In this installment of “behind the scenes” at Portland Farmers Market, we’d like to introduce you to the newest member of our team, EverGreen Coordinator Ryan McLaughlin. Ryan is a recent transplant to Portland from North Carolina, bringing with him a commitment to environmental conservation, mad trash sorting skills, and an aversion to car ownership. When he is not at the PSU market wrangling refuse and entertaining our EverGreen volunteers, Ryan also works with the Oregon Microenterprise Institute, a statewide association of microenterprise development programs and their supporters. You may occasionally catch him whipping in and out of the Leftbank building on his bike, en route to one adventure or another. Here’s our 30 second glimpse into the head of a refuse loving, okra eating, self described data geek:

PFM: Why are you drawn to the wild world of trash?

Ryan: A combination of fascination with resource use and a childlike desire to be taboo. Trash is one of our ultimate societal outcasts, and we have designed waste systems to remove it from our sight and mind. So by dismissing the norm and embracing waste, I get to feel like a kid who’s doing something bad while having a blast.

PFM: What do you hope we accomplish with the EverGreen campaign?

Ryan: Ultimately, I hope that we will build a system that works year after year. Quantitatively, I would love to see us surpass our 50% diversion goal at PSU by an additional 25%, for a total of 75% diversion.

PFM: Aside from sorting refuse, what’s the best part about working for PFM and/or at the market each week?

Ryan: The atmosphere. I work for a non-profit in an office downtown during the week, so it is really fulfilling to work alongside thousands of excited people in the open air every Saturday.

PFM: What is your favorite season to eat and why?

Ryan: Oh man, that’s tough. Well, I love eating in winter when my body craves rich, nourishing foods. There is something deeply satisfying about eating delicious food when it’s freezing and wet outside. On the other side of that coin, who can complain about the late summer cornucopia? I love the range of colors and flavors that are available at the end of summer, and the transition into fall is an exciting time to cook because the spices I use start to change and suddenly I find myself buying butter again.

PFM: Anything else you’d like the Leftbank community to know about you?

Ryan: What is this, the Dating Game? I’m an Aries, enjoy moonlit walks and smooth jazz…No, seriously, I really want to raise ducks this year, and need to meet someone soon that I can talk to about that. Perhaps someone can connect me with a backyard duck farmer?

If you know that duck farmer, want to volunteer for the EverGreen campaign, or just want to say hi and welcome Ryan to the building, email [email protected] anytime.

See you at the market!

Pats on backs and hearty handshakes are in order for Alex and the crew at Upright Brewing.  Last weekend, hot on the heels of Upright’s one year anniversary party,  Alex found himself on a plane headed to the World Beer Cup 2010 in the windy city of Chicago where he had entered six of his wonderful brews.  We are happy to announce that he won a bronze medal for his German-style sour ale, Gose.  Congratulations Alex and Gerritt!

Click here for more information on the World Beer Cup 2010.

And here is a blog Alex wrote on his way to the award ceremony, published on Brewmaster’s Corner.

On April 22nd AIGA, Portland’s Professional Association for Design, will host its annual Green Design Expo to be held at the Leftbank Annex.  As part of their sustainability initiative, this year’s expo will be focusing on green design and featuring speakers and vendors from the green design industry.

Along with local product and service vendors, there will be a number of speakers.   The featured keynote speakers are Marty McDonald, the founder and Creative Director of egg - a Seattle-based firm specializing in brand development and communications for sustainable brands - and Hilary Bromberg, egg’s Strategic Director.

Kristin Rogers Brown, Vice-President of AIGA Portland, will be discussing AIGA’s living design principles and Will Villota, Brand Manager at Bonneville Environmental Foundation will be talking about market research into consumer sustainable lifestyle choices.

If you are need of inspiration and want to learn more about sustainable design and how to implement it into your everyday practice, this is the expo for you.

For more information and to RSVP to the event click here

Following hot on the heels of Uncommon’s announcement that their product line was to be rolled out into Apple stores nationwide, we would like to let you know of some more exciting things they are working on.  There is now an application that can be downloaded onto your iphone from the iTunes App Store that lets you browse for artwork, upload your own image or, if you prefer you can snap a photo with your iphone and instantly configure it into a capsule case and place your order there and then.  Of, if you prefer instant gratification, get yourself to the nearest Apple store where you can select from Uncommon’s Spring Collection.

Also in the works, a capsule case for iPod Touch users, set to be available in a matter of weeks.

For more information on these product lines and on Uncommon’s featured artists, check out their April newsletter here.

MDiTV is a new kind of media company: we’re a channel that creates original health and medicine programming for distribution online. We present credible and trustworthy information in an engaging and entertaining way.

View our rep video here.

The Leftbank Project (@leftbankproject) is the perfect home for MDiTV (@MDiTVorg). We have both our offices and television studio here, at the end of the hall on the second floor. On one side of the hall we have our offices, where our web team and administrative superstars have made their home. On the other side, the studio is home to the production team, the social media team, and Dr. Robert “Bobby” Lazzara, our CEO.

