Natural Awakenings magazine is hosting another networking event this month on Tuesday evening, July 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. This event is a great way, in a relaxed atmosphere, to meet and mingle with other like minded people who care about health, wellness and green living.
These mixer events, held quarterly, are free and everyone is welcome so join in for some networking fun. Light snacks and beverages are provided.
Locations rotate throughout the greater Portland/Vancouver area. July’s event will be held at MotionLab PDX, a holistic movement studio in Portland’s Hollywood district.

MotionLab is located at 3829 NE Tillamook Street, Portland.

Last year, Portland Metro Habitat for Humanity ReStore launched a Building Material Recovery (BMR) Program to tear out kitchens, bathrooms and perform other non-structural deconstruction projects. Homeowners donate materials gleaned from BMR jobs to the ReStore, where the items are sold to raise funds that support Habitat’s local homebuilding efforts. Homeowners receive a tax deduction for their donations and satisfaction knowing that their usable materials go to a good cause instead of a landfill.
The new program gave the ReStore unexpected deconstruction opportunities. It partnered with Ramos Inc. to salvage lumber from buildings removed to make way for the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project. Just last month, the ReStore partnered with Jim Paulson Excavating, Inc., Metro and the City of Portland Parks and Recreation to salvage old growth lumber from a barn cleared for a new Cully Neighborhood park. In yet another deconstruction project, salvaged materials were incorporated into one of Habitat’s own builds when an ADA ramp deconstructed at a Multnomah County facility became a new ramp for Evergreen Habitat for Humanity’s Emerald Green house in Clark County.
The BMR program has had a successful first year, bringing attention to the benefits of deconstruction while developing a new source of donations for its three local ReStores. Salvaged lumber, cabinets, windows, doors, appliances and other items can be found in the Portland, Beaverton and Vancouver ReStores.

Visit PdxReStore.org to learn more about the BMR program and find the ReStore closest to you.

SCAFE´, a new local charity non-profit organization, provides real solutions for men who have barriers because of challenging backgrounds. Believing in second chances and starting new lives, SCAFE´ aims to employ, empower, educate and provide community support services to men in the Portland Metro area.
SCAFE´ also believes it is important to network/partner with local and corporate businesses that are willing to enhance the lives of men who are re-entering society, looking for socioeconomic employment opportunities. They provide individualized goal planning for each man who enters SCAFE´ including Volunteer and Community Engagement; Career and Life Skill Training; Mentoring/Youth mentoring; Suited For Success (Professional Attire); Social Justice and Civic Engagement.

To learn more about SCAFE´, becoming a member, mentor, supporter or contributor, call 503-866-6520 or visit Scafe.org.

SolarCity has eliminated the upfront costs for homeowners to go solar. Homeowners can now get solar power without having to buy the panels. There is no down payment, and there is no installation or maintenance costs.
Simply buy the power from SolarCity at a fixed rate, which is lower than what consumers pay their current electric utility. Additionally, if a homeowner qualifies, Oregon has a Residential Energy Tax Credit (RETC) that pays homeowners to go solar.
SolarCity has revolutionized the way energy is delivered to a home by providing a cleaner, more affordable alternative to the monthly utility bill. Simply put, energy efficiency is about using less energy to power one’s current lifestyle. It is not about changing habits, but about making the home work smarter for the homeowner and the entire family.

Receive a FREE in-home consultation from Jonathan Davis, SolarCity Energy Consultant. Call 971-271-1180 or email jdavis2@solaricity.com. Visit SolarCity.com for more information.

Emotional access, close connections, along with our security and safety needs deepen as water themes abound throughout the month of July. Sobering Saturn’s direct station on Jul 7 followed by the New Moon in Cancer on July 8 give added emphasis to the requirement for attending to our most personal needs and sensitivities with the invitation to heal old wounds. The adage “what you can feel, you can heal” should be applied to out-dated emotional baggage ready for release. Healthy channels for expression of feelings will be hugely beneficial at this time, especially during the dynamics of the July 20-22 time frame.

Mantras and musings for the month of July:

Aries (Mar 21-Apr 19): I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy. ~ JD Salinger

Taurus (Apr 20-May 20): Anything that is of value in life only multiplies when it is given. ~ Deepak Chopra

Gemini (May 21-Jun 20): Trust your hunches. They’re usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level. ~ Dr. Joyce Brothers

Cancer (Jun 21-Jul 22): Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear. ~ Mark Twain

Leo (Jul 23-Aug 22): Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: “I’m with you kid. Let’s go.” ~ Maya Angelou

Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 22): We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Libra (Sep 23-Oct 22): Change is not a force to be feared, but an opportunity to be seized. ~ Sam Weiss

Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21): For every human illness, somewhere in the world there exists a plant which is the cure. ~ Rudolph Steiner

Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21): It is never safe to look into the future with eyes of fear. ~ Edward Henry Harriman

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19): Security is a superstition—it does not exist in nature. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. ~ Helen Keller

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18): I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. ~ Groucho Marx

Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20): A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~ Lao Tzu

Liz Howell is available for personal astrological consultations and can be reached at Liz@CelestialLivingArts.com.

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