May 2013
trip. If you are a senior or disabled (or for
more information) call the SWNI office
at 503-823-4592 by May 8 to schedule a
pickup.
COMMUNITY LIFE
By Don Snedecor
The Southwest Portland Post
7
MUSLIM JOURNEYS: The Orna-
ment of the World. This special book
discussion group will explore a new way
of understanding the past in which Islam
and the West, far from being locked in an
endless “clash of civilizations,” are seen
instead as products of a cosmopolitan
and inextricably intertwined history.
Professor Emeritus Jon Mandaville of
Portland State University will examine
the past and reflect on the present.
In The Ornament of the World: How Mus-
lims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture
of Tolerance in Medieval Spain, author
María Rosa Menocal brings to vivid life
the rich and thriving city of Andalusia
where – for more than seven centuries
– Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived
together in an atmosphere of tolerance,
resulting in a culture where literature,
science, and the arts flourished.
Copies of this book are available at
Capitol Hill Library (10723 SW Capitol
Hwy), or by placing a hold in the library
catalog. This program is presented Tues-
day, May 7, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., in partner-
ship with the Muslim Educational Trust.
Registration required; register online, in
the library or by calling 503-988-5234.
11
The Southwest Portland Post • 7
CALENDAR
SPRING CLEANUP: Southwest
Neighborhoods, Inc. (SWNI) is
sponsoring their annual cleanup on Sat-
urday, May 11, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
at the Portland Christian Center parking
lot, 5700 SW Dosch Rd. SWNI will be ac-
cepting yard debris, wood items, scrap
metal and bulky items. Community
Warehouse will be accepting donated
furniture and household goods.
No electronics—these will be accepted at
Portland Community College’s cleanup event
on May 18. Suggested donation is $10 per
21
SPECIAL ELECTION: While
this isn’t an election year, there is
a special election scheduled for Tuesday,
May 21. Voted ballots must be received at
the Multnomah County Elections Office
(1040 SE Morrison St) or an official drop
site location by 8:00 p.m. on Elections
Day to be counted.
Ballot measures for folks in Southwest
Portland include the following:
City of Portland Measure 26-150 would
renew a five-year levy to prevent child
abuse and child hunger. Property tax is
approximately $0.40 per $1000 assessed
home value beginning in 2014. The mea-
sure is estimated to raise $10.56 million
per year for five years.
City of Portland Measure 26-151 would
add fluoride to the City’s drinking water
to improve dental health. The ordinance
requires fluoridation of Portland’s drink-
ing water supply by March 1, 2014. The
fluoride must meet standards of the
American Water Works Association.
The measure funds fluoridation through
water user fees.
Metro 26-152 is a local option levy to
improve natural areas and water qual-
ity for fish. This five-year operating
levy would cost homeowners $0.96 per
$1000 of assessed value beginning in
2013 or approximately $10.2 million in
2013-2014.
Additionally voters can expect to vote
for candidates for board of directors for
Portland School District, Portland Com-
munity College and Multnomah Educa-
tion District.
Ballots will be mailed on May 3. If
you don’t receive your ballot by May
9, please call the elections office at (503)
988-3720 to request a replacement ballot.
The Voters’ Pamphlet and other election
information are available on the County
website at www. mcelections.org.
Recently solar shingles have become price-competitive with bolt-on panels, and are get-
ting much more popular accordingly. Pictured: solar shingles from the Dow Powerhouse
line. (Photo by Tai Viinikka, courtesy Flickr)
(Continued from Page 5)
Another leader in solar shingles is
building products manufacturer Cer-
tainTeed. The company’s Apollo line of
grid-tied monocrystalline solar shingles
and roofing tiles offers efficiency similar
to larger “bolt-on” photovoltaic arrays
at around the same price (and incen-
tives similar to those for Dow may also
apply) but with less bulk.
Each Apollo tile is less than an inch
thick and will integrate with, replace,
or lay on top of existing asphalt roof
shingles or tiles and generate 12 watts
of power per square foot.
CertainTeed says a typical installation
will save homeowners 40-70 percent on
their electric bills. Their Apollo prod-
ucts are available across the U.S. but
the company recommends using one of
their authorized roofing contractors to
make sure they are installed properly.
Now is an especially good time to go
solar—shingles or otherwise—because
costs have started to come down and
the federal government is still offering
30 percent tax credits with no cap on the
purchase of solar electricity equipment.
Twenty-seven states and several cities
offer additional incentives that can get
pricing on solar gear and installations
down even lower.
For more information check out
the Database of State Incentives for
Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE),
a free online resource provided by the
North Carolina Solar Center and IREC
with funding from the U.S. Department
of Energy.
CONTACTS: Dow Powerhouse,
www.dowpowerhouse.com; Cer-
tainTeed Solar, www.certainteed.com/
products/roofing/solar; DSIRE, www.
dsireusa.org.
EarthTalk® is written and edited by
Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a reg-
istered trademark of E - The Environmental
Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send
questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com.
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