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Neighbohood Associations- Partners For Going Green
Jan Spencer

A growing number of people are beginning to appreciate the ideas of living much more eco logically. The news is full of stories about sketchy economics, climate change, tight energy supplies and food costs rising fast. These and still other trends will increasingly affect each of us. They all point to lifestyle changes – living closer to home and reducing our ecological footprints.

The issues are complex but what is emerging is a much broader civic realization that human activity is degrading the planet's capacity to satisfy the growing wants of a growing human population. What was once abundant is now far less so and the prospects of sharpening global competition for diminishing resources along with widespread plunging health of eco systems should motivate us to make unprecedented lifestyle changes.

Eugene's neighborhood associations are a perfect place to connect and collaborate with our friends and neighbors to make those major changes in how we take care of our needs. Its good timing. At their March meeting, the Neighborhood Leaders Council, made up of representatives from each of Eugene's city affiliated neighborhood organizations, agreed to consider the idea of organizing a second neighborhood summit. The first summit, over a year ago, brought together well over one hundred fifty neighborhood leaders and city staff, had many positive outcomes and everyone agreed it was a great event that should happen again.

A n'hood summit, with a strong green component, could lay the foundation for neighborhood organizations to much more effectively work together on greening our neighborhoods. The summit could invite many other organizations in town that would make wonderful partners with neighborhoods for greening where we live such as non profits with eco orientations, local food non profits, the scouts, schools, service organizations and communities of faith. All of these groups have an interest in healthy communities and would likely welcome being invited to participate in civic projects with timely and positive goals for the neighborhood and community.

The city already has programs that could be become increasingly useful tools for n'hoods such as Stream Team, volunteers for parks, the city community garden program, the parks department, the new Sustainability Office and more. A summit could help define how n'hoods and the city could partner more effectively. Other n'hood land use concerns such as infill, opportunity siting, creating mixed use centers can also benefit by looking at them from a more eco logical perspective.

At their March meeting, the n'hood leaders agreed a second summit should include a specific green component. [The proposed summit will include several important n'hood issues] At the April NLC meeting, the summit idea will be on the agenda for more in depth discussion. NLC reps have been asked to discuss the summit idea with their n'hood boards and membership and report back when the NLC meets again. Even more, the NLC indicated an intention of creating a new sub committee to focus on environmental issues.

This is a wonderful step forward and it offers an opening to move green initiatives much further along in Eugene. The neighborhood organizations are affiliated with the city but can create strong independent green agendas that are initiatied and supported by their memberships. A city wide summit with a thoughtful eco logical component has the potential to produce some of the most definitive forward progress ever for greening where we live and how we live.

Neighborhood organizations are always welcoming to new people with interest in positive civic involvement. New members with a green lean can help shape neighborhood agendas for facilitating resource conservation, mutual assistance networks, local food production, neighborhood economics and many other creative and healthy initiatives. If n'hoods had programs and projects for greening the 'hood easily accessible, they could tap into an existing and growing movement of people wanting to green their lifestyles and put more of their efforts into projects closer to home.

Amazon Neighborhood's May 14 General Meeting will be about creating new green networks in the n'hood, taking care of more needs and increasing food production closer to home. Another event, a social, program and potluck, May 17 at the First Methodist Church, will be all about urban food production. Perma Jam II will take place May 27 in River Road. It will be a four hour intensive on transforming suburban properties- grass to garden, passive solar design, rain water catchment, extending the growing season, food storage, automobile space- liability to livability and much more. See www.eugenepermacultureguild.org for an event calendar providing more info on all these dates and many others.

There is momentum building for greening our neighborhoods and there are compelling reasons to pick up the pace. Find out when and where your neighborhood association meets. Participating in your neighborhood organization is a great way to be part of a growing movement to live more eco logically, manifest our positive human potentials and uplift our communities.

Find out your N'hood chairs- call them and encourage a green summit,

Link below- cut and paste- tells n'hood chairs/phone/e mail, n'hood meeting times and locations, locator maps of all the city's n'hoods so you can determine which n'hood you are in

On the city n'hood web page, choose a n'hood association from the list on the right "neighborhood association information" - info and a map will correspond to your choice of n'hood. chairs, meeting locations, time, etc

http://www.eugene-or.gov/portal/server.pt?space=CommunityPage&control=SetCommunity&CommunityID=230&PageID=368