable resources for old clothes provided by the team at Wikibuy.

Find other clothing options

Similar to a virtual clothing swap, Swap Positive usually posts about all the swap options happening around Portland. With indoor swap activities on hold, they recently shared a post about an outdoor swap. Free boxes are mentioned as well. These are informal swap options that seem to be popping up with more frequency, with people at home and taking walks around the neighborhood.  

Buy Nothing and Rooster are local efforts where neighbors share resources at no cost. Members post anything they’d like to give away, lend or share for free through these neighborhood-based options, including clothes.

Shwop, a membership-based swap boutique for the whole family, is open. And like a lot of options, you can also shop online or book an appointment.

Most thrift stores are open again, with safety protocols in place. Some are open for donation drop off only and some for both drop off and in-store shopping. Check online or visit the Resourceful PDX map for various options around town.

Back-to-School 2020: Keep your routines while being resourceful

School days will look different this year. Portland-area schools announced that the fall semester will be online at least until November. While details are being sorted, kids may still need or want items to help get them started on the right path. It is also a time to rethink how materials come into your home. Many community resources are available to assist parents in these online, no contact, distance learning times. 

Routine is important 

Read about 12 ideas to keep back-to-school traditions going, even during a time of uncertainty and learning from home.  

If you still need supplies, shop online or in-person at SCRAP Creative Reuse for paper, markers, pens and colored pencils, and online at Free Geek for refurbished technology.  

Donate supplies 

Have surplus items to donate? Schoolhouse Supplies is seeking donations. You can make an appointment to donate; and as always, teachers can shop for supplies.  

Stay informed 

PDX Parent has information for parents about the upcoming school year and ways to connect. Portland Public Schools continue to offer information about the new distance learning model. 

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

Gear up for gardening season, again

With so much time spent at home these last few months, it has been a chance to be outdoors in the fresh air with your hands in the earth. And while summer seems to be moving at a faster pace than spring, there is still time to garden and prepare for another harvest season — with sharpened tools and your planting list at the ready.

Sharpen garden tools

A sharpened pair of pruners, a shovel with a good clean edge, and a well-tuned push-mower can make gardening and mowing easier and more enjoyable.

• Sharpening4U in NE Portland and some nurseries and farmers markets offer tool and knife sharpening services. Cascadia Blade Works offers their services for a fee at the Montavilla Farmers Market on Sundays.

• DIY online classes are available at the ReBuilding Center, including how to sharpen your own tools.

Borrow tools

Portland’s tool lending libraries are filled with garden tools large and small. Some also offer seed lending libraries!

• The Green Lents Community Library, Southeast Portland Tool Library, Northeast Portland Tool Library and North Portland Tool Library are all open, with limited hours and COVID related safety protocols in place.

Get it on the calendar

·         Use Portland Nursery’s handy vegetable planting and harvesting calendar.

Share the Bounty

If you expect to have a wealth of edibles, consider donating fresh fruit and vegetables to a nearby food pantry.

• Oregon Food Bank accepts donations large and small and lists local food pantries.

• Ample Harvest seeks food growers and lists local food pantries.

• Portland Fruit Tree Project offers ways to Share in the Harvest so those with fruit trees can pick and donate fruit for those in need.

• Check out a previous blog post about collaborating with your neighbors.

Questions answered

• Call or email your gardening questions to Master Gardeners for expert advice.

Fix at home and grow the repair movement

Being resourceful has never seemed to be more appropriate than now, while we have been at home for an extended period, surrounded by our stuff. Out of need or boredom, we may have rediscovered our long unused sewing machines or tools to create, make and maybe repair our own stuff.  

Repair is an essential service 

From bikes and cell phones to shoes and toys, local repair businesses are open and seeking to help customers. Repair shops are essential businesses during the COVID-19 emergency, and they have adjusted and created new opportunities, like many other types of businesses.  

One resource that is dedicated to helping more people fix more things is Portland Repair Finder. This online resource helps tell the stories behind repair work, including recent entries about how businesses such as Bridgetown Electronics Repair and Hidden Opulence Design House have tried new options to support their customers and the larger community.

If you’re interested in the status of bike shops for DIY repair or to purchase needed gear, BikePortland has updated information about over 40 local shops.   

#FixatHome 

Portland’s repair organization, Repair PDX, has gone virtual. They hosted an online workshop about zipper repair, partnering with Zipper Rescue and Portland Underground Grad School to offer a skill-share session on how to repair your own zippers.  

Regional Repair Fairs has an online toolbox full of how-to videos. And don’t forget about iFixit, the go-to resource with online tutorials for pretty much anything. They are also behind the #FixatHome campaign, sharing the Do-It-Yourself spirit with those who are curious to repair their own goods. 

Ready to try repairing something at home? Here’s what one volunteer Repair PDX fixer shared about how to repair anything. 

1. Decide what the problem really is before you start; most problems are either electrical or physical. 

2. Don't be in a hurry to tear it apart. Remember, you have to put it back together. 

• When it is together, you have the answer of what it looks like when it is complete. 

• When it is apart, you hold the question of, "What have I done?" 

• Take pictures on your phone as you disassemble the unit. 

