• 06Sep

    Fresh ProduceOrganic Food Delivery Services make healthy eating easy with a complete selection of natural foods, including fruits, vegetables, milk, bread, pasta and ready-made meals delivered right to your door. But how do you decide which one is right for you? It can certainly be difficult to decipher which one will work for you so here’s a couple of our favorites:

    spud!: Created back in 1998, spud! started as a small organic foods delivery service in Vancouver, B.C. Now with departments in LA, San Francisco, & Portland, they are the largest organic food delivery service in North America. Just because they’re big doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten their roots as they still abide by their sustainability perspective:

    • Protect the environment by buying local, organic, minimally packaged and eco-friendly products.
    • Build community by creating direct connections between our food suppliers and customers.
    • Reduce the impacts of climate change by delivering groceries to each neighborhood on a set route once a week.
    • Educate our customers about important food issues through our weekly newsletter.
    • Give back by supporting local charities and donating leftover food to food outreach groups.

    With a large delivery range, spud! is available to almost everywhere in Portland and Vancouver, WA.

    Organics to You: Created in 2001, Organics to You is a locally owned and operated food delivery service bringing fresh, local farm direct produce to your front door. They buy direct from local farmers to ensure quality and keep prices low. You can even search the farms you’ll be getting your groceries from! Always super friendly and great customer service is why Organics to You is a solid choice. Organics to You also has a huge delivery area including all of Portland and Vancouver, WA.

  • 02Sep
    Categories: Food & Drink, OR, Organic Comments Off

    It wasn’t so long ago that wine snobs scoffed at organic wines. These early experiments certainly produced some less than appealing results. However, concerns about the environmental and health effects of synthetic fertilizers and vineyard pesticides have led many growers to go organic and many of these vintages have first-rate quality and taste.

    While there are many distinctions between what is truly “organic” and what is simply deceiving marketing, be sure to check your wine label for the following key phrases:

    The LIVE, or “Low Input Viticulture and Enology”, label currently certifies vineyards in Oregon and Washington that utilize natural resources like native insects and pest-deterring plants to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides.

    "You did remember to get the "Salmon Safe" wine, didn't you?

    "You did remember to get the "Salmon Safe" wine, didn't you?

    “Salmon Safe,” another certification applied to vineyards in the Northwest, ensures that farmers use agricultural practices, such as planting trees, growing cover crops and applying natural pest control methods, that don’t harm salmon habitats.

    Certified Organic wines are made entirely of organic ingredients and processed without synthetic agents. Organic wine producers claim that it helps produce flavorful wines: Flourishing soil microorganisms and careful attention to the health of the vines, they claim, make a great contribution to taste. Organic wines contain no added sulfites (though some may exist in the wine naturally), which make them better for those with sulfite allergies.

    Wines labeled “made with organic grapes” must be made from certified organic grapes but don’t adhere to the same rigorous processing standards.

    Some of Our Favorite Local Organic/Biodynamic/Salmon Safe Oregon Wineries:

    1. Winderlea
    2. Witness Tree
    3. Lange
    4. Sokol Blosser
    5. Bethel Heights
  • 29Aug
    "When I root, I root for the Timbers"

    "When I root, I root for the Timbers"

    Our beloved Portland Timbers stretched their USL First Division-record unbeaten streak to 24 games as they played the Charleston Battery to a scoreless draw at Blackbaud Stadium on Friday.

    With a record of 14-1-10 (52 points), the Timbers are in front of the USL standings readying themselves for a playoff push beginning in late September.

    Their next home game at PGE Park is schedule for Thursday, September 3rd at 7:00pm versus the Rochester Rhinos, a team the Timbers easily handled 4-1 early in August. So Stop by PGE Park and witness why Portland truly is Soccer City, USA.

  • 26Aug

    DrawingWhat an amazing turnout for the official Grand OPening & Smart Living Fair! From 3-6pm on Saturday August 22, 2009 The 20 on Hawthorne hosted a fabulous day full of food, fun, and learning.

    We’ve also chosen the winner of the $50 Gift Certificate to one of the Hawthorne neighborhood’s best restaurants, Sel Gris. After a completely random selection, the winner is: Casey Cotton! Casey, please call Michael at 503.445.3898 or email at michael@livethe20.com to claim your gift certificate.

    We still have a limited number of apartments still available, so let us know if you want to be a part of our unique community!

  • 25Aug
    Layout Winner - Iris 2

    Iris knows Smart Living

    This was certainly a difficult competition to judge! It was like trying to decide between having peach cobbler or a frosted brownie…they’re both delicious! There were so many great layouts and innovative designs, someone even threw in a Murphy Bed!

    However difficult it may have been, we chose a winner based on simplicity of design and unique placement of common furniture. It was truly a way that showed what Smart Living is all about. So who was the mastermind behind this creation? None other than Iris Hilburger!Layout Winner - Iris

    Iris, please call Michael at 503.445.3898 or email at michael@livethe20.com to claim your gift certificate to the always fabulous Sel Gris.

    We definitely want to thank all of those who played our fun contest and hopefully we’ll see you at our next event!

  • 25Aug
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    The bigger celebrity is definitely The 20

    With his distinct voice and repertoire of real estate catch phrases, its easy to see why the Portland media simply loves Damin Tarlow. However, the real celebrity over the last few days has not been Damin, but the building he has spoken so much about, The 20 on Hawthorne and its unique parking garage.

    Major media outlets including The Oregonian, KGW Channel 8, The Daily Journal of Commerce, and KOIN Local 6, have flocked to The 20 recently to view the innovative ideas only the likes of Gerding Edlen and GBD Architects can provide.

    While the puzzle lift parking system, installed and built by Harding Steel, receives the majority of the attention, we can’t overlook the smart design of the apartments which are certainly why The 20 is over 50% occupied and 70% leased in only a couple months of being open.

    Take a look at the links below and maybe you’ll see why the media has created a new celebrity on the East Side.

    http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/08/portlands_new_commuting_toy_ro.html

    http://djcoregon.com/news/2009/08/21/parking-robot-stacks-the-deck/

    http://www.kgw.com/video/video-index.html?nvid=392036&shu=1

    http://www.koinlocal6.com/content/mediacenter/default.aspx?videoId=11891@koin.dayport.com&navCatId=345