I vowed to take a complete work and technology break on my 11-day road trip up the West Coast, but there were a few green sightings so wonderful that I couldn’t resist the urge to snap a few quick pics.
One (of many) eco encounters in Portland was the Urban Farm Store, which specializes in edible gardening and city chickens. The red clapboard mini-barn of a shop was so adorable that I wanted to buy five flannel shirts, snap up a few chicks (as well as a house in the super cool surrounding Belmont neighborhood), set up my very own urban homestead, and never look back.
Alright, I’m sure there’s a bit of work (and poop-shoveling) involved in planting a bountiful garden and raising egg-laying hens, but Urban Farm Store proprietors Robert and Hannah Litt make it seem so darn easy — even for a city slicker like me — thanks to their free bimonthly chicken-keeping classes and the tips they regularly Tweet (cheep). Looks like their stellar customer service is paying off, too: The Urban Farmers are moving to a new, larger store today, just a couple blocks from the old location.
I’ve been pretty obsessed with all things DIY since attending a workshop by Homegrown Evolution founders Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne a few months back. As they said in their opening remarks, when it comes to doing your part for the environment, what sounds like more fun: screwing in a compact fluorescent bulb or brewing your own beer and raising chickens? (Change your light bulbs too, though.)
Stay tuned for my vblog about the urban chicken movement in Los Angeles.
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I hope one of the flannel shirts was for me!!!