“The concept of using durable, petroleum plastics, designed to last for hundreds of thousands of years, to carry groceries or seal a sandwich for an hour is ludicrous.” -Anna Cummins

Plastics are destroying our oceans, but we have a long way to go in gleaning us off of our plastic dependency. In 2008 a team of Algalita Marine Research Foundation staff set sail from Los Angeles to Hawaii on JUNKRaft, a raft made from 15,000 plastic bottles in order to raise awareness about plastic marine debris.

CoHo Theater presents a special preview performance of The Uneasy Chair by Evan Smith benefitting Neighbors West Northwest. Neighbors West Northwest is a non-profit coalition of twelve Portland neighborhoods. The play is a Victorian Comedy about manners, love, and misunderstanding. Tickets are $35 or $25 for Seniors and Students. Tickets include complimentary food by The Multnomah Athletic Club, Beer and Wine. The performance is May 7th at 8:00 PM with the reception starting at 7:00 PM. To purchase tickets go to www.nwnw.org/benefit.html or call 1-800-494-TIXS. For more information contact Angela 503-823-4211 or [email protected].

Wednesday April 29th, 7:00 pm Sierra Club Office 1821 SE Ankeny St, Portland

Join the Sierra Club in kicking off our new campaign, Beyond Coal, at an exciting event where you'll learn more about Oregon's Dirty Little Secret -that 40% of our electricity comes from burning coal - it's impact on our communities, and how you can get involved in our groundbreaking efforts to make Oregon kick the coal habit. Enjoy compelling speakers, take action, and meet other people who want to advance clean energy!

Job Title:                    Energy Scheduler Bilingual Russian/English

Reports to:                 Energy Program Coordinator

FLSA Status:              Non-Exempt

Pay:                             $10.94/hour ($22,772/year) to start, raise to $11.82/hour ($24,594/year) after six months of satisfactory performance

NATIONAL INDIAN CHILD WELFARE ASSOCIATION

POSITION TITLE:               Project Support

SALARY RANGE:                Level I $27,000 to $30,000

CLASSIFICATION:             Administrative, regular, full time, non-exempt

SUPERVISOR:                     Support Services Manager

VOZ Workers Rights Education Project is recruiting 2 interns for the summer of 2009. Both positions are 3-4 month positions for 12-20 hours/week. These internships are unpaid. We are flexible and can work with your schedule.

1. Volunteer Coordinator:Work with VOZ staff members to recruit, schedule, and provide contact with VOZ volunteers (both allies and day laborers).

2. Marketing/Communications Intern: Create plan to market and promote the Portland Day Labor Center and VOZ Workers Rights Education Project to community members in the Portland area.

Interested candidates should email a resume and cover letter to [email protected] by 5 p.m. Friday, April 24.

Helping those in need can't be done with a push of a button--it takes a community. Please join us by donating new or gently used clothes, or non-perishable food items for families and individuals who need help getting through these tough times. Volunteers are welcome as well. Find out more at www.beaverton.org/takecare.html. Donations may be made at locations throughout Beaverton--Anthem College 4145 SW Watson Ave, Sunshine Food Pantry 7795 SW Cirrus Dr, Beaverton Clothes Closet, 16550 SW Merlo Rd, Beaverton Farmer's Market, Beaverton Community Center 12375 SW 5th St.

E-Commerce for Your Business, Resources and Tools

When: Wednesday, April 29, 2009: 6:30-8:00 pm

Where: Mercy Corps Northwest Office 2069 NE Hoyt St., Portland

Event Description: Adam Stites, President Xtremez.com, presents E-Commerce tools for your business. Learn what tools and resources exist to increase your businesses’ sales through e-commerce. Whether you are currently selling online or are considering a transactional website, you’ll walk away with actionable next steps to grow your business online

More Info: $5 for Mercy Corps Northwest clients, $10 for community members. All proceeds benefit Mercy Corps Northwest programs.

Please RSVP to Heather at [email protected]

Friends of Trees is hosting benefit barbeques at all 9 New Seasons' stores on April 25th-26th, from 12:00-4:00 and we need your help! Volunteers will get a snazzy Friends of Trees t-shirt, and will hand out food and talk about what an incredible organization Friends of Trees is! We're happy to train new volunteers! We need help at the following stores: Happy Valley, Mountain Park, Orenco Station and Raleigh Hills. Please contact Greg Tudor, Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator at [email protected], or call 503.282.8846! Thanks!

Saturday, April 25th 10:00 am - 7:00 pm Wallace Park (SW Raleigh St and 25th Ave)

What to help the planet this Earth Day?

Volunteer at the Sierra Club earth day booth to hand out information and collect petition signatures asking PGE to stop burning coal! It’s easy, fun and just two hours can really make a difference! This event is free and open to the public.

Contact Robin Everett to sign up for your two hour shift at [email protected] or call (503) 238-0442 x307.

Help us get your neighbors involved in our campaign! Join us for fun night of Pizza and Phone-calling. Nervous about calling folks? Don’t be! We are calling friendly Sierra Club members and giving them an opportunity to get involved in their community and to help make Oregon coal-free.

Tuesday, April 21st 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Thursday, April 23rd 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Tuesday, April 28th 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Meet us at the Sierra Club office at 1821 SE Ankeny St in Portland and learn about our campaign and then jump on the phone and tell fellow Sierra Club members about it!

To sign up, contact Cesia Kearns at [email protected] or call (503) 238-0442 x303.

Impact Northwest's Rigler SUN Community School is housed in a vibrant and diverse school community. We need volunteers to help with our SCHOOL CARNIVAL on May 29, 2009 from 4-9pm. Volunteers are needed to help with set-up/clean-up, the bouncy house, dunk tank, cake walk, facepainting, carnival games, book sale, ticket sales, auction/raffle, and food booths. This is a great opportunity to help a diverse community.

If you would like to get involved, please contact Jill Morrow at [email protected] or 503-988-4996 x265.

Impact NW is seeking a male volunteer mentor who would like to be matched with a male student at Clark K-8@ Binsmead school. This 4th grader is very high energy, loves to talk, rap, dance, and perform. Coming from a single parent home he needs to have a positive male role model in his life to look up to and hang out with. Meet one-on-one with your mentee for one hour each week on the school premises between 2:30 and 5:00pm. If you would like to be a consistent, positive role model to a 4th grade male student at Clark K-8 @ Binsmead school in SE Portland and spend quality time building a trusting relationship, please contact Jill Morrow at 503-988-4996 x265 or [email protected] for more information. Minimum age for mentors is 18 years old.

Spring is Here, so renew your clients’ confidence in gaining access to housing through education...teach them to overcome typical rental screening barriers with Ready To Rent! The next Certified Instructor Training will be held June 2-4, 2009.

This three-day training will equip agency providers with the necessary tools to successfully guide clients through the Ready to Rent process. The training consists of an interactive, participatory learning environment that will stimulate thinking, encourage growth, increase knowledge, enhance teaching skills, and motivate attendees to provide clients with a life changing learning experience.

OMSI is preparing for our next big Featured Exhibit: CSI - The Experience. The exhibit opens on May 23rd and we need volunteers to help facilitate the exhibit. See the position description below.

If you are interested in this volunteer position, please visit http://www.omsi.edu/index.php/current-volunteer-listings to download an application. Questions? 503-797-4615 [email protected]