Dave Hawley’s All-Electric Home on Oswego Lake

Jan 31, 2025 | Community, Electrify LO Journey

Dave Hawley has been concerned about climate change for decades. His first job in the summer of 1968 was as a cook in Glacier Bay. There, glacial ice had receded many miles from the first recorded observations. The glacial recession was initially attributed to climatic cycles. It soon became clear to him and others that fossil fuel burning was the culprit.

He and his wife Carol lived in a 1930’s era cabana on Oswego Lake for twenty years. Due to structural and other issues, they reluctantly decided to completely rebuild the home. In 2020, they approached the architect of an admired home a few doors down. The architect was taken aback by the idea of a home without “natural gas” and an all electric/solar home, but was willing to work with them.

Dave led much of the research around the new home and introduced the architect and contractor to many new ideas and products. Dave imported triple pane, tilt and turn windows from Poland. These windows are tight, strong, well-insulated and are critical to the home’s operation.

Heat pumps are used for space and water heating as well as the dryer. Tesla Solar tiles provide 80% of the home’s annual energy needs, and two Tesla batteries will support the home for up to five hours in case of an outage. A pellet stove, which uses about 100 watts, can keep the home warm allowing the battery to supply days of “essential”  electrical loads during a long-term outage.

The home uses conventional frame construction with rockwool insulation, but adds a thin external insulation layer to compensate for thermal bridging by studs and structural steel.  With the use of an AeroBarrier acrylic mist air sealing process, the envelope meets passive home air exchange standards. A Lunos ductless heat recovery ventilation system ensures constant fresh air.

The beautiful floors are recycled wood throughout. Siding is a low maintenance, fire resistant combination of steel and cementitious materials.

Carol  was 100% supportive, though a bit worried about not having a gas stove. She learned to cook on induction and was completely won over.

The home was completed in 2022. It has been a joy to Dave and Carol and performs as hoped for.

photo of a net-zero home

A Net Zero Remodel on Southshore Blvd.

Jan 31, 2025 | Community, Electrify LO Journey

Ariel and Kyle strive to do their part to live an ecologically sustainable life. They eat a plant-based diet, purchase a CSA share from Luscher farm, and are looking at EVs for their next cars.

In 2021, they returned from several years in California and purchased a 1960s ranch house on Southshore Blvd. in Lake Oswego, but the house needed updating. They knew they wanted to play their part to mitigate climate change, but knew little about what that entailed in a remodel.

They collaborated with Ariel’s sister, who is an interior designer (Sara Gray with Grayhaus Interiors), and TaylorSmith Sustainable Construction, which focuses on sustainable construction, to design a highly ecologically-friendly home. The home was deconstructed down to the studs and rebuilt as an all-electric energy retrofit with a backup power generation system.

Ariel and Kyle switched to induction cooking and loved it from the beginning. Ariel says that cooking is not her forte, but induction is “good for bad cooks” because it allows better regulation of heat and has made her much more confident in the kitchen. She also can see how much safer it will be for their two-year-old son.

Here is a list of the unique features of their home:

  • Certified Net Zero Ready and Energy Star Home
  • Repurposed Foundation and Framing
  • Extremely Air-Tight Envelope 2” Continuous Exterior Rigid Insulation
  • High Efficiency 23 SEER Modulating Heat Pump with High Efficiency Whole Home Ventilation and HEPA Air Filtration
  • High Efficiency Heat Pump Water Heater
  • Custom 14’ Tall White Oak Screen Wall with Integrated Staircase
  • New High Performing Windows Throughout

photo of a net-zero remodeled kitchen photo of a net-zero remodeled living room

Advocating for a safe future in Lake Oswego

Nov 1, 2024 | Community, Community

Newsletter header image - LOSN Sustainability Insider

November 2024

Why Advocacy?

When we started LOSN in 2013, we got advice from a sister organization: Don’t get involved with policy, it can tear your organization apart! And for many years, we didn’t get involved with much advocacy.
Photo of protestors. A small boy is sitting on someone's shoulders. He is holding up a sign saying "Think about my future!"

