In the summer of 2009, Tom Elliott and Barbara Scott conceived the idea of building an extreme, green home.  Their initial design goal was to design and build a LEED certified home using the latest ‘green’ technologies.

Later that fall, well into the design process, they heard a Bioneers presentation by Jason McLennan, the originator of the Living Building Challenge – an international sustainable building certification program created by the International Living Future Institute. It is a philosophy, advocacy tool and certification program that promotes the most advanced measurement of sustainability in the built environment. It can be applied to development at all scales, from buildings – both new construction and renovation – to infrastructure, landscapes and neighborhoods, and is more rigorous than green certification schemes such as LEED.

Galvanized by that presentation, Tom and Barb carried the Living Building Challenge back to their design team and threw the gauntlet on the table–“We can build a residence that meets this challenge.” Thus began a long and arduous journey to design a home that would satisfy all of the requirements of the Living Building Challenge.

Members are encouraged to RSVP no later than Wednesday, May 29 so that we have an accurate headcount. Directions to the Desert Rain House are available from the UO Bend Center Office.

To all members of OLLI-UO in Portland:

At the end of June 2013, our OLLI classes will be discontinued at the White Stag Building. In what direction shall we go?

Question 1—Continue or Disband: 

Are you interested in continuing the basic class format (DVD or live lecture followed by discussion) at another location? Please answer “Yes” or “No.” If your answer is “no,” you need not reply to the rest of this survey.

Question 2—Program and Location 

Currently, there are three options for our consideration:

A. Calaroga Terrace Retirement Community
1400 NE Second Ave., Portland

There is free on-site parking, and the facility is near public transportation. Andy Raubeson has arranged for us to use the Calaroga library meeting space on either Tuesdays or Wednesdays. There is audio-visual equipment there and Andy will make his bathroom facility available for us to use. There is no fee and no lease is required.

• Benefits: this is a “move-in ready” option, there are no fees and there is access to on-site garage parking and public transportation.
•  Caution: We would be responsible for organizing all classes, providing any written materials, refreshments, etc. There are limited toilet facilities.

No membership is required.

website: http://www.pacificacalarogaterrace.com/

B. Portland Community College/Senior Studies Institute (PCC/SSI).
Locations vary: http://www.pcc.edu/resources/senior-studies/locations.html

Garland Holt has drafted a Class Proposal to allow us to become a regular class in the PCC/SSI program. Cost: $30 per year membership fee, which allows us to attend any PCC/SSI class at any of their locations, and all PCC/SSI members would be welcome to attend our classes also. We have been offered a meeting site for the summer at the PCC/ CLIMB Center for Advancement at 1626 SE Water Ave. (in Room 102), diagonally across from OMSI. On-site parking is available for a fee, and the location is accessible via the new CL Line of the Portland Streetcar to OMSI (with MAX connections to the Streetcar). Audio-visual equipment is provided.

• Benefits: We would have access to the PCC/SSI resources and membership and there would be an opportunity for growth. We can resume our classes almost immediately at this location while we work to develop a permanent association with PCC/SSI.
• Caution: As of now, this is a temporary arrangement for the summer. We have not yet been approved as a PCC/SSI class by the PCC/SSI Board, although we are working at that. We would all have to join SSI.

Membership cost: $30.00 annually

website: http://www.pcc.edu/resources/senior-studies/

C. Portland State University (PSU). Suggestions include developing an affiliation at PSU either through their Institute on Aging or their Retired Associates of PSU program (RAPSU).
Campus class locations vary: https://sites.google.com/site/rapsuatpsu/2012-13-rapsu-meeting-dates

Fred Brace is working with his contacts in the PSU administration to create a class or program for us. PSU is accessible via the Portland Streetcar (and MAX to Streetcar connections). As for parking, usual public parking is available. All audio-visual equipment will be available. Fees are unknown at this time.

• Benefits: We would have access to PSU resources and have the possibility of being in on the ground floor for developing a new lifelong learning program connected to a university.
• Caution: Discussions with PSU are at a very early stage and a new lifelong learning program may not come to fruition. At this moment, there is nothing in place for us to move into after June.

Membership cost for RAPSU: $20.00 for singles and $35.00 for couples

website: https://sites.google.com/site/rapsuatpsu/

Please send your answers, and any other ideas or comments, to George Davidson at georgedavidson@comcast.net
Deadline: June 1, 2013.

Monthly newsletter from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Oregon in Portland

Academic Extension • 70 NW Couch Street, Portland, OR 97209 • 800-824-2714 • osher.uoregon.edu

Oregon Culinary Institute Luncheon 

Tuesday, May 28, 11:45 a.m.

Give your taste buds a treat with lunch at the Oregon Culinary Institute’s fine-dining restaurant. Under the guidance of a chef instructor, students of OCI will prepare a three-course lunch for you to enjoy with your fellow OLLI friends.

For $12.00 (gratuity included), enjoy a starter, entrée, nonalcoholic beverage, and dessert. Entrée options usually include a pork, seafood, pasta, or steak dish. View their regularly updated menu online at: http://www.oregonculinaryinstitute.com/restaurant/ 

Reservations are required for this luncheon. Contact the OLLI-UO office at 503-412-3653 by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, to secure your spot. Seating is limited.

