Northwest EcoBuilding Guild 'Last Wednesday' Monthly Meetings April 30, 2008

The following event is part of the NW EcoBuilding's 2008 Educational Series:

* Refreshments
Free to Guild members * $5 donation suggested

Meet and visit with Eli Spevak, a pioneering developer of ecological housing, and Bill Cunningham, a planner who is opening the way for innovative housing within the City's regulatory framework.

Eli Spevak's company, Orange Splot LLC, is a housing development company and general contractor with a mission to pioneer new models of community-oriented, affordable, green housing developments in Portland.

Eli believes that one of the most important things we can do to minimize our ecological footprint is to live in less space, and to do so within a larger community in which it's easy and fun to share resources. His projects, like Sabin Green and Peninsula Park Commons, have sparked strong interest from Portlanders seeking a sustainable lifestyle.

Bill Cunningham led the City's recent courtyard housing design competition, which generated hundreds of entries and ideas from designers in response to this challenge:

* How can courtyard housing be designed to serve as an attractive option for families with children?
* How can courtyards serve as useable outdoor space while also providing environmental sustainability benefits, act as a setting for community interaction while also respecting privacy needs, or serve as a pedestrian-oriented space while also accommodating cars?

* How can courtyard housing avoid a purely inward focus and contribute to Portland's tradition of street-oriented urbanism?

Official Website: http://www.ecobuilding.org