• Lay out the parts in the order that you take them off. 

• Put the screws in a container so you won't lose them. 

3. Use oil – engine oil, sewing machine oil, bearing grease, spray lubricants or Vaseline – they all lubricate most things. 

4. Use glue – school glue, epoxy, rubber cement, contact cement, goop and instant glue – they all hold most things together. 

5. Fear of failure causes unclear thinking, so here are things to keep in mind: 

• If you can fix it, great! 

• If you can't, you know it’s already broken: You can throw it out--or recycle the parts--with a clear conscience. 

• Bonus: You now have screws, springs, bulbs, and more for your next project! 

Spring cleaning while at home

Being at home has allowed for time to chip away at the task list, which inevitably includes spring cleaning. We’re living in a different world now so taking a thoughtful approach to ridding yourself and your home of unwanted items needs to be handled differently too.

Declutter your space

It may be your whole house, your apartment, your garage, or just your closet. Take stock of your stuff – from small appliances, kitchen utensils, clothes, or old electronics – and separate the usable stuff from what you no longer need or want.

Put the stuff you don’t want in a box for now, but take some time to research ways to sell, donate, or recycle them once places reopen.  So many of our things can have another life, but some items are indeed trash and should be thrown away.

Donate thoughtfully

As with much of our favorite places like restaurants, theaters and pubs, donation centers are closed to the public. In Portland, many reuse organizations are seeking financial support while their doors are closed and specifying what to save for donation when it is safe to offer them. Some have even come up with ideas for residents to help - or shop - in other ways.

These items will be of value to area nonprofits once the pandemic ends. So instead of sending them to the landfill, consider locating a clean, dry space to store these in your home, attic, or garage.

Local resources adapt with the times

Community Warehouse asks that supporters create a donation pile of gently used items for future drop off or sponsor at Home 2 Go Kit now.

Beginning May 11, you can drop off the following items at the Portland Warehouse between 10 AM - 4 PM on weekdays only:

• kitchen tables

• kitchen chairs

• dishware (plates, bowls, cups, and silverware - no china or metal-rimmed dishware)

• cookware (pots, pans, cooking utensils)

• small appliances (microwaves, toasters, coffee makers)

• sofas (no sleeper sofas, sectionals, or recliners)

• armchairs

Free Geek provides refurbished laptops and technology support to students and others, plus encourages donations and online shopping to support their ongoing work. There are some services available for the public to be aware of during this time.

Habitat ReStore now has an online store for residents to buy used goods anytime. Beginning May 9, their Portland store reopens for shopping; between 10 AM – 6 PM, Thursday through Monday only.

The ReBuilding Center is offering appointments to come and shop for building and home supplies so you can work on projects. They have limited hours for donating materials; between 11 AM – 4 PM, Wednesday through Saturday only.

SCRAP Creative Reuse now has an online store for shoppers to buy used and new materials. 

Buy Nothing Project members post anything they’d like to give away, lend or share for free. It is neighborhood-and-Facebook based, focused on items to borrow or acquire from neighbors. That includes things you may be finding as you declutter and clean up for spring!

Earth Day turns 50

Those wanting to connect with community to honor the 50th anniversary of Earth Day will find many local virtual activities to engage in. Get gardening tips, learn to make your own greener cleaners and find activities to share with the kids.

Here are a sampling of events, ideas and resources. Check out the Resourceful event calendar for these and more.

Virtual Week of Action

From April 20 through 24, Southeast Uplift will be hosting a Virtual Week of Action to support more sustainably just practices in our community. This year, the District Coalition Office is sharing tool kits online, live stream talks, activities and more in different categories; climate change and energy, bees and trees, compost and food, reduce toxins and creative reuse, and of course, Earth Day!

You can also sign up for regional online workshops. A few include:

• How to create a backyard habitat on a budget, hosted by Columbia Land Trust.

• Learn about recycling right and help keep sanitation workers healthy, offered in English and Spanish, from Metro staff and the Recycle or Not campaign.

• Keep food longer and save money with Eat Smart Waste Less.

Learn more and register for workshops by visiting the online resource organized by the City of Gresham.

Style and Sustainability Workshop

All this time at home may have brought to light changes you would like to make to your space.

The Style and Sustainability Workshop is an online workshop offering a slide show and video tutorial to show attendees how to build their room decorating boards.

Join owner and chief designer of Mobius Home, Lynn Feinstein, to learn how to source mindfully manufactured furniture, explore creative upcycling, introduce color and current trends, and unveil the principles behind cohesively pulling together the many items you already own to work in your refreshed spaces.

You will leave the workshop with a clearer vision of your space and knowledge on how you can support a sustainable lifestyle with the decisions you make for your home. 

There is a fee for this workshop on April 22 from 7-8 PM.

Lynn Feinstein has been a guest blogger on Resourceful PDX in the past. Check out previous posts under Home Improvement.

Ecochallenge

Connect the dots between your values and the impact of your actions with Drawdown Ecochallenge. Find ways to take action on the 100 most substantive solutions to global warming. Earn points and see your positive impact grow. Take the challenge and see how a few weeks of action add up to a lifetime of change for you and the planet.

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.