Meet at 11:45 a.m. at the Oregon Culinary Institute, located at 1701 SW Jefferson Street. We will be seated promptly at noon. Bring $12.00 in exact cash to be paid to group leader George Davidson at the time of payment.

FROM PAGE TO STAGE—SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER ADRIANA BAER 

Wednesday, May 15, 1:00–2:30 p.m.

Profile Theatre’s Artistic Director Adriana Baer will speak to OLLI-UO study group From Page to Stage on Wednesday, May 15, at 1:00 p.m. Don’t miss this special presentation as she discusses Profile Theatre’s recent productions of Athol Fugard’s plays.

From Page to Stage will be reading Fugard’s play, My Children, My Africa, on Wednesday, May 22.

NEW DVD SERIES—RELIGIONS OF THE AXIAL AGE: AN APPROACH TO THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS 

Beginning Tuesday, May 21, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

“What could the beliefs and traditions of a Zoroastrian, a person of Jewish faith, a Buddhist, a follower of Confucius, or a Christian have in common? How do religions evolve over time? This course offers a rare opportunity to relate your own spiritual questions to a variety of ancient quests for meaning and transcendence. In Religions of the Axial Age, Professor Mark W. Muesse shows you the historical conditions in which the world religions arose, while letting you see how they answered shared metaphysical and human dilemmas. He helps you think about specific traditions while pondering the common processes of religious development

“You will explore fascinating aspects of several major world religions at the time of their birth. Although Professor Muesse emphasizes the early religious traditions of Iran, South Asia, and China, he also shows how these compare, contrast, and contribute to contemporary Judaism, Christianity, and Islam” (http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=6312).

View the May calendar schedule online at http://osher.uoregon.edu/calendar/pdx-month.php

Join us in welcoming David Kolb to Central Oregon for a special two-part series tomorrow, Tuesday, April 9. David will present and discuss on the philosophy of architecture. With him, we will explore the following questions:

• What is architecture trying to do? How does it relate to the fine arts? Is everything we build “architecture”?

• How can we become more discerning in our experiences of architecture?

• What are some of the old and new challenges facing architects in today’s multiple and changing world?

Both sessions will be held at the UO Bend Center, located at 80 NE Bend River Mall Drive. The first session begins at 10:00 a.m.,  and after a break for lunch, the second session will begin at 1:30 p.m. All OLLI-CO members are encouraged to attend one or both sessions.

Read more about David Kolb:

http://www.bates.edu/philosophy/faculty/david-kolb/

Monday, February 25,
11:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Join OLLI-UO for a day at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum where we’ll enjoy two docent-led tours of the museum. Tours, which are usually led by veteran pilots, will provide unique insight into the field of aviation. Members will have the opportunity to see “displays ranging from the elegant aeronautic designs
of two unknown bike mechanics—Orville and Wilbur Wright—to an actual Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird that can fly at speeds of over 2,000 miles per hour. The centerpiece of these aeronautic breakthroughs is the original Spruce Goose. Built entirely of wood due to wartime restrictions on metals, this massive airplane stands as a symbol of American industry during World War II” (http://www.evergreenmuseum.org/the-museum/aircraft-exhibits/).

Between tours, we’ll have time to enjoy lunch at one of two onsite cafés: The Aviation Museum Liberty Belle Café and Space Museum Cosmo Café.

Registration is required by Wednesday, February 20. Call the OLLI-UO office at 800-824-2714 to reserve your space. Cost: $19.00, lunch not included. We’ll meet at the museum: 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, McMinnville, OR 97128.

70 NW Couch Street Portland, OR 97209
Thursday, February 14,
9:00 a.m.–noon

Join fellow painters and learn how to refine your brushstrokes. Artist Joan Hoffmann will demonstrate a variety of techniques. This class incorporates Eastern Sumi brush techniques and Western classical brush styles.

Beginners or experienced painters will enjoy making quick studies and one longer finished painting. Bring the medium you like: watercolors, acrylics, oils or mixable (waterbase) oils. Work with your own paints and brushes or work from the optional supply list (provided upon request). Celebrate spring and meet new painters!

The cost for this three-hour workshop is $40.00. Reserve your space today and register by calling the OLLI-UO office at 800-824-2714.

History of American Landscape Painting
Wednesday, February 13, 1:00–3:00 p.m. 

This workshop will follow Hoffmann’s presentation on Wednesday, February 13, History of American Landscape Painting. Hoffmann will discuss the history of American landscape painting and show images of her oils and watercolors of mountains in the American West. Join the discussion of our rich and exciting art history, including Oregon’s Artist, Eliza Barchus, recognized by the State Legislature in the 1960s. She painted the iconic landscapes of Mt. Hood, Yellowstone, Muir Glacier, and more. She, Alfred Bierstadt, and other painters explored and documented the West. Our national parks and landscape painters have a long and entwined history and continue to connect people, parks, and sense of place. The presentation, History of American Landscape Painting, is free to OLLI-UO members.

