If you want an excuse to get down to the water in mid-September, RiverFest may be the event for you. The annual festival is now in its fifth year and will take place from Sept. 21-23. It features an assortment of river-related activities in Portland, up and down the Willamette River.

For the athletically-inclined, Cathedral Park will serve as the backdrop for the Portland Triathlon, recognized as the Greenest Triathlon in the U.S. by Triathlete Magazine in 2010. The event will be held concurrently with the family-friendly River Fair, also taking place at Cathedral Park. For those that prefer a more leisurely place, Alder Creek Kayak and Portland Kayaking Company will be offering kayak tours closer to downtown. While you are there, be sure to check out SOLVE’s RiverFest Cleanup, OMSI’s OMNIMAX Theater showings and Industry & Art - all taking place in conjunction with RiverFest.

View the event schedule at www.portlandriverfest.org for more information about the events, times and costs.

Last weekend, Terminal 4 was host to another successful Seaport Celebration. The annual event is a festive day of family-oriented activities put on by the Port of Portland and many of our community partners and terminal operators. Though the weather was unseasonably mild, people of all ages turned out to enjoy interactive displays, games, jet boat tours and a cruise on the Portland Spirit. This year’s event was a first-rate success in another regard.

We have been steadily improving upon waste minimization efforts at our headquarters building, with a goal of achieving Zero Waste status. This is no small feat when you consider that our main office is home to about 450 employees on any given work day. We also strive to minimize waste whenever possible at Port-sponsored events and this year we are proud to report that Seaport Celebration was a Zero Waste event.

After tallying the numbers, the event achieved an impressive 97 percent waste diversion rate. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency threshold for Zero Waste status is a 90 percent or greater diversion rate. Much of this success is due to dedicated Port staff and the efforts of the Port of Portland Technical Assistance Project. PTAP staff is part of Portland State University’s Community Environmental Services program and work in partnership with Port staff to reduce landfill-bound waste by implementing recycling, composting and other waste prevention programs.

Related Links

Zero Waste Alliance

PSU - Community Environmental Services - Port of Portland Technical Assistance Project

The final tour in this year's Portland Harbor: Behind the Scenes series will highlight Toyota Logistics Services located at the Port of Portland's Terminal 4. Get an up-close look at the first industrial site in the nation to earn a Salmon-Safe certification and one of the first industrial facilities to earn Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design (LEED) Gold certification. TLS imports tens of thousands of vehicles each year through their docks. With approximately 200 local employees and a regional economic impact of $271 per vehicle, not only is TLS an economic driver for Portland, their commitment to the environment is exceptional. Learn how your new Lexus, Scion or Toyota could come through Portland and how their facility-wide commitment to the environment results in a 98.1 percent recycling rate.

The tour will take place Wednesday, July 18 from noon–3 p.m. Tours are 1.5 hours long and will be scheduled in stages within that timeframe. Participants must be at least 15 years of age and minors are required to be accompanied by an adult. Please RSVP to Brooke Berglund by email or by phone at 503.415.6532.

Related Link:

Portland Harbor: Behind the Scenes Tour and Lecture Series

Portland's Working Waterfront

It’s finally summer! With the arrival of warmer and more pleasant weather, there’s no better excuse to spend some time in and around Portland’s waterways. Check out these two upcoming events, made possible by a few of the Port of Portland’s community partners. Both events will occur on Sunday, July 29.

The Columbia Slough Watershed Council’s eighteenth annual Columbia Slough Regatta will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The on-the-water festival is a leisurely group paddle along the slough’s gentle waters, suitable for beginners and experienced paddlers alike. Bring your own boat or take advantage of CSWC’s complimentary 45-minute canoe or kayak rental. Boats will depart from the St. Johns Boat Launch and head either to the Ramsey Wetlands area or east along Smith and Bybee wetlands. Besides great paddling opportunities, the event will offer community information tables, paddling safety information, face painting and food for purchase. CSWC suggests a $7 donation to help support their education, restoration and recreation programs within the watershed.

