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)
The Complexity of Skin
05/12/2024
Helen Christians
Presentation by Helen Christians at Friendly House. She discusses skin anatomy and how skin reacts to injury as well as how wound healing occurs. She also reviews how skin conditions develop from such chronic conditions as diabetes and vascular disease. Helen graduated from Texas Woman’s University in 1983 with a Masters in Occupational Therapy. She has worked at the Legacy Emanuel Oregon Burn Center. She was honored by the American Burn Association as Therapist of the Year in 2015. She currently serves as volunteer educator at Portland Street Medicine.
A Non-Utopian Model for a Progressive Society
05/05/2024
Jeff Seward
Presentation at Friendly House by Jeff Seward. He presents a list of his favorite reforms that already exist somewhere in the world or have been seriously proposed and nearly implemented elsewhere. What about the politics of actually choosing these reforms for our own society? Ah, that's a subject for a different presentation. Jeff has a Ph.D from Stanford. He has had a career in public television as a political reporter, news anchor, and film producer. A retired professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Pacific University, he has presented to us many times in the past.
HGP Personal Stories
04/21/2024
Suzanne Thornton, Margie Adams, Jules Elias, Dave Gray
Suzanne Thornton has organized an event in which three HGP members share stories of significant events in their lives. Today we hear from Margie Adams, Jules Elias, and Dave Gray.
Oregon Values and Beliefs
04/14/2024
Adam Davis
Presentation by Adam Davis. The Oregon Values and Beliefs Center is similar to having a Pew Research Center for Oregon. It regularly designs and administers research including statewide reporting. Davis will share findings related to such issues as economic and social well-being, artificial intelligence, health care, the political polarization in Oregon, and the urban-rural divide. Davis is a graduate of Portland State University and the University of Oregon School of Law where he was director of the Interviewing Skills Project.