...And the Results Are In!

Okay folks, here are the totals from our first round of Baubles That Benefit. Can we get a drum roll please?!?

SAGE: $17.25    ::    IMPACT: $20.90    ::    Heartland: $28.20

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Pretty impressive, eh? We think so, but just to sweeten the pot re•volve will match each donation total. And what is even MORE impressive is that you helped us keep 1254 plastic bags out of the consumer wastestream!!! Now that’s a tangible benefit we can all appreciate, don’t you think? We say it all the time but this warrants another huge hearty THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to the success of Baubles That Benefit. You’ve helped us turn this piece of our dream into a reality, and without your conscious decision to forgo a bag it wouldn’t be possible. Cheers!

Changing of the Bauble Orgs

Oh how the time flies! It's time to change our Baubles That Benefit organizations and to get everyone familiar with them what follows are blurbs about each. But first, a little personal anecdote about one of them...

A couple of months ago, an unexpected visitor decided to visit our shop. A wee little bat made its way inside and promptly found a hiding spot. Fortunately for us, a call to Chintimini and a quick response from one of its volunteers produced a happy ending – after searching spots that she knew a bat would like, she found it on one of our curtains, perfectly camouflaged against the black fabric. She captured it without incident, checked it over to make sure that it was healthy, and released in its riverfront home territory. How lucky are we that such comprehensive service is only a phone call away?!? Many thanks and much gratitude for Chintimini and its tireless volunteers! We think that the little bat feels the same way too :)

Chintimini Wildlife Center

“To provide medical care for injured and orphaned native wildlife with the goal of returning them to their natural habitat and to foster a connection between people and wildlife through education.”

In its 22 years of existence, Chintimini has treated over 15,500 wild animals representing more than 300 species - all accomplished by volunteers who contribute over 10,000 hours of their time each year. The CWC’s rehab clinic operates 365 days a year and provides a unique and vital service in the central Willamette Valley. They are committed to educating the public, from pre-schoolers to adults, and also have a 24-hour hotline that fields over 4000 calls each year. As a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization, Chintimini relies on donations to operate – together we can help make a difference in the lives of our injured and displaced wild animal friends and learn how to peacefully coexist with the little beasties that share our beautiful landscape!

Community Outreach, Inc.

"A service agency dedicated to helping people help themselves."

Community Outreach has been providing services to the mid-Willamette Valley's homeless and very low-/no-income since 1971 - stabilizing those in crisis, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, healing the sick, and counseling the mentally ill and substance addicted. Their commitment to treating everybody they serve with dignity and respect, offering them the necessary skills, knowledge, and assistance so that they may go on to lead healthy and productive lives is the cornerstone of their mission. From emergency shelter to therapeutic childcare, health clinics to transitional housing, Community Outreach provides comprehensive, compassionate care for the most neglected and underserved members of our community.

Avery House Nature Center

"Providing broad-based environmental education programs for all ages."

For 10 years, the Corvallis Environmental Center's Avery Nature Center has offered nature themed education designed to help people discover their connection to nature and understand how local ecosystems function. Curriculum, activities, and programs are centered on theme-based units that follow nature's seasonal cycles and include the studying of wildlife, plants, seasons, and life cycles. The Nature Center is home to NaturePlay Preschool, Kinder Explorers, the Get WILD Homeschool Program, and NEWT (Nature Education with Teachers). The Avery House also hosts various seasonal open houses and events for folks of all ages. They are always adding new classes and programs to their schedule, so check their website often for the latest offerings!

We'll be tallying the baubles from the first round over the weekend and will let you all know the totals by early next week!

Milestone Achieved!

Wahoooo we hit 100+ likes on facebook! We are super stoked and to commemorate this milestone we’ve added super baubles to each of the jars in our Baubles That Benefit program. If you’re not familiar with the organizations that we’re supporting this round, here are the blurbs that describe them:

Heartland Humane Society

A perennial favorite of ours, and the place where we have found many of our animal soulmates over the years, Heartland Humane Society provides a host of services to ensure the best care for our furry (and sometimes not so furry!) friends. As a non-profit, they rely on donations to maintain programs like a pet food bank, emergency & safe housing, affordable adoptions, and humane education. Help us help Heartland care for Benton County’s homeless animals!

