The Kill A Watt will save you money.

Okay, after a bit of a delay, let's show you another tool we've bought for the Tool Library.  This time we'll feature The Kill A Watt.

The Kill A Watt: Save money… and the planet. This easy-to-use device shows the operating costs of each of your household appliances. Simply plug them in to the Kill A Watt, and let it count energy consumption by the Killowatt-hour, same as your local utility. It will then can calculate your electrical costs by the day, week, month, year.

Several SEPTL Board members and volunteers, and members too, have used this to check the "vampire" electricity used of our appliances and electronic devices even when they are turned off.  Some of the results were shocking - okay that's a bad pun - but really we were surprised by some of the results.

It's a lot of fun to use, and enlightening too.  You'll find the Kill A Watt in the electrical section of the Tool Library.

Have your blades sharpened by a pro... and help SEPTL

On Saturday, April 7, 2012 from 9 am - 2 pm, we'll have a local professional tool sharpener put a keen edge on your tools and kitchen knives for really modest fees. And the net proceeds will allow us to purchase more of the tools you want to use!  

Rain or Shine.  (We'll have a tent in the unlikely event it decides to rain that day.)

Click here to read the flyer  (in pdf format) and see exactly the sorts of items that can be sharpened, and the low fees.

It'll happen only once this year, so don't miss out!

Please save Saturday April 7, 9-2 on your calendar.

Tool Sharpening: by Brian Beeson of Alderhouse Tool Sharpening
Date: Saturday, April 7, 2012  - Rain or shine
Time:  9 am - 2 pm (or later if lots of you arrive, which we sure hope for!)
Where: At St. David's Church, corner of SE 28th Place and Harrison St.

See you then!

- Your neighbors at the Tool Library

Naturescaping Workshops 5/5 & 5/20

Naturescaping Basics Workshops

These workshops are FREE. Register now and learn how you can do it yourself! Register online at www.emswcd.org/workshops-events/register-for-a-workshop

Learn to design your landscape so that it reduces water use, decreases stormwater runoff and pollution while saving you time, money and energy! You’ll learn how to create a thriving, low maintenance, garden that is free from chemicals. You will get advice on native plant gardening & landscape design, visit a nearby naturescaped garden, and receive a comprehensive workbook and a native plant to help you get started.

Saturday, 5/5
9am-1pm
SMILE Station, 8210 SE 13th Ave, Portland, OR 97202
·         Hosted by Crystal Springs Partnership


Sunday, 5/20
1:30-5:30pm
Mt. Scott Community Center, 5530 SE 72nd Ave, Portland, OR 97206
·         Hosted by Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association

Rain Gardens Workshops 3/17 & 4/21

Rain Gardens 101 Workshops

These workshops are FREE. Register now and learn how you can do it yourself! Register online at www.emswcd.org/workshops-events/register-for-a-workshop

Learn how to contain that rain! Rain gardens add beauty to your yard and can help restore overloaded urban streams at the same time. Taught by professional landscape designers, this workshop provides step by step details on how to build your own rain garden. You’ll learn how to determine soil suitability, calculate impervious surfaces, determine the correct size and location for your rain garden, choose appropriate plants, take a short field trip to a nearby rain garden and much, much more.

Saturday, 3/17
9am – 1pm
Tabor Space in Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church, 5441 SE Belmont, Portland, OR 97215
·         Hosted by Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association


Saturday, 4/21
9am – 1pm
Southeast Uplift - 3534 SE Main St., Portland, OR 97214

Getting ready for Spring.

Can't you just feel it?  Spring is almost here - bulbs are up, even saw a Rhododendron in full bloom today.

At your tool library, we've been getting ready for Spring.  Pretty soon members will be asking for the mowers, and we're ready.  Two of our member volunteers (one on the Board) recently spent a few hours tuning up and sharpening our five push lawn mowers.  Testing on the lawn outside the SEPTL door proved them worthy once again.

As always, do your best to protect the mower blades from sticks and stones, and be sure to clean the mowers - and all the tools you borrow - before you return them.

Mowers will be in high demand very soon, so it's important that they be returned on time.  Even better if you can - if possible, return them on our next open day: we're open both Tuesday evenings and Saturdays.  If a mower comes back to us in just a few days, it can go out twice each week.  Your neighbor's lawn will appreciate that, as will you the next time your lawn needs a trim.

And happy Spring!

- e michael brandt

Donation buttons!

We just added PayPal Donate buttons to our website!

Help us meet our expenses by clicking on these buttons and spending freely.  Your donations will help us pay rent, keep our volunteers happy, replace consumables and buy more of the tools you want most.  You do not need a PayPal account to donate.  We get about 97% of whatever you give, and it's safe to use!

Tell your friends ... and hmm, perhaps even your parents!

Seismic retrofit - the city wants our help.

Last year SEPTL and St David's Church hosted a City of Portland seismic strengthening workshop.  The city is now asking for our feedback.  The links below are well worth reading even if you missed the workshop.  Here is what the city has sent us:

Having grown into major city long before scientists discovered its unique seismic vulnerabilities, Portland is now expected to experience a potentially devastating earthquake of magnitude 9.0 or greater. Work is underway to identify those vulnerabilities and make Portland a more earthquake-resilient city. This work -now embodied in the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management’s new Earthquake Response Appendix - will help lessen the severity of an earthquake’s impact on residents.

The Earthquake Response Appendix is a supplement to the City’s Basic Emergency Operations Plan and a framework for Portland's ever-evolving approach to earthquake response. Soon, this document will reach Portland City Council for consideration. In the meantime, PBEM is asking the public to thoroughly examine the appendix and provide feedback.

To learn more about the threats facing Portland’s energy, water, sewer, transportation, communication and building infrastructures; to understand the roles elected leaders, city officials, emergency responders, the private sector and community-based organizations play in the context of earthquake response; and to understand the partnerships established among public and private agencies to help support this response, please read the appendix.

To provide insight and comments about the document, please fill out the feedback form.