We feel a particular tie to the Leftbank building because we have similar approaches to business. At MDiTV, we are breaking new ground: we want to help people get the information they need to live a healthy life. We’re running a paperless office and doing all we can to minimize our impact. The Leftbank building does the same: recycling building materials, the great eco-roof, the plentiful bike parking. We’re both working towards a healthy world, and a more connected world.

View a still from the MDiTV show “Second Opinion,” hosted by CEO and company founder Dr. Robert Lazzara (@MDiTVLaz).

As we approach our launch, the benefits of being in the Leftbank Project become more and more apparent. Personally, I see the benefit when my coworkers walk in with their bike helmets, having come from a location shoot or from home. As part of the social media team at MDiTV, the location really benefits me because I can get to all the networking and tech events that I need to, sometimes as easily as walking a couple blocks to the convention center.

MDiTV is one of a new wave of tech start-ups, focusing on accessible media. You’ll be able to find us on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, and every place you can access the internet. When you sprain you ankle, open open the MDiTV app and watch a doctor show you what has happened to your ankle and give step-by-step instructions to wrap it. Pull out your tablet on the bus and watch the latest in medical news. MDiTV provides the information and fresh insights that you need and want, wherever you are.

Come visit us at MDiTV, we would love to show you our studio!

www.MDiTV.com/blog
facebook.com/MDiTV

to contact the author, email [email protected]

On April 22nd City Repair will be holding an event in celebration of the 40th year of Earth Day.  The event, which will be held in SE Portland’s Buckman neighborhood,  is a community based event  to promote awareness of environmental issues and progressive organizations.  It also provides an opportunity for everyone to get involved with the local organizations who are dealing with these issues head-on on a daily basis.  This year the theme is Re-Seeding the World - celebrating localization. There will be live music from March Fourth Marching Band, Fruition  and Off the Grid and Mayor Sam Adams will be putting in an appearance.

There will be booths for local, sustainable businesses and non-profit organizations and, if you would like the opportunity to set up a booth, it’s not too late to apply.  Registration information can be found here.  The deadline for booth registration is April 19th.

If you would like to volunteer to help out at the event, click here.  Or you could help with the pre-event neighborhood cleanup, the weekend before the event (April 17th).  Click here to register for the neighborhood spruce-up.

When we opened for the season a few weeks ago, we knew this would be a very different year for Portland Farmers Market. We’ve expanded the footprint of our largest market at PSU, we’re adding two markets to our weekly farm-direct roster, and we are staring straight into the eyes of the meanest market monster: garbage. With founding support from the Office of the Mayor, we have undertaken a new effort to radically reduce the amount of waste that is generated at our markets. We have christened this campaign EverGreen and with it, we hope to move a giant step closer to creating a sustainable food system.

The EverGreen campaign will be introduced across all PFM locations over the next three years, beginning with the PSU Market in 2010. This season, we are asking customers to find an EverGreen waste station to recycle it, compost it, or waste it rather than seeking out the nearest garbage can on campus. The EverGreen stations are staffed by volunteer “garbage gatekeepers”, providing guidance to customers about how to shrink one’s personal waste footprint by ensuring that waste goes where it belongs.

Our goal for this year is to divert 50% of waste generated at the PSU Market to compost and recycling streams. By the third year of EverGreen, we will divert 90% of waste from all market locations to compost and recycling, redirecting more than ten tons of would-be garbage from the landfill over the course of each season. Of course, we need all sorts of help to make this happen. Vendors, volunteers, customers, civic partners, and government leaders are all being asked to pitch in and help us realize this (near) zero-waste vision. Do you want to join our fight against the trash monster and spread the garbage gospel to the masses? Please click here or email EverGreen Coordinator, Ryan McLaughlin for more information. (Stay tuned next week for more about Ryan, the newest member of our farmers market family.)

See you at the market!

We are fast approaching the one year anniversary of Upright Brewing Company right here in Leftbank’s basement.   In honor of this auspicious occasion, Upright will be holding an anniversary/bottle release party where Alex will be showcasing two wonderful beers:- a seasonal, draft only,  apricot farmhouse ale (makes my mouth water, just thinking about it) and the second batch of their Four Play brew (only available in the tasting room) which has been barrel aged with cherry puree - yum! There will also be sweets from Kir Jensen’s Sugar Cube to pair with both beers.  The event will be held on April 9th, during normal Friday tasting hours, from 4.30-9pm.  Don’t miss it!

Congratulations Alex!

Today we are happy.  Our Spring Collection is available in Apple stores nationwide.  Go and check it out here, or stop by and say hello.  We are on the 2nd floor, suite 203.

The 19th season of Portland Farmers Market has officially begun. This past Saturday, the stars aligned for a picture perfect spring day and 12,000 Portlanders turned out en masse for food and fun on the South Park Blocks. It was an amazing sight. See it for yourself in this cool video from Cooking Up a Story that takes a peek at opening day from the farmers’ perspective.

If pictures are more your thing, “taste” opening day through the eyes of two of our favorite bloggers. PFM volunteer Allison Jones snapped these fantastic shots and our community partner and Pietopia creator Tricia Martin captured these sights. Enjoy!

See you at the market!