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)
Thinking About Inequality
11/05/2023
Jeff Seward
Presentation at Friendly House by Jeff Seward. If inequality is a growing problem in the U.S. and yet few, if any, want to eliminate it altogether, how do we think about inequality in order to arrive at a reasonable and acceptable level of inequality? And in what forms? Seward offers some ideas about how to deal with these questions. Jeff has a Ph.D from Stanford. He has had a career in public television as a political reporter, news anchor, andfilm producer. Before his retirement, he was a professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Pacific University.He has presented to us many times in the past.
Los Alamos: The Manhattan Project
10/29/2023
Stephen Kral
Presentation by Stephen Kral. The film “Oppenheimer” shows stylized scenes of people hard at work. This talk addresses the problems that participants in the Manhatten Project dealt with. Kral earned his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Minnesota. He was recognized with an Outstanding Physics Teaching Award at the University of Utah. In addition to physics, he has also taught interdisciplinary studies in the history and philosophy of science.
Housing Instability in Washington County
10/22/2023
Bridget Calfee
“HomePlate” began in 2005 to answer a community need. No services existed in Washington County for youth experiencing housing instability. HomePlate has built programs to meet their needs. Bridget Calfee, Founding Executive Director, tells us about HomePlate’s journey of building programs and the joys and challenges seen along the way. Ms. Calfee holds a Masters of Social Work from Portland State University.
HGP Personal Stories
10/15/2023
Don Feller, Sheila Pastore, and Laurent Beauregard
Organized by Suzanne Thornton. Most in our humanist group at HGP have reached the age of maturity. We have all experienced lessons, experiences, and sometimes unusual events in our lives. HGP provides a platform for those who wish to tell their story. It does not have to be big and dramatic. Sometimes the very art of living is its own story. Today, Don Feller, Sheila Pastore, and Laurent Beauregard each share their personal story. Time is allowed for questions.