Soon enough the sun will be out and it will be time to hit the grill and get bbq’n! So grab your dogs and burgers and get to it!

The Cyan is living green even with our bbq’s! No dinosour burning fosil fuels here…just good old wood coals!

Here is how to get started:

Next to the grills you will find natural wood charcoal provided for you. Fill up the top portion of the chimney with the coals and the lower part with newspaper sprayed with a bit of cooking oil. Light the paper and wait for the coals to turn bright red, this should take about 5-10mins.

Pour the hot coals out and pile them to one side of the grill creating a hot zone on one side and warming zone on the other. This will help control the temp and allow you to sear and cook at the same time. You can also adjust the height of the grill surface by raising and lowering the grill face with the wheel to the right.

Once the grill surface is hot use the metal rod and triangle piece to clean the chanels of residue and start grilling.

After you are finished up raise the grill as high as it goes and brush the grill to clean while still hot.

Enjoy this summer of grilling and don’t forget to use some of those herbs from the garden to build marinades and rubs!

Get excited for the seasonal opening of the PSU Saturday Farmers Market this Saturday, March 20. The Saturday Market is located at Portland State University in the South Park Blocks between SW Hall & SW Montgomery. Make the most of the Oregon sunshine (in any form) and head over to the market for some fresh treats.

Dates: Saturdays, March 20 through December 18

Times: 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – March thru October
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – November & December

Mark Edlen,  a managing principal of Gerding Edlen, said a combination of extended tax credits and other incentives could produce thousands of jobs. In Portland alone, perhaps half of 75 million square feet of commercial office space needs to be retrofitted with efficient electrical, water and sewage systems, he said.

He proposed increasing the gas tax and dedicating a portion of it to energy efficiency projects, saying there is “a generation’s worth of work” for laborers, electricians, architects, engineers and those who arrange financing for such projects.

Continue reading The Oregonian’s coverage of Tuesday’s news conference.

Also present at Tuesdays conference were representatives from Nike, Starbucks, local unions & youthgroups, and more.

Join in on the discussion with a Q&A session following the program.  February 25 , Arlington Club (811 SW Salmon Street). Registration begins at 4 pm, program begins at 4:15pm.

RSVP to Kelsey at khultengren@perkinsaccounting.com or 503.221.7548.

As if that wasn’t enough to excite Cyan/PDX, the issue introduces readers to artist and physicist, Julian Voss-Andreae and his incredible (and almost disappearing) Quantum Man. Grab the next issue you see!

Photo courtesy of www.julianvossandreae.com

Join the celebration of nature, by volunteering your time and energy to something you love and want others to enjoy. Oregon Metro offers up different volunteer programs for different folks. Whether it is the fun of showing both children and adults alike how to discover nature or doing restoration projects, you will discover something within yourself.  This site also gives information on activities to do, places to go and sustainable living. So give an hour do teach someone, something new!

All you have ever wanted to know about green gadgets from conferences to websites. Gadgets are great, but gadgets which are energy efficient and sustainable are fantastic! The following websites offer up cool little tidbits about green technology and how powerful the benefits really are.

Check out greener gadgets,  envirogadget, cool green gadgets, inhabitat, and sierra club for more ways to live in harmony with mother earth.

The Vancouver Olympic games are coming up February 12 -28, what will you be doing? Below are some tips on having a sustainable trip!

Do what you can to help make the Games sustainable.

Here are some key strategies for you to consider when you attend the 2010 Winter Games to help us meet our sustainability objectives: 

• Choose an alternate mode of transportation to get around, whether you’re attending Games events or moving about the region. Lots of options – including expanded public transit, pedestrian and cycling routes and rideshare/carpool programs – are available. Learn more about transportation options for the Games.

• Practice the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) using the bins provided at all Games venues.

• Take only what you need. In order to reduce your need for paper guides as much as possible, Vancouver2010.com will feature all the information you need to enjoy the 2010 Winter Games experience.

• Use travel mugs (reusable mugs) instead of disposable cups wherever possible. You can find many varieties at the Olympic Store! Visit http://www.vancouver2010.com/store.

Find more information at http://www.vancouver2010.com/sustainability/

WHEN: Every first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm.

WHERE: Main Lobby on the first floor of the Ecotrust Building, 721 NW Ninth Avenue. 

FEATURING: Hot Lips Pizza and Beer

SIGN UP: Here

175-square-foot studio just enough for couple, 2 cats

Their cozy, $150,000 apartment leaves them plenty of room — and money — for comforts outside the home.

Posted by Mai Ling at MSN Real Estate on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 10:24 AM

There’s a lotta love in New York’s tiniest apartment. Not that Zaarath and Christopher Prokop have much of a choice, nestled in their 175-square-foot “microstudio” with their two cats.

 But The New York Postwrites that for the Prokops, who bought the apartment three months ago for $150,000, it was a choice.

Small, simple designed condos are growing more popular in many metropolitan areas

Their first apartment, in New Jersey, was 1,600 square feet, and with downsizing already on the brain they moved into a 900-square-foot apartment in Jersey City. When Manhattan became their next destination, they decided they could go even smaller.

Read http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/listed.aspx?feat=1418998&GT1=35000 for more….