As one of the few environmental groups in Lake Oswego, we take our responsibility seriously. We feel compelled to do as much as we can to promote a safe future, and advocacy can make a big difference.

Public policy can accomplish some things that individual actions cannot.

  • It can support individual action by removing barriers to positive actions. For example, think about the public policy that allows people to sell excess solar to the grid.
  • It can accomplish environmental goals faster. Think about the Clean Air Act, which dramatically reduced pollution by requiring filters in cars and factory smoke stacks.

What is LOSN Advocacy?

At LOSN, we have an advocacy team whose purpose is to review, initiate and promote new policies that build sustainability in Lake Oswego. Here are some of our activities:

  • We review and support what others are doing at the state level. What are the environmental groups or local organizations supporting? We can add our voice.
  • We initiate and promote ideas for Lake Oswego. LOSN has introduced a number of new concepts to Lake Oswego. For example, LOSN was the original supporter of the city’s climate action plan. We had heard of other cities that were adopting these plans and we thought LOSN should have one – so we promoted it.
  • We follow a rigorous vetting process within LOSN. A new policy proposal must run quite the gamut before we decide to support it. Each idea is vetted through our advocacy team – sometimes that takes multiple discussions. We often consult and work with other LOSN committees. Before we make our final decision, we get a consensus yes vote from our entire board.
  • We have an advocacy policy to ensure that our internal conversations and community outreach are respectful and productive.
  • We have partners. There is strength in connection, and we work closely with Respond to Racism, Oswego Lake Watershed Council, MCAT (Mobilizing Climate Action Together, a subgroup of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and others.
  • We create campaigns to support our favored policies. We mobilize individuals to support, organize letter writing campaigns and talk to local policy makers.

Here are some of the important issues we have worked on:

  • Protecting the city Sustainability Advisory Board and program against budget cuts (in place)
  • A climate action plan for the city (in place)
  • Electric school buses for the Lake Oswego School District (story below)
  • Affordable housing in Lake Oswego (housing will be ready for occupancy soon)
  • Exploring ways to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers (ongoing)
  • Review of new facilities: the wastewater treatment plan and the recreation center
  • State incentives for heat pumps, energy efficiency and electric vehicles (many of these are in place)
  • State laws regarding waste management (new laws are in place)
  • Improving state climate goals (defeated last year – up again at the state legislature)
  • The state climate protection plan (ongoing)

What are we working on now?

  • Affordable housing policies for Lake Oswego
  • Phase out gas-powered leaf blowers in Lake Oswego
  • Testifying in favor of state issues.

How can you get involved?

  • We are always looking for new committee members
  • We are exploring the idea of providing local advocacy training
Contact Us to Get Involved

Electric school buses are coming!

For five years, LOSN has been advocating for electric school buses in our community. Now four will arrive this coming year thanks to a PGE grant awarded to the Lake Oswego School District (LOSD).

Read more about the electric school buses coming to Lake Oswego.

In the coming years, LOSD may evaluate how and when to transition the entire bus fleet to electric. In the meantime, LOSN will continue to promote electric school buses as a healthy, sustainable choice.
Photo of the side of an electric school bus, with a charging cord attached to the bus' charging port

Lake Oswego School District: An Electric School Bus Case Study

We have found that impacting policy and making big changes takes a combination of time, often years, and creative problem solving. Sometimes people in leadership aren’t interested in our ideas, and we need to be persuasive. Sometimes we are engaged with public opposition or confusion.

Electric school buses provide an example of an issue we worked on that took time, engagement and persuasion. In this case, the people in leadership were very open to the idea of electric school buses because they are quieter, cleaner and healthier for students, and better for the environment. All the major work was done by the Lake Oswego School District (LOSD), and the credit belongs to them, but LOSN worked to create interest in the issue, supported the school board’s efforts and did public outreach.

In 2019, LOSN board member Duke Castle, heard that some school districts in the US were starting to use electric school buses. Duke has been promoting electric vehicles for years in Lake Oswego and was excited about the prospect of getting electric school buses in Lake Oswego. He contacted LOSD board member John Wallin, who expressed interest.

