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 ryan@portlandfarmersmarket.org anytime.

See you at the market!

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

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!

At the request of some friends, we’ve put together a list of reasons why people might call this ‘green’… more