We produce abundance. Are we smart enough to share and sustain it?
Jourdan Arenson
Posted inArticles
Can Eugene, Oregon become a haven for startups?
This May, 30 game developers were laid off at the Zynga videogame company office in Eugene, Oregon. But soon after, Joe Maruschak spoke at the Barn Light coffee shop on how to launch a startup business. Game developers crowded around the tables. Maruschak, chief startup officer at Eugene’s Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network, encouraged the […]
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Filling an empty nest with chickens
When my daughter was a high school senior, she asked if she could keep chickens in the backyard. My first thought was, “Great. Another thing to take care of.” But I have always been stingy about letting her keep animals, so I agreed. Besides, I figured we could use the eggs. My daughter built a […]
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Of sex and death in the rain
Getting teenagers to embrace environmental stewardship can be a challenge, especially when those teenagers are cold and wet. One way to grab their attention is to present a drama of sex and death. For 21 years, that’s been the strategy of Salmon Watch, a field program that allows middle- and high school students to observe […]
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The liberal’s guide to a chainsaw
Fifteen years ago, I moved my young family from the San Francisco Bay Area to Eugene, Oregon, into a small house with a woodstove. I was excited about heating with wood, and resolved to do it safely. I built a woodshed in the backyard, close to a Doug-fir chopping block. I learned to send split […]
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A baseball stadium showcases the beauty of old trees
Some Eugene, Oregon, residents hate their town’s dilapidated Civic Stadium. They’d like to see it torn down and replaced with a department store. Other residents love the stadium and have happy memories of watching minor league baseball with friends and family. But everyone agrees the stadium is now an eyesore. It’s one of the few […]
Posted inWotr
Don’t pick up the leaverite!
Ranger Maureen McLean relies on her overwhelmingly gregarious nature to help visitors enjoy wildflower season at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. And the wildflowers depend on that good nature to survive being enjoyed by the visitors. Ranger McLean heads the Meadow Rovers, a volunteer group that patrols the most crowded parts of the Paradise […]