I was surprised to realize that I haven't posted anything during these past 7 months, but I did want to dust off the blog to share that I am proud to know my previous work at Portland State still pays dividends.
Read moreNeighborhood Advocacy: Metro Council unanimously awards $30 million to 12 walking, biking and freight projects around greater Portland
In a previous post, I'd mentioned the success that the Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association had in securing resources for much-needed improvements to Errol Heights Park, highlighting the role of patience and perseverance when working on change-making projects in the community. In this post, I wanted to quickly highlight the critical role that leadership and teamwork play in supporting community transformation as well.
Read moreTeamwork: Institute for Sustainable Solutions Impact Report 2016
At the beginning of this new year, we at the Institute for Sustainable Solutions would like to reflect on recent accomplishments of our students, faculty, and community partners, and offer inspiration as we look ahead to 2017.
Read moreChange takes time: Commissioner Fritz announces funding for PP&R's Errol Heights Park enhancement
Photo: Volunteers with Portland Parks & Recreation, Friends of Errol Heights, Friends of Trees and Johnson Creek Watershed Council planted native trees and shrubs in a newly acquired parcel of the Errol Heights natural area on November 19, 2016. Native plants support a diversity of insects and wildlife, and provide cleaner air and water for all Portlanders. Photos are courtesy of Portland Parks & Recreation, Portland, OR.
If I have learned one thing from my professional work or role as a community leader, it is that change takes time, and you have to stay focused and remain patient.
Case in point: In 2011, I had the pleasure of working with another community leader on the Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association and a few PSU students on a catalytic project to create a new community garden at Errol Heights Park. The 10,000 square foot garden added 45 new garden plots to Portland Parks and Recreation's Community Gardens program, and the project served as the first improvement to a hidden gem in SE Portland that, in my opinion, rivals Oaks Bottoms for its natural area.
This project helped set into motion a $5.3 million investment that Commissioner Fritz recently announced for additional park improvements.
Read morePortland State wins national award for community engagement
I'm very excited to announce that some of the programs that I lead contributed to PSU winning a national award for community engagement. Check out more below!
Read moreFlooodplain risks, bike planning, cleaner air: Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative fall 2016 roster
Students celebrate after a successful day talking with homeowners in the Johnson Creek floodplain
This fall, eight PSU classes will collaborate with local government agencies and community-based organizations through the Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI). Students and community leaders will come together to address important sustainability challenges ranging from floodplain mitigation planning in east Portland to placemaking in downtown Portland.
SNI works by connecting Portland State University students and faculty with groups of community organizations in Portland neighborhoods. Students and the organizations work together to address sustainability challenges. SNI provides rich learning and research opportunities that engage students in real-world problem solving while adding capacity to help local organizations advance their projects and initiatives.
Read moreThe Organizational Spine: Supporting Community Engagement
I presented last week at the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) 2016 national meeting in Washington, D.C.
Read moreNew book provides toolbox for campus-community collaboration on sustainability efforts
Portland State’s motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” speaks to the value the University places on engagement with its community and region. A recently released book by the same name describes the multi-faceted process of building sustainability programs at Portland State University—programs that rely on strong university-community relationships and a two-way pipeline of knowledge development and exchange.
Edited by PSU’s B.D. Wortham-Galvin, Jennifer Allen, and Jacob Sherman, with a foreword by President Wim Wiewel and chapter contributions by more than 25 PSU professors and staff, Let Knowledge Serve the City is the first book in Greenleaf Publishing’s Sustainable Solutions Series. It aims to share the University’s collective successes and challenges to help other colleges and universities develop programs that connect students and faculty with the needs of local communities to advance efforts around social justice, climate change, sustainable economic development, and more.
Read on for a Q&A with the book’s editors.
Read moreTrailrunning Trip Report: Mt. St. Helens Circumnavigation 2016
Loowit Trail #216, elevation profile. Photo: Jacob Sherman
I have always loved hiking, backpacking, and being outdoors. Over the past couple of years, running has become increasingly important to me as a way to remain fit, manage stress, and explore new places. More recently, I have turned to trail running as it easily combines my love of the outdoors with my love for running. This trip report describes my longest trail running adventure, to date, on the Loowit Trail around Mt. St. Helens.
Read moreBeekeeping creates a "buzz" at Portland State University
Photo: PSU Institute for Sustainable Solutions
When National Pollinator Week happened during June 2016, exciting news broke about Portland State University hosting two new honeybee hives at our 49-acre urban campus.
Read moreJapan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for ESD
Reflections on a recent keynote lecture and workshop that I delivered on the history of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and integrating ESD projects into the curriculum to twenty K-12 teachers from Japan and the U.S. who were participating in Fulbright Japan and the Institute for International Education's teacher exchange program in San Francisco, CA.
Read moreCatalyzing Research on Urban Air Toxics in Portland, Oregon
In February 2016, news broke about U.S. Forest Service research on moss that showed high levels of arsenic and cadmium in Portland's air, prompting calls for more oversight and a swift reaction to what lawmakers have identified as “a public health emergency.” Early on, I learned that Dr. Linda George wanted to conduct cutting-edge research on air toxics and heavy metals dispersion in Portland, but that to do so she would need a new piece of equipment for her laboratory—a bench x-ray florescence machine. My boss, ISS Director Robert Liberty, and I discussed this and agreed that it made sense to support Dr. George’s research capacity while also positioning the University to respond to a timely issue of great community concern.
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