Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 12 for Sabin's 2018 spring cleanup event. See the ad below for details, or visit our Cleanup page for a full list of what to bring and what not to bring. 

Sabin's 2015 Spring Cleanup will take place on Saturday, May 30 from 10 am to 2 pm, at Maranatha Church. The church is located at NE 12th and Skidmore. This event is a fundraiser for Sabin Community Association projects, so we request a donation of $20 for cars and up to $50 for trucks. 

Accepted materials:

• household junk
• furniture (including mattresses)
• appliances, TVs, computers and “anything with a cord”
• scrap metal
• untreated wood (but paint and nails are OK) and large branches

Not accepted:

• curbside recycling
  
• yard debris (except for large branches that won't fit in your compost bin)
  
• cement
  
• ceiling tiles (which might contain asbestos)
  
• motor oil, paint, hazardous or chemical waste
  
• tires
• batteries
  
• commercial by-products
  

Reusable items will be donated to community organizations:

• Tools4Troop - tools
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore - building materials
• Community Warehouse - furniture, kitchenware, lamps, clean bedding, fans, alarm clocks and medical supplies like crutches
• Community Cycling Center - bikes

Not sure if an item is in good enough condition to donate? Bring it and we'll sort it for donation, recycling or trash.

It's great to hear about other communities that are promoting bee-friendly gardening. North-central Colorado, which includes Denver and Boulder, have started a project very similar to the Sabin Bee-Friendly Garden Project. The folks in Colorado are working on a project to "create living spaces where honey bees and other pollinators can propagate without the effects of toxic chemicals."  The Bee-Safe Neighborhoods project aims to "increase safe habitats for honey bees by landscaping with safe plants (uncontaminated by neonicotinoids or systemics) that can provide pollen and nectar to pollinators through spring, summer and fall."

To participate in Sabin's bee-friendly garden project, contact Diane Benson at dcb1810@yahoo.com. Learn more about the project here.

Whole Foods on Fremont will donate 5% of its earnings on April 3 to the Portland Fruit Tree Project, which is a co-sponsor for the Sabin Community Orchard. Shoppers can also contribute produce purchased at the store, which will be donated to the SUN program at Sabin School. So, prepare your shopping list and head to the store on April 3.

It's trendy to say that we want a sustainable neighborhood, but what does that really mean? We tackled this question at our first Sustainable Sabin/King meeting on Jan. 21. While we didn't end up with a slick vision statement, we did find some common ground. We agreed that it's about working together to create a resilient, diverse and integrated community with affordable housing, access to healthy food and safe streets. It's about knowing our neighbors and being connected with each other.

We recognize that there are many nonprofits and community organizations already working on issues we are concerned about. The question is, how can people living in Sabin and King partner with these organizations to help build a stronger community?

After brainstorming some ideas, we narrowed the field to three potential projects:

— Create street paintings, build an earthen bench and plant bee-friendly habitat in parking strips as part of Portland's Village Building Convergence on Beech Street from 9th to 14th avenues.

— Expand Sabin’s annual cleanup day so unwanted items could be adopted and reused by other neighbors, rather than have all items taken to the city dump.
  
— Work with the Sabin Community Development Corporation (Sabin CDC) to increase the stock of affordable housing for families with moderate incomes through a land trust.

We're excited about all of these projects and hope you will be, too. If you're interested in participating or just want more information, please contact Diane Benson at dcb1810@yahoo.com or Clay Veka at clayveka@yahoo.com, and we'll connect you with the leaders.

Come be a part of the great things happening at the Sabin Community Orchard!  It’s not orchard weather right now, but we’re already gathering our team of Orchard Stewards for the coming season.  Orchard
Stewards are volunteers who help maintain the orchard, learn about basic fruit tree care and build community with their neighbors.  No experience is necessary to become an Orchard Steward, though gardening or orchard experience is a plus!

Orchard Stewards commit to:

• Attend an Orientation/Team meeting on Monday, Feb. 3
• Participate in monthly work & learn parties  (2 - 4pm, third Sundays, Feb through Nov)
• One mid-summer watering shift to keep the orchard’s young trees and plants healthy
• Take on an additional responsibility suited to their interests and capacities

Call 503-284-6106 or email michael@portlandfruit.org with ‘Sabin Orchard Steward Interest’ in the subject line to get your application. Completed applications are due by January 20.

If you're not familiar with Chipotle, they commit to using only ingredients that are raised with respect for the animals, the farmers and the environment. Read more about their commitment to "food with integrity" here.

PUB board members will be there to greet people, so be sure to say hello and thank them for supporting the Sabin Bee-Friendly Garden Project.