Photo courtesy of Columbia Slough Watershed Council

On the other side of town, head down to the Willamette River for the second annual Big Float, an event celebrating the river, its preservation and recreational opportunities. A westward parade across the Hawthorne Bridge begins at 12:30 p.m., followed by an approximately one-hour float across the river, landing on the east bank at Hawthorne Cove. Participants will be greeted with food carts, exhibits, sponsor booths, live music and beer once they reach the east shore of the river. A $5 registration fee covers event costs and extra proceeds will be donated to Willamette Riverkeeper. All floaters must have a floatation device and wear a life jacket, both of which can be purchased when you register online or at the event. Registration begins on-site at 10 a.m. or you may register online ahead of time.

Boasting numerous cycling events and a diehard bike culture, it’s not surprising that Portland is back on top as the nation’s best city for cycling.  Whether you’re a frequent flyer or arriving in Portland for the first time, you may be surprised to learn that PDX offers some unique bike-friendly features, including our bike assembly station recently mentioned in a CNN article about outstanding airport amenities.

Last Friday, Port of Portland staff once again got to show off our bike facilities when our friends at PDX By Bike returned to host the Airport Ride as part of Pedalpalooza 2012. Participants took advantage of the beautiful weather to enjoy multi-use paths leading up to and around the airport and toured the amenities that welcome travelers. First-time visitors may want to check out PDX By Bike’s bike guides and zine for cyclists new to Portland. Regular travelers, flying to and from PDX, benefit from secure bike parking areas. If you missed the ride, you can learn more about the airport’s bike resources online.

 Related Links:

Pedalpalooza 2012

Port of Portland Bike Resources

Greetings! Before I begin peppering the blogosphere with new posts, I’d like to take a few moments to introduce myself. I joined the Port of Portland a few weeks ago as Environmental Outreach Manager and am pleased to serve as the new primary blogger for Port Currents.

I have a life-long interest in environmental issues and a background in environmental policy and planning. Several years ago, I completed two years of volunteer service throughout the eastern United States. Those rewarding, and sometimes trying, two years involved rebuilding projects following Hurricane Katrina and a medley of other environmental and community improvement projects. This further sparked my interest in the pairing of environmental and community issues and ultimately led to launching my career with the Pacific Northwest’s largest public involvement consulting firm. During that time, I continued to work with local communities to help people understand and evaluate important issues, policies and projects that may affect their daily lives, in their neighborhood and beyond.

There’s no denying that Portlanders and metropolitan area residents place incredible value on the high quality of life we all enjoy. It may be something a little different for each of us. For me, it’s being able to live in a vibrant urban area and still access some of the nation’s best hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing and surfing. We all care a great deal for our community and its future. The Port of Portland is a crucial component of our local economy, community and environment and I’m looking forward to helping keep each of you informed and involved. 

--Lisa Timmerman

Kayaking through downtown on the Willamette River

Port of Portland’s deicing treatment facility at Portland International Airport won third place among 99 other projects in the Daily Journal of Commerce’s annual TopProjects competition.

PDX’s new 12,000-square-foot, on-site deicing treatment facility was recognized for its excellence and ingenuity in Public Works - Infrastructure and Transportation enhancements to facilitate the capture of stormwater runoff from the airport’s ramps and runways. The enhanced airport deicing system collects and monitors stormwater runoff on the airport’s 2,000 acres, nearly doubling its capacity for housing and treatment. Its eco-friendly use of anaerobic fluidized bed biological reactors to help break down deicing material is also a noteworthy system function.

DJC’s TopProjects encourages organizations that create public works, transportation and renovation projects in Oregon and Washington to enter to win the most outstanding building project of the year, among other awards. Since its inception, the competition has become an industry tradition.

Features of the new facility include a new 3-million gallon concentrated runoff storage tank, two 6.5 million gallon dilute runoff storage tanks, three pump stations, and more than six miles of underground piping, with an outfall to the Columbia River. 

