Conference

The exhibit hall is always a hot spot of action during the AOR Sustainable Oregon Conference and this year is no exception. With the networking breakfast, breaks, and silent auction all taking place in the exhibit hall, it will be a hub of activity throughout the week.

Teachers and recycling educators will be able to return from this year’s AOR Conference with a recycling kit which will aid in showing how plastics are actually recycled.             

Nina Goodrich 
Director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and Executive Director of GreenBlue
Keynote Address, Wednesday, June 7th 1:00pm

With the return of the rain, it's the perfect time to start daydreaming about your summer vacation! And what better place to go than the Salishan Spa and Golf Resort on June 7-9th, 2017 for AOR's Sustainable Oregon 2017 Conference? That's right, we're headed back to the beach, and it's not too early to start planning your stay.

Sustainable Oregon 2017 Call for Presentations

This award was given to Cloudburst Recycling in recognition of their many years as a leader in recycling in Portland. David and Michela McMahon started a curbside collection program in 1975. They were among the first in the nation to do so. After 17 years of operation and political activism, the City of Portland adopted a citywide recycling program in 1992.

In the 20+ years since its installation, the Portland community connected with the Portland International Airport (PDX) carpet and viewed it as a symbol of Portland. In 2015, the Port of Portland began a project to remove and replace 13 acres of carpet throughout the airport.

In 2015, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) refurbished their offices and needed to replace all of their cubicles. Kevin Kertzman, BPA’s Property Disposal Officer, faced the task of disposing of them. The easiest choice would have been the landfill as the items had little resale value, and the scrap market would reclaim only the metallic waste (leaving wood, fabric, and other synthetic components).

Founded in 2006, the Urban Gleaners mission is to help alleviate hunger by collecting edible surplus food from grocery stores, farmers markets, farms, event sites, and restaurants that would otherwise be thrown away. They redistribute food to agencies that feed the hungry. Food is also distributed through their Food to Schools program in East Multnomah County, where 75-95% of elementary school children live below the poverty line.

Mt. Hood Meadows has become a nationwide leader in their industry in the area of recycling. They go above and beyond the standard recycling efforts to include nearly all materials that are recyclable in Oregon. Some of the materials they collect (beyond curbside recyclables) include: film plastics, rigid plastics, rubber, metals, electronics, Styrofoam, packing materials, and more!