Ross Island sits mid-Willamette just south of downtown Portland, and has a history of being built up and exploited by men, but today it is ruled primarily by nature. From Friendly House, Mike Houck, Director of the Urban Greenspaces Institute, will present his vision of how it can serve as one. Mr. Houck has been a leader in urban nature issues since 1980 when he founded the Urban Naturalist Program at the Audubon Society of Portland. He has co-founded Coalition for a Livable Future (CLF); The national Coalition to Restore Urban Waters (CRUW); The Intertwine Alliance; and The Nature of Cities forum.
Video of Programs (search and sort)
Women’s History Month
03/16/2014
Coordinator: Marsha Abelman
In 2011, HGP observed Women’s History Month with a program dedicated to “Women Who Have Touched our Lives.” Speakers informed us about a variety of women, including their own mothers, grandmothers, and friends, living women who are influencing society today, as well as historical women who had significant impact on the world in their times. This has become a March tradition at HGP. We’re breaking up the storytelling this year with music interspersed with stories.
God Is Disappointed In You
03/09/2014
Mark Russell
Mark Russell covers the entire Bible from the Garden of Eden to the destruction of the Earth in a fun, earthy, and irreverent slide show. He explains selections from his book, “God Is Disappointed in You.” This presentation is both very funny and extremely well-informed. It includes a substantial question and answer follow-up. Mark Russell is a writer, cartoonist, and playwright living in Portland. He is the author of “The Superman Stories,” and “Traveling to Mars for Fun and Profit.”
Why Study Rare Diseases?
03/02/2014
Dr. Susan Hayflick
Rare diseases are those that affect fewer than 200,000 Americans at any given time. Nearly 7,000 such diseases are known today, many of them targeting children. Dr. Susan Hayflick has dedicated her research to finding a cure for neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA), a group of rare, genetic neurological disorders. She will discuss the science that many of these diseases share and the social and economic challenges that patients face. Dr. Hayflick is chair of OHSU’s Department of Molecular & Medical Genetics. The Hayflick Lab, in collaboration with national and international partners, is credited with discovering five genes that cause NBIA thus furthering our understanding of neurodegenerative pathogenesis.
Vitamin Supplements: Beneficial or Harmful?
02/23/2014
Dr. Jules M. Elias
The widespread use of vitamins and supplements to enhance health and extend life is now being questioned. Taking supplements, particularly megadoses, may be toxic unless the individual's actual level of a particular vitamin is known. Jules M. Elias discusses the biology of cellular energy production and the consequent production of the free radicals that can cause damage. Dr. Elias is emeritus Professor of Health Sciences at the State University of New York. He is author/co-author of more than 90 publications and several texts, the latest being the 2nd edition of "Immunohistopatholgy: A Practical Approach to Diagnosis.” He now lives in Portland and is an active chamber music clarinetist.