GreenWorker Finishes Strong in Portland Marathon

GreenWorks' Emily Arruda finished her second Portland Marathon on Sunday's 10-10-10 downtown event. Despite the pouring rain and wet conditions, Emily finished 38 minutes faster than last year's time setting a personal record of 4:32:15 and average pace of 10:23 per mile. She ranked in the top 47% overall and finished full stride passing 544 people in the final 6 miles while only allowing 8 to pass her by.  Congrats on your personal record and second marathon achievement Emily!

Emily and her brother David after their marathon finish

University of Minnesota Landscape Architecture Students Visit Portland

A group of 3^rd year graduate landscape architecture students from the University of Minnesota were in Portland from Sept. 28 to Oct 1 to study urban design and planning precedents for their current design studio. GreenWorks participated in their visit by providing a tour of Tanner Springs Park and our office and talked with the students about some of the recent work we have been involved with. We always enjoy the opportunity to meet new up and coming people entering the field and to be able to give back to the profession.

Photos Courtesy of Cynthia Lapp, Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota

Bike to Work Challenge

Every September, GreenWorks joins in the friendly competition - workplace to workplace - to see who can bike to work more. And of course, it wouldn't be "Bike to Work Month" in Portland, unless it was raining! Regardless of the weather, the fearless GreenWorks staff has been able to maintain 77% ridership. Halfway through the month of September and we are still going strong!

Visit the Bicycle Transportation Alliance website for more information on Portland's Bike Commute Challenge: http://bikecommutechallenge.com/

GreenWorker Pitches in to Clean Clackamas River

Last weekend, Alex Perove volunteered (along with 350 other river lovers) to clean up the Clackamas River. Together, the volunteers hauled out approximately 5,000 pounds (2.5 tons) of trash from 14 miles of riverbank and bottom. This immense effort inspires a community of artists to take a turn in the ripples of a great sustainable cause. As part of the Ripple Effect effort, local artists will transform the recovered river trash into handcrafted works of art that will be enjoyed in a new way by our community, completing the full life cycle of our waste.

Save the date and come check out the Ripple Effect art exhibit on 1st Thursday, in the Pearl. 7pm on Oct. 7th at the Keen "Green Room" http://www.ripplepdx.com/

A huge thank you from We Love Clean Rivers and the Clackamas River Basin Council for all of their efforts to improve the health of our beloved Clackamas River.

UO Design Camp Wraps Up Week 1 with a Focus on Landscape Architecture

Week One wrapped up with more design foundations and a focus on the field of Landscape Architecture. Claire and the other instructors lead campers on a walking tour of Portland. Along the way, the students were divided into teams and tasked with creating performance installations at different sites based on water-themed words such as meander, rush, and babble. Check out the UO Design Camp blog for more details about the day’s events.

http://uodesigncamp.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/day-four-july-30th/

GreenWorks Principal Contributes as LARE Master Grader

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Jim Figurski, Principal and Technical Director at GreenWorks and a former President of the Council of Landscape Architecture Boards (CLARB), just returned from Minneapolis where he served as a Master Grader for Section C (Design) of the Landscape Architecture Registration Exam (LARE). Master Graders donate nearly of week of their time reviewing criteria by which the exam is scored and training other graders in the interpretation and application of those criteria.

Elkin Rejoins GreenWorks

GreenWorks Collaborates with Area Leaders as Part of the Oregon Sustainability Experience

On July 20, 2010, Jim Figurski, Principal and Technical Director at GreenWorks, led an on-site discussion of the sustainable principles incorporated in the design at Tanner Springs Park in the Pearl District.  The tour and discussion was part of the annual Oregon Sustainability Experience.  Jim’s discussion of the design principles and goals for the park was followed by a discussion of on-going maintenance practices and the evolution of the Park by Mark  Griswold Wilson, a Restoration Ecologist working for Portland Parks and Recreation. You can learn more about the Oregon Sustainability Experience at: http://www.thesustainabilityexperience.org/2010/urban_leaders.html

GreenWorks Staffer Teaches UO Design "Boot" Camp

The motto: Get Creative.  Have Fun.  Be a Designer. July 27 – August 6, 2010

Claire Maulhardt will be teaching UO Design Camp, an intensive nine-day experience geared toward high school students (age 15 and older) and adults interested in the design professions.  Design Camp combines hands-on learning, field trips, studio work, and thoughtful conversations with local design professionals to give the students an understanding of what it’s like to be a designer in the fields of:

• Landscape Architecture
• Architecture
• Digital Arts
• Product Design

To follow daily updates on the activities happening at Design Camp, visit our blog: http://uodesigncamp.wordpress.com/

Annual GreenWorks Wildflower Hike

GreenWorks staff took its Wildlflower Hike last Friday afternoon along the Columbia River, hiking the Cape Horn Waterfalls Hike east of Washougal, WA. Staff came together bringing their spouses, children, and dogs along to observe the beautiful wildflowers and scenic viewpoints, continuing this annual GreenWorks tradition.