Giving Back

19 Ways to Make a Difference in Portland

Volunteering opportunities across the city, from serving lunch to planting trees.

11/26/2025 By Isabel Lemus Kristensen

Real Estate

Property Watch: A Chic Net-Zero Home in an Eco Community

Streamlined Scandi aesthetics in an energy-efficient package, found right in the Cully neighborhood.

10/24/2025 By Melissa Dalton

Fun with Fungi

A Beginner’s Guide to Mushroom Foraging in Oregon

Intimidated? Don’t be. Here’s all you need to know to get started—including the ultimate hack for finding the freshest intel.

09/17/2025 By Emma Marris Illustrations by Michael Novak

Animal Planet

Have the Vaux’s Swifts Ditched Chapman for Good?

Last fall, the birds abandoned their longtime roost. Now, a city waits in suspense.

08/11/2025 By Rebecca Jacobson

Ruby Beauties

A Picker’s Guide to Oregon’s Strawberry Varieties

Hoods aren’t the only berry in town.

05/20/2025 By Brooke Jackson-Glidden Illustrations by Mark Wang

Style & Shopping

What Does Sustainable Fashion Mean to Portland in 2025?

DIY runway shows devoted to upcycling set a tone in the aughts that today’s students and designers are bringing back around.

04/22/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Q&A

'Wardrobe Theory Project' Wants You to Rethink Your Closet

Can your clothes tell a story? Colin Behr thinks so.

02/05/2025 By Dalila Brent

Swifties Unite

The Definitive Guide to Watching the Vaux’s Swifts in Portland

It’s basically our city’s Mardi Gras.

08/27/2024 By Rebecca Jacobson

Feature

The Death of the Wolf in Oregon

Last year, state permits sentenced nearly one-fifth of wolves in Oregon to death. Animal lives aren’t the only ones at stake.

08/20/2024 By Juhea Kim

Hot Dam!

At This Southeast Portland Park, Both Humans and Beavers Are Builders

Errol Heights has an epic slide, a mini skate area, and trails through beaver habitat.

06/14/2024 By Rebecca Jacobson

Reduce, Reuse, Repeat

Is Recycling Plastic Actually Useless?

Portlanders intent on recycling plastic bags, clamshells, and bubble wrap don’t seem to think so.

05/31/2024 By Andi Prewitt Illustrations by Doug Chayka

Starstruck

Southeastern Oregon Is Now Home to the World’s Largest 'Dark Sky Sanctuary'

The rugged and remote part of the state known as the Outback boasts some of the most pristine night skies on Earth.

04/26/2024 By Rebecca Jacobson

DIY

Yes, Portlanders Are Growing Tiny Forests Next to Their Homes

Goodbye, plant beds and street view. Hello, woodlands.

03/06/2024 By Heather Arndt Anderson Illustrations by klaus kremmerz

Not That Quake

Can a Video Game Prepare Us for the Big One?

Learning basic emergency preparedness one terrifying level at a time.

02/19/2024 By Kea Krause

Rebranding

What’s the Audubon Society of Portland’s New Name?

The group joins conservationist organizations around the country in cutting ties with their slave-owning namesake.

02/06/2024 By Zoe Sayler

AFTER THE STORM

Portland’s Tree Damage, through the Eyes of an Arborist

“It’s carnage out there,” says an exhausted Jacob Holmstead.

02/02/2024 By Rebecca Jacobson

Land Grab

Oregon's Biggest Landowner Sparks Controversy

The second-largest foreign landowner in the US, a Chinese billionaire, owns 198,000 acres in Oregon.

01/22/2024 By Zoe Sayler

Saving the World

This Is Oregon Scientists' Plan to Save the World

The radical proposal of Oregon State University researchers aims to avoid climate change via greater biodiversity and more forestlands—and a no-growth economy.

01/20/2024 By Zoe Sayler

Public Transit

4 Fall Adventures around Portland with No Car

Leave the car at home for World Car Free Day—or just because gas is so expensive.

09/20/2023 By Margaret Seiler

Water Watch

Cyanobacteria Spreads across the Willamette River and Sauvie Island as Temperatures Spike

It looks like algae, but it’s not. Swimming is banned for people and pets, according to the Oregon Health Authority, just as Portlanders need to cool off.

08/16/2023 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Portland Monthly

Environment