Archive for the ‘Living green’ Category

The Cyan gets ready for the Holidays!

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

After a trip out to the Beaverton Holiday U Cut Family Tree Farm ( http://www.holidayucut.com/ ) yesterday the Cyan is now ready for the Holidays! So come down to our community Living Room, grab a cup of hot coco, and watch the lights of our Holiday tree twinkle.

Cyan Holiday Tree

Holiday Trees Improve the Environment

  • Each acre of Holiday Trees provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people, converting CO2 to Oxygen.
  • For each Holiday Tree that is cut, we replant a new tree each year.
  • 93% of real trees are recycled into mulch and used in landscaping and gardening or chipped and used for playground material, hiking trails, paths and walkways. They can be used for beachfront erosion prevention, lake and river shoreline stabilization and fish and wildlife habitat.
  • Artificial Trees are manufactured with PVC, a non-biodegradable, petroleum-derived plastic. These put toxins into the air during production and are non-biodegradeable and non-recycleable, meaning they will end up in a landfill after their lifecylce is finished.
  • A single farmed tree absorbs more than 1 ton of CO2 throughout its lifetime.
  • The lightest environmental impact provides for families cutting trees from a local tree farm that focuses on safe and conscientious practice.

Did you know?

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

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Did you know . . . .Every year, Americans throw away enough office and writing paper to build a wall 12 feet high, stretching from Los Angeles to New York City.

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This photo shows 29.4% of garbage is paper, but this figure is increasing and now 34.2% of all garbage is paper. Paper usage is rising by around 20% every year, with the average office worker using approximately 50 sheets of paper every day in the typical office. More than 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail and American consumers receive 41 pounds of junk mail each year.

 

 

Yoga is back! Here at Cyan/PDX

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

The Yoga classes at Cyan are back from a recent break. Join Boo, our new Yoga instructor, on Mondays from 6-7pm every week! Residents get a great drop-in rate of $10 per class.

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Enjoy the night lights of the city from this 16th story penthouse apartment! PIC-0014

Check out this photo of Boo, the instructor! Don’t be intimidated, this pose was not practiced in class (we got her to do this great pose afterward) and all levels are welcome.

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We hope to see you next Monday!

Global carbon emissions budget already off track and could run out as soon as 2034!

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

carbonGlobal accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers completed a report on the greenhouse gases emitted since 2000 and found that the global carbon emissions “budget” they’ve created is off track already. Here are a few snippets:

“It said the world was already far above a ‘budget’ of total emissions of 1,300 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from 2000-50 which it estimated as the maximum permissible while avoiding the worst of climate change.” …

… ” ‘If you stay on this path the entire carbon budget will be used by about 2034, about 16 years early,’ John Hawksworth, head of macroeconomics at PwC, told Reuters of the report, based on a new PwC Low Carbon Economy Index.”

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So, are you looking for ways to reduce your carbon emissions? The Nature Conservancy has a carbon footprint calculator you can use to find out. Then see what you can do to lower it…

Portland wants streetcar moved for planned sustainability center

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

If anyone was watching Channel 8 yesterday, you heard the proposal on moving a piece of the Portland Streetcar line. This change would take place close to home for those of us at Cyan/PDX, so worth checking out! What do you think?

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“The project isn’t absolutely necessary but the city says its important nonetheless. A planned addition to Portland’s skyline is part of the motivation for moving the streetcar tracks.”

See the whole article at Channel 8.

Check out the short listed design entries from Designboom’s Green Life Competition!

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Cool new toys that can add up to huge savings for the environment….sounds like the best of both worlds to me!!!

Mp3 player powered by kinetic energy!

Mp3 player powered by kinetic energy!

Check out the other short listed entries at http://www.designboom.com/contest/winner.php?contest_pk=28

Green Design in Color!!!! What the People are Saying!

Monday, November 16th, 2009

This past Thursday was our first “Personal Design in Green Spaces” event and…..wait for it….it was a success!!!!  Picture 008

Folks said comments like, “ ….. had great use of space and use of cement pillars for a chalkboard and that unique apartment had the best use of found and recycled/reused items for design.” The conversations that I overheard were that the resident was very creative with their use of art and space and that large loft looked livable-not like a hotel, that it was homey.  

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The night started out with an Oregon pinot, some funky music and a smile on every one’s face. It ended with laughter, looks of awe,  four winners and ideas for the next Personal Design in Green Spaces.   Picture 013

Residents with the best use of space, most unique, judges choice and the highlighted audience award were given Aquariva Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar gift certificates. Aquariva is located on the South Waterfront, next to the Avalon Hotel.

If you didn’t get a chance to stop by, a book highlighting the apartments showcased is being created and will be in the lobby for viewing!

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Personal Design in Green Spaces this Thursday 6-9pm!

Monday, November 9th, 2009

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Business and Sustainability Conference today a the Gov. Hotel!

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

The Conference begins this am and will run through Friday Nov. 6th. Every business leader should be interested in this! Check out the website below for details and don’t miss anymore of this fantastic event.

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“This conference brings together leading industry practitioners and scholars to share best practices and leading edge research. The conference’s innovative format provides for in-depth dialogue from industry representatives during the first day, followed by a series of presentations from academic researchers on the second day.

regenerate: How can sustainability inspire creative solutions? Innovative approaches? New ways of solving economic, social and environmental challenges?

The theme of this year’s conference is regenerate. In the midst of a difficult economic time sustainability provides both an ethos and an operating principle for deriving new methods to revitalize our organizations and societies. Through the lens of regenerate, a series of presentations, interactive case study sessions and keynote addresses during this two day event will provide immediate value to those seeking ideas for sustainability-focused inspiration and implementation in their organizations.” -http://sba.pdx.edu/sustainabilityconference09/

Today on Design*Sponge Guest Blog!

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

People have a lot to say abut Cyan/PDX! Ok, so we’re not trying to brag or anything…

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but here’s what they say:

“Another exciting living situation here in portland is the newly completed cyan apartment building downtown, which i knew nothing about until i attended an event under a giant tent on their faux-grass outdoor communal area a few weeks ago. i took a tour of the building afterwards, and there’s so many perks to living there it was mind blowing! there are many newer eco/green apartment buildings here in portland, but i haven’t run across any others that have all these features: pet friendly, an on-site concierge, gym facilities, movie nights and lecture series in the community areas, a community garden area, walking distance to the farmer’s market, restaurants, and shops. modeled on the best of efficient european and asian urban living,the apartments themselves are stunning and the entire building expects to be leed gold certified soon. wow. how’s that for apartment living?!”