Related links:

DJCs 2012 TopProjects - Winners

PDX Deicing Treatment Facility - Contest Submission by JE Dunn Construction

Friends of Trees, a local non-profit organization which plants and cares for city trees and green spaces celebrated another record-breaking planting season at its annual Leadership Award Luncheon in May, naming Port of Portland its Community Partner Award winner of the year. Leadership awards were also presented to NW Natural and the Audubon Society – Portland Chapter.

Bill Wyatt, executive director of the Port, accepted the Community Partner Award, honoring the Port for contributing tens of thousands of dollars to community tree plantings during the past decade. Wyatt noted the Port values its partnership with Friends of Trees so it can give back to the community. “I think we’re going to have a long and prosperous relationship,” he said.

Since 1989, Friends of Trees has planted more than 450,000 trees and native plants in the Portland-Vancouver and Eugene-Springfield metro areas. With the help of more than 3,500 volunteers and hundreds of donors, Friends of Trees has planted more than 43,000 trees and native plants during the 2011-12 planting season, including more than 5,300 street and yard trees, a 15 percent increase from last year, and nearly 38,000 trees and native plants in green spaces, a 36 percent increase from last year.

Related links:

Friends of Trees

Friends of Trees Honors 2012 Award Luncheon

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 2012 Friends of Trees leadership award winners and emcee, from left: Von Summers (NW Natural), Scott Fogarty (Friends of Trees), Bill Wyatt (Port of Portland), Bob Sallinger (Audubon Society of Portland), and Tracy Barry (KGW)

Photo taken by Lucia DeLisa

Renewable electricity using light and heat from the sun is helping Portland International Airport win the war on winter, and protect nearby waterways.

Solar panels are contributing power to the treatment facility for the airport’s newly expanded deicing stormwater collection system. The facility treats runoff containing deicers used on the airfield and aircraft to enhance flight safety when the weather is cold.

The facility’s largest of two solar arrays is a 28-kilowatt ground-mount system featuring 120 SolarWorld panels commissioned in December. The project was funded through a Blue Sky renewable energy grant from Pacific Power. Commissioned in November, a n additional 6.6-kilowatt ground-mount system utilizing 32 solar panels also serves the facility. Both solar arrays are examples of the Port’s continuing work to integrate environmental considerations into our operations.

“We are proud to be a part of the solar energy movement,” said Susan Aha, Port of Portland deicing program manager. “It allows us (the Port) to do our jobs efficiently, and sustain the benefits of our work in the community for years to come.”

Following two years of construction, testing is now underway on the expanded deicing stormwater collection system. The system includes a new 3-million gallon concentrated runoff storage tank, two 6.5-million gallon dilute runoff storage tanks, and three pump stations. Also included is the treatment facility, more than six miles of underground piping, and an outfall to the Columbia River. All system components are scheduled to operate in full compliance with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality permit requirements by April 30.

This spring, more than 70,000 bees are expected to fly into the Port of Portland to inhabit a custom-made Langstroth bee hive.

The first of its kind at the Port, the hive assembly was carefully constructed by Greg Sparks, Port project development manager and avid beekeeper. Sparks will install the hive on the ecoroof located on the 10^th floor of the Port headquarters building. When in flower, the ecoroof acts as a foraging home for bees and native pollinators.

While honeybee pollination is vital in much agricultural food production, honeybee populations are in decline in North America. The hive will further Port environmental efforts by offering honeybees a secure place to live and thrive and propagate the species. The hive will also raise the awareness of the importance of honeybees. 

The hive is made of natural pine and cedar and contains more than 40 frames that the bees will use to build comb for making and storing honey and for the queen to lay eggs and raise young bees. Once established, the colony could produce up to 100 pounds of honey during the six-month pollination period, and will forage for up to two miles from their home. Honey produced by the colony will not be harvested the first year to allow them to become a well established and thriving colony. The colony will not be treated with chemicals, but rather be allowed to exist naturally in their new environment.

Port employees will watch as the honeybees work and produce honey; learn about the 45-day lifecycle of a worker bee, and the three-year lifecycle of the queen bee, and witness the ever-changing lifecycle of a honeybee colony.