At that time, electric buses were 3 to 4 times more expensive than diesel and would require greater electric capacity for charging than was available at the former Lake Grove bus barn location. The district had acquired land in the Lakeview industrial park that would meet their needs for a bus barn. Duke spoke with Tony Vandenberg, LOSD Executive Director of Project Management, who was in charge of developing the new facility.

Duke researched and found that private companies like Highland Electric offered financing for electric school buses. A representative from that company told LOSD that their new location would be a good site for electric school buses.

Some of the neighbors near the proposed new site of the bus barn were concerned about noise and added pollution, so the LO Planning Commission did not approve the new location in 2019. The issue was tabled as the school district searched for a different location. By 2023, the district realized that the location they’d found in the Lakeview industrial park was the only one that suited their needs and went back to the Planning Commission.

After more research and discussion, and weighing the pros and cons, the LOSD board unanimously agreed to move forward. That’s when LOSN’s advocacy team got involved. Recognizing this location for the bus barn provided the only path forward for electric buses, we sent an action alert to our mailing list asking for comments to support electric school buses. Many comments were sent to the Planning Commission. In the end, the Planning Commission and City Council concurred with the school district. Almost five years after this project began, the bus barn is now operating in the new location.

Hear from the Electrification Experts

Urban Forest Summit and healthy yard tips for fall

Oct 1, 2024 | Community, Electrify Your Landscaping / Healthy Yard Care, Natural Resources - Testimonials, Past

October 2024
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6th Annual Urban Forest Summit:

A Healthy Urban Forest – What You Can Do

Saturday, November 2, 9 am – 12:30 pm

Lake Oswego United Methodist Church

1855 South Shore Blvd, Lake Oswego

You are invited to attend the 6th annual Urban Forest Summit. This is an opportunity to expand your arboreal knowledge, discuss the importance of a healthy, interconnected urban ecological system and share opportunities to maintain and support the health of the urban forest.

This year’s agenda will include an update on the City of Lake Oswego Community and Urban Forestry Plan, information on tree care and maintenance, understanding our urban forest from floor to canopy, and best practices for native plant landscaping. We’ll be exploring how we can care for our urban forest, individually and collectively.

The opening speakers will be Jack Halsey, Executive Director of the OLWC, Jessica Numanoglu, Community Development Director for the City of Lake Oswego, and Scott Altenhoff, Manager of the Urban and Community Forestry Program at the Oregon Department of Forestry. They will be followed by the following panelists: Caitlin Pope Daum, Principal Landscape Architect at Studio Wild, Ian Hunter, founder and owner of Phoenix Habitats, and Leah Puhlman, Master Gardener Oregon State University Extension.

The Urban Forest Summit is presented by the Oswego Lake Watershed Council in partnership with the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network.

For more information and to register: oswegowatershed.org
Learn more about and register for the Urban Forest Summit

Leave the Leaves… and other sustainable gardening ideas for fall

Leave the Leaves:

  • If they fall in garden beds let them stay in place.
  • Place leaves from your walkways and hardscape into your garden beds.
  • If they fall on your lawn use an electric lawn mower to chop them up and let them stay in place. By spring, all of the leaves will disintegrate into a leaf duff, which is just another name for natural compost.

Leave the flowers:

  • Birds will come to eat the seeds.
  • Wait until early spring to cut back your perennials to maximize winter food for birds and small mammals.

Leave the berries and other fruit on shrubs and trees.

Leave small branches and twigs – they provide good food for fungi. They will also disintegrate into the leaf duff.

ELECTRIFY YOUR LANDSCAPING AND HEALTHY YARD CARE

It’s Clean, It’s Quiet, It’s Healthy

Candidate Forum
Lake Oswego candidate forum

Do you want to hear about what our Lake Oswego candidates think about accelerating the implementation of the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, banning gas-powered leaf blowers and other sustainability and equity questions? This forum was held on October 7 and was hosted by Respond to Racism and the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network. Here is the YouTube link to the Candidate Forum: https://www.youtube.com/live/sPVqkuKB1jQ

We experienced difficulty in the audio recording and the sound begins at the 18:45 mark.

