April 2012
Community-led Solar Initiative Helps Lake Oswegans Go Solar!
For a limited time,
you can go solar with your neighbors.
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Reduce your power bill
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Discover your home’s solar potential with a free home evaluation
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Affordable systems as low as $2,000
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Early Bird Pricing until April 30th—save hundreds of dollars!
Solarize West Linn-Lake Oswego is a community-led project that simplifies the process of going solar in West Linn and Lake Oswego. The volunteer Steering Committee has pre-selected a contractor, Sunlight Solar Energy, for this project based on cost, historical installation quality, and ability to meet the high volumes of this project. You can rest assured that you are getting a good deal and will receive a high quality installation. We’ve done the research so that you don’t have to.
You can learn if your home is a good fit for solar by attending a workshop or signing up for a free home evaluation at www.solarizewllo.org. Community workshops will bring residents together to learn about different solar technologies, as well as the tax credits and incentives that are available to drastically lower the cost of systems. Systems can be purchased for up to 80% off, while other options offer net-zero cost after four years. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions and more can also be found on the website.
For more information, please contact Glen Friedman, Program Manager, at 503-847-9786. The cities of Lake Oswego and West Linn, in cooperation with Clackamas County, received a grant from the City of Portland to support this project.
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Community Shred Day April 21
The City's Sustainability Program and Police Department are sponsoring a free Community Shred Day. Documents will be securely shredded on site. In addition, all shredded material will be recycled at the end of the day, making this event both secure and environmentally sustainable!
When: Saturday, April 21, 2012, from 10 am to 1 pm (or until the truck is full)
Where: West End Building, 4101 Kruse Way, rear parking lot
Look for the shred truck in the rear parking lot. Note that once the truck is full, no more documents will be accepted. This event is intended for Lake Oswego citizens only.
Up to three boxes per person will be accepted. Staples, paper clips, hanging folders, and rubber bands are fine. Participants are also encouraged to bring canned food for donation to the Oregon Food Bank.
Links to information about crime prevention, identify theft, waste prevention and recycling are available here. For more information, contact Susan Millhauser by email or at 503-635-0291.
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Energy and Water Trends Workshop April 19
Interested in learning more about how you can wisely manage the use of valuable
energy and water resources in your day-to-day operations? Then join the Regional WaterProviders Consortium and PGE for
a half-day seminar and learn about energy efficiency and water
conservation concepts and strategies that could potentially help you to improve
your bottom line. Featuring Kevin McCaleb, Lake Oswego Water Conservation Specialist. April 19, 2012. Find details here.
January 2012
Block Foam Recycling Event - January 21, 2012 
Recycle your holiday packaging at the City’s annual block foam recycling event!
When: Saturday, January 21, 9am to 2pm (or when truck is full)
Where: West End Building parking lot, 4101 Kruse Way
Only clean and dry block foam (aka Expanded Polystyrene or Styrofoam®) will be accepted. This foam snaps when you break it and is used as packing material (may have EPS #6 recycling symbol). Colored foam is okay.
Please follow these simple rules for participating in the block foam collection event:
Cost: $5 per car load or $10 per pick-up truck/van/SUV load to cover the cost of transport and recycling. Please coordinate with your friends and neighbors to reduce the number of vehicles heading to the event.
Recycling is one of the easiest ways you can help reduce waste and slow climate change. By recycling you help significantly lower energy use and greenhouse gas emissions associated with resource extraction, product manufacturing, and waste disposal. Recycling is just one simple way you can be part of the solution!
This event is brought to you by the City of Lake Oswego, Total Reclaim, and the Lake Oswego Eco Schools Network.
For more information, contact Susan Millhauser at 503-635-0291, or by email.
December 2011
Solarize West Linn-Lake Oswego to Kick-off in January
Clackamas County has received a $9,000 grant from the Solar Now! Community Partnership grant program (funded by the City of Portland through a grant awarded by the US Department of Energy under the Solar America Cities: Special Projects program) to initiate public outreach and identify homeowners who are interested in installing solar photovoltaic and/or solar hot water systems in their homes. The grant award is being split evenly between similar, but separate, efforts in the West Linn-Lake Oswego area and the rest of Clackamas County. Grant funds will be used to host educational workshops that inform citizens of approximate installation costs and benefits and minimum solar access requirements.
The Solarize West Linn-Lake Oswego project committee released a request for proposals for interested solar contractors in early January. This article in the Lake Oswego Review provides an overview of the project. Workshop details will be available in late January. For more information, go to the Solarize WL-LO website, or contact Glen Friedman,
Project Manager at
(503) 454-6407 or by email.
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Holidays – Simplified and Waste Free
Do you want your holidays wrapped in more meaning...and less stuff? Too often, the holidays seem to exhaust rather than uplift us. Click here for some fun ways to simplify your holidays and reduce waste at the same time, plus find some ideas for reusing or recycling what’s left when the holidays are over.
For convenient donation and recycling of electronics and block foam, two community recycling events are planned for January...
Holiday Electronics Recycling Drive - January 7, 2012
This event is planned for Saturday, January 7, 2012, 9am to 3pm. Click here for more information.
Block Foam Recycling Event - January 21, 2012
Recycle your holiday packaging at the City’s annual block foam recycling event! Details above.
October 2011
October 8, 2011 Community Shred Day –
Safely Shred Your Sensitive Documents!
The City's Police Department and Sustainability Program, in conjunction with EnviroShred NW, will be sponsoring a Community Shred Day on Saturday, October 8, 2011, from 10 am to 1 pm (or until the truck is full; the truck will leave when full), at the West End Building, 4101 Kruse Way. Look for the shred truck in the rear parking lot. This free event is intended for Lake Oswego residents and businesses only.
Up to three boxes per person will be accepted. Staples, paper clips, hanging folders, and rubber bands are fine; just make sure you do not have any three ring binders mixed in. Participants are also encouraged to bring canned food for donation to the Oregon Food Bank.
Community Shred Day provides a safe way to eliminate sensitive documents like credit card and financial statements, old IRS tax forms, pre-approved credit card statements, bills, checks, documents with pin numbers, expired passports, etc. Documents will be securely shredded on site. In addition, all shredded material will be recycled at the end of the day, making this event both secure and environmentally sustainable! Click here for more information and resources to protect yourself from identity theft.
For more information contact Susan Millhauser, Sustainability Coordinator, at 503-635-0291 or by email.
August 2011
August 21, 2011—Electric Vehicle Expo
Presented by the Lake Oswego Sustainability Advisory Board
Sunday, August 21, from 10am to 2pm,
Millennium Park Plaza,
First and Evergreen
While downtown checking out the Collector Car and Classic Boat shows, stop by the Electric Vehicle (EV) Expo to see the latest innovations in transportation electrification!
The EV Expo will showcase the latest advancements in electric vehicles, including: cars, vans, bikes, scooters, and motorcycles; charging stations; and information about charging infrastructure now being installed. Learn how EVs are fast becoming an important component of the sustainable transportation landscape and how you can get on board. Find out about Oregon’s fast growing electric vehicle manufacturing, charging, and supplier industry.
The Sustainability Advisory Board booth will feature general information about electric vehicles, permitting and installation of chargers, publicly-accessible charging station locations, and more.
For more information about the Expo, contact Susan Millhauser, Sustainability Coordinator,
by email or at 503-635-0291.