 About the Artist

Joan Hoffmann paints landscapes of the American West. Her oil and watercolor impressions evoke a poetic sense of place. She teaches, paints, and works to preserve the wild places that she explores. She lectures on American landscape painters, national parks, and public lands. Galleries representing her work include: Portico Gallery in Santa Barbara, The White Hart Gallery, Steamboat Springs, CO, Cow Canyon Trading Post, Bluff, UT, and Burlington City Arts, Burlington, VT.

To register for the painting workshop, call the OLLI-UO in Portland
office at 800-824-2714. 

  503-412-3653 • 800-824-2714 • osher.uoregon.edu

Tuesday, December 18,
1:00–2:30 p.m.

70 NW Couch Street
Portland, OR 97209

There is something about chilly weather that seems to bring people together—usually over food. The harvest is over, and it’s finally cool enough to use the oven. Friends and family get together for the holidays, for parties or for football, and the menu (or at least the eating) is always central to the event. Rest assured, our OLLI-UO Winter Social will be no different.

Last year’s social turned out to be far funnier than anyone had anticipated as each member was given five minutes to share something—a story, memory or something from their history. Boy, did we find out a lot.

This year, we encourage you to submit your favorite family recipe, a photograph from your past or present that includes food in some way, or a memory (What is the most exotic thing you’ve eaten? or What was your biggest cooking mishap?).

We will compile these submissions, including photographs, to publish in our very own OLLI-UO cookbook.

Please register for the Winter Social by Friday, December 14. Submissions for the OLLI-UO cookbook are due by noon on Tuesday, December 11. We hope you can join us!

About OLLI-UO 

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is a noncredit, academic program at the University of Oregon in Portland. Geared toward mature adults, OLLI-UO strives to create an atmosphere centered around the joy of learning without the stress of tests, grades, or admission requirements. College degrees or previous affiliation with the University of Oregon are not required for membership or participation.

800-824-2714 • osher.uoregon.edu

Bend Senior Center
1600 SE Reed Market Rd., Bend

Mick Sears, professor of natural resources, spent thirty-six years teaching forestry and natural resource management at a California community college. His avid interest in the ways resource use has influenced human history led him to develop a course centered on food, food production and pathways, and the resulting effects on the development of human civilization, world exploration, and society in general. He will present explanations and examples of how America’s fascination with food has resulted in patterns of food interactions and behaviors, which have shown repeated cycles over the last 250 years. If you have an interest in the foods you eat, you will find much to enjoy in his presentation.

This event is free and open to the public.

About OLLI-UO 

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is a noncredit, academic program at the University of Oregon in Central Oregon. Geared toward mature adults, OLLI-UO strives to create an atmosphere centered around the joy of learning without the stress of tests, grades or admission requirements. College degrees or previous affiliation with the University of Oregon are not required for membership or participation.

800-824-2714 • osher.uoregon.edu

Hallmark cards, while very nice, lack a certain personalization. In this hands-on workshop, get artistic with your greeting cards and add that special touch that really shows family and friends you care. In this three-session class, Isabel Villar will guide you, from start to finish, through the steps of making a print cut that can be easily replicated. This greeting card workshop will definitely flex your creative muscle—and just in time for the upcoming holidays!

We’re asking members to register for this workshop by Wednesday, October 31.

To register, call the OLLI-UO in Portland office at 503-412-3653. Materials fee: $5.00 (for all three sessions).

Baker Downtown Center
975 High Street
Eugene, OR

Wednesday, October 31
1:30–3:30 p.m.

Nobody finds more fun and inspiration in dogs, cows, cats, kids, religion, weird and quirky people, and just plain life in general than Leigh Rubin. His witty humor shines through in his comic panel, Rubes, where the animals take on human attitudes and the people behave, well, um, oddly. Sometimes silly, sometimes irreverent but always hilarious, Rubes is standard fare in newspapers around the globe, 365 days a year.

In his humorous presentations “sit-down comedian” Leigh emphasizes the rewards of persistence and the fun of problem-solving while celebrating the joy of creativity. Leigh’s fast-paced and fun-filled presentations often inspire those attending to add a little creativity to their own lives—he tries to inspire people to break their normal routine and think outside of the box, though he himself has to draw inside a box.

Leigh Rubin began his cartooning career in 1978 by establishing his own greeting card company, Rubes Publications. His first cartoon collection, the popular Notable Quotes musical cartoons, was published in 1981. In 2009 Leigh celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of Rubes^® with the publication of The Wild and Twisted World of Rubes, a “best of” collection which contains 240 of his personal favorites. Originally self-syndicated, Rubes is now distributed by Creators Syndicate to more than 400 newspapers worldwide. Leigh also enjoys a busy schedule giving thought-provoking and entertaining cartoon presentations at conferences and professional organizations all around the country. See www.rubescartoons.com.

This event is free and open to the public.

About OLLI-UO 

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is a noncredit, academic program at the University of Oregon in Portland. Geared toward mature adults, OLLI-UO strives to create an atmosphere centered around the joy of learning without the stress of tests, grades, or admission requirements. College degrees or previous affiliation with the University of Oregon are not required for membership or participation.

800-824-2714 • osher.uoregon.edu