Brentwood-Darlington ‘Green Fair’ hosts recycling and resources

INCLUDES ‘GREEN’ VIDEO | See how this now-annual event has evolved under the leadership of this outer East Portland neighborhood association …

Many different kinds of waste are being recycled during this year’s Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association “Spring Green and More Fair”. But, that’s not all that’s taking place!

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

Exactly a month before Earth Day was to be celebrated, the Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association (BDNA) held its “Spring Green and More Fair” on March 22 at the Brentwood-Darlington Community Center.

Some 400 people came through the free two-hour fair which offered electronics, plastics, and tire recycling – as well as bringing in experts with information about emergency preparedness, bicycle repair, fruit trees, and native plants.

Checking in participants of the ‘Spring Green and More Fair’ are Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association Treasurer Katie Borofka – and Co-President Mara Burmeister.

BDNA Secretary Kylie Hyde says she’s pleased at how many neighbors are coming to participate in this year’s “green” event.

“The past two years, Tina Biornstad-Szafranksi planned and operated this fair all by herself,” pointed out BDNA Secretary Kylie Hyde, who helped plan this year’s fair.

Take a quick video tour and see the highlights of this great community event:

“Tina gave our committee an amazing ‘roadmap’ – a plan – to follow, as the BDNA took on the challenge of producing the fair.

“We reached out to Green Century Recycling, and to Metro, and applied for grants to help fund it, so we could collect hard-to-recycle items like tires and Styrofoam, e-waste, ‘sharps’, and medicine.”

Representing Produce for People at the Brentwood South Community Garden by providing plant starts are Leah Witte and Carol Tompkins.

It’s Eric Von Holten from Bikes for Humanity PDX, tuning up another bicycle at the fair.

In addition to the recycling and information available, they also provided a buffet of snacks and beverages, all provided by sponsors the about 15 volunteers who worked on the project.

“This is about more than recycling! We’re also promoting our Community Center, so our residents know that this is a place where people can come, have an event, and connect with their neighbors,” said Hyde.

Dan Barton, of Green Century Recycling, wrangles another load.

Green Century Recycling estimated that they’d taken away about 4,000 pounds of e-waste material, and twelve 180-gallon bags of Styrofoam. Les Schwab hauled away 60 tires – far more than they’d expected to collect. And, Metro took 365 pounds of household waste.

“And, this year, Bikes 4 Humanity had a great turnout as well; and they worked continuously up until the very end of the fair, fixing and tuning up bikes,” observed Hyde.

Key volunteers on the project, along with her this year, Hyde commended, were BDNA Board Member Cynthia Cook; Treasurer Katie Borofka; Co-President Mara Burmeister; and neighborhood volunteers Katie Borofka and Lisa Jamieson. The recycling fair this year was sponsored by Southeast Uplift, Metro, and the City of Portland’s Office of Community & Civic Life.

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