Lake Oswego Repair Fair Coming November 16

Please join us at our upcoming Lake Oswego Repair Fair on November 16 from 10 am – 1 pm.  For more information on upcoming Clackamas County Repair Fairs.

Ever wonder where your trash goes? Take a tour and find out

Jul 1, 2024 | Community, Education, Past

July 2024

Ever Wonder What Happens to Your Curbside Trash and Recycling? Now you can find out!

Please join the LOSN Materials Management Action Team for a 60-min tour of the material recovery facility operated by our residential hauler, Republic Services in Wilsonville.

Republic Service’s Materials Recovery Facility Tour

Friday Aug 9, 2024 ⋅ 11:30am – 12:30pm (Pacific Time – Los Angeles)

10295 SW Ridder Rd, Wilsonville, OR 97070, USA

There is a maximum of 30 participants who can attend. Please RSVP to Susan Mead at semead90@gmail.com. If you are interested in carpooling, please let Susan know.

Tour details:

  • Be sure to allow enough time to arrive for the tour start at 11:30 AM. Approiximately 30 minutes should be adequate from downtown Lake Oswego.
  • To join the walk-through of the facility, you must wear close-toed shoes. All needed personal protective equipment will be provided by Republic Services.

Sustainability in our schools

May 1, 2024 | Community, Education, Schools

May 2024

Sustainability in Lake Oswego Schools

The Lake Oswego School District (LOSD) has embraced sustainability in many different ways – in its curriculum, in its new facilities, and as one of the four key pillars in its strategic plan. In this month’s newsletter, we’re sharing sustainability highlights from the 2023-24 school year.

Sustainability Curriculum

For the second year, Lakeridge and Lake Oswego high schools have offered elective classes on sustainability. Both high schools also have green teams to help promote sustainability within their school communities.

Testimony from LOHS student Brody Trost:

“My name is Brady Trost, and I was in Mrs. Foster’s Sustainability class this year. The Sustainability class is super fun, you go on a lot of field trips and learn a lot about the environment. Earlier in 1st semester, our class went to the PAE building in Portland. The building was an incredibly sustainable building, and they filtered their own water for consumption. Many people in the class said that the water tastes especially good there. Our class also went to Forest Hill Elementary as our final, and we got to read the students a book called We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom. The book talks about water and how Native American people wish to protect their water. Our class was lucky to read this book to two 5th grade classes… Overall, Sustainability is a really fun class, and you can make new friends.”

Pictured above: Lake Oswego High School’s solar flower, greenhouse and garden.

Testimony from LOHS student Lyra Johnson:

“My name is Lyra Johnson, and I’m this year’s Green Team president. Green Team is the LOHS environmental activism club, focused on service, stewardship and environmental education. I joined the club in my freshman year while looking for something to do during the pandemic, and have found that the events, activities and opportunities it offers provide huge relief against climate anxiety and hopelessness. From regular land tending events, where we pull ivy, pick up trash and plant native species, to educational opportunities around the community (such as the annual Tree Summit on November 4, where I met so many inspiring individuals crafting havens of biodiversity in their own backyards), Green Team allows students to contribute in whatever capacity interests them.”

Lakeridge High School opened its greenhouse and agricultural spaces in fall 2023. Thanks to a collaboration between Marketing and Farm to School, students in the class sell vegetable starts and vegetables that they grow in their campus farm beds.

Sustainability curriculum has also expanded to elementary and middle schools. All 5th graders participate in place-based Healthy Waters walking field trips from their individual campuses that are provided by the Oswego Lake Watershed Council. The gardens were refurbished at Lake Grove Elementary while Westridge Elementary designed and built new gardens.

Both middle schools will add a garden/horticulture elective this fall.

Pictured above: Raised beds and outdoor classroom at River Grove Elementary.

Sustainable Facilities

Earth Week Celebration

The LOHS Green Team planned and coordinated a week-long series of events in April. The goal was to bring students together with the common goal of learning, sharing, and doing service. Events included Land Tending, a showing and discussion of “Atomic Hope,” the Lake Oswego Sustainability Resource Fair, and the Asian Cultural Festival. They capped off the week with a picnic to celebrate in the outdoor classroom.