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Category: sustainable living

A beautiful, healthy lawn without weed and feed

Are your kids and pets rolling around in the grass? Best to tend the lawn without toxic chemicals. Metro gardening expert Carl Grimm appeared on KATU’s AM Northwest today to show you how. Check out the video!

Get rolling during May National Bike Month

Family bikingAutos are the single largest source of air pollution in the United States, and short car trips are up to three times more polluting per mile than long trips. If you trade short car trips for biking, you can reduce your carbon footprint by 3.6 pounds of pollutants per mile. More bicycles and fewer cars means cleaner air in your community.

Opt out of junk mail online (for free)

In the U.S., more than 85 billion pieces of unsolicited mail get dropped in mail boxes each year. Stop the cycle of waste. Metro and Catalog Choice help you opt out of unwanted phone books, catalogs, coupons and credit card solicitations online for free!

Earth Day efforts are good for your air, your water and your wallet

Child in gardenThis Sunday, April 22, marks the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 to raise awareness of the planet's health. Now, millions of people in more than 175 countries participate in Earth Day activities.

A personal message from Kathryn Harrington: Yikes – It’s Toxic! Time to Deal with the Collection of Household Hazardous Waste

Remember my New Year’s resolution to clean out my garage? Well, I’ve started, organizing old containers of paint, sprays, art supplies and other items. Occasionally, to solve a household cleaning or maintenance need, I end up purchasing a product that has the words "warning" and "caution" or even "poison" on the label.

Public transit commuters save as gas prices rise

Commuters in the Portland metro region who ride public transportation instead of drive vehicles save an average of $844 each month, which adds up to $10,131 annually.

Oregon Zoo to open new Veterinary Medical Center Jan. 19

Veterinary Medical CenterAfter 16 months of careful construction and equipment installation, the Oregon Zoo's new Veterinary Medical Center will open its doors on Thursday, Jan. 19. The public can peek inside Jan. 20-22, when the zoo will offer behind-the-scenes tours.

Drive Less Connect saves commuters $307,000

Drive Less. Connect.

The typical American household spent 8.4 percent of their income, or $4,155, buying gasoline this year. According to The Oregonian, that's the highest it has been since 1981. The average American family now works one month each year to buy fuel for the car, SUV or pickup.

Metro grant helps concrete alley in Cornelius become a ribbon of green

Methodically piled heaps of steel and cement mark a block in downtown Cornelius under development. In the coming months, an informal parking lot and alley in downtown Cornelius will be transformed into a full-service medical campus, complemented with a green ribbon of a walkway funded by a Metro Nature in Neighborhoods capital grant.

New TriMet tool helps you plan transit, biking and walking trips in any combination

TriMet trip plannerWhat's all this buzz about TriMet's new trip tool, the Portland Regional Trip Planner? Unlike existing tools, the new Trip Planner lets you to plan trips combining transit, bike and walking in a single itinerary.