SAGE: Starker Arts Garden for Education

The Corvallis Environmental Center’s SAGE garden provides a vital service to our community by working with community volunteers and service-learning groups to farm a one-acre plot of land that benefits underserved populations. All of the food produced is donated to local food banks and soup kitchens – in fact, in 2010 alone over 8,000 pounds of organic produce was distributed to local agencies. We want to do our part to make sure that everybody has access to fresh, healthy, and local eats!

IMPACT: Individualized Movement and Physical Activity for Children Today

Specially trained OSU students provide attention, support, and encouragement for each participant in this unique two-month program, designed to improve the motor fitness skills of youth with special needs. Established in 1982, this community service is directed by OSU faculty and doctoral students in the nationally recognized and respected Movement Studies in Disability program. Highly individualized programs help more than 80 youth each year gain skills that build confidence that translates to the classroom, playground, and home life.

Many thanks to everyone who has participated in making this program so successful. If there are local organizations that you'd like us to look into supporting in the future please leave a comment or shoot us an email at revolvement@gmail.com. Cheers!

Find us on Facebook

We're coming up on 100 facebook likes, and in honor of that milestone we will be adding 100 baubles to each of the organizations' jars in our Baubles That Benefit program! Thanks to all who have partnered with, patronized, or otherwise supported our shop - we couldn't do it without you :)

The Great Debate: Paper or Plastic, and What About Those Reusable Totes?

So down the rabbit hole we shall go… This topic has been hashed and rehashed a million times over, but I don’t think I’m alone when I (still!) panic a little when a cashier asks the inevitable “Paper or plastic today?” Or how I say “Neither, thank you, I brought my own” as I happily plop my reusable bag on the counter. So which is the best choice? As it turns out, none of the most commonly available are great. Here’s a quick breakdown of each:

Plastic

Most plastic bags are made from a derivative of natural gas called polyethylene, which is a non-renewable resource. Strike one. They aren’t biodegradable and although they might photo-degrade (this requires exposure to a fairly specific set of conditions), even then it could take 500-1000 years to “assimilate” back into the soil. Strike two. Although plastic bags are recyclable, an estimated 94% of them still end up in landfills or our oceans. Strike three. So is the lowly plastic bag out?

Consider this: The production of plastic bags uses less energy - often produced by burning coal which is a major contributor to air pollution, not to mention the extensive environmental impact coal mining has in general - and less potable water, and also emits fewer greenhouse gases and produces less solid waste than producing paper bags with 30% recycled content. Some estimates suggest that plastics recycling has increased by 300% in the past four years and that the actual process of recycling plastic bags requires very little energy and produces little to no pollution. Within seconds they are turned into little pellets that are used to make a variety of products from building materials to “new” plastic bags.

So, I suppose, the plastic bag may be down but not totally out…

Paper

Paper bags, even those with recycled content, require a lot of trees to produce. And the process is long and fraught with environmental pitfalls, like the ecological consequences of clearing even a small area, the need for roads to haul the felled trees which further disrupts habitat, and the tremendous amount of fossil fuels required for the shipment and production of paper. Let’s not get into the amount of potable water and harmful chemicals used to get wood ready to be paper, just suffice it to say that it’s pretty staggering. In fact, even the recycling process requires the use of a significant amount of chemicals, but many facilities either treat the polluted water or isolate the resulting sludge, clean it, and reuse it instead of sending it into our waterways.

***However***

Paper bags are easily and often reused and recycled. Should they end up in landfills they will, albeit over many years, biodegrade. There are also lots of ways to repurpose them: try using them as a weed barrier in your garden, as book covers or wrapping paper, or tear them into strips and throw them in your compost heap.

Reusable non-woven polypropylene totes

Well well well… I certainly thought that these were the answer to the great debate, especially because you could conveniently and inexpensively buy them at nearly every check-out counter. But oh, isn’t there always something?!?

Here’s the deal with these: They are plastic. Often produced in faraway countries with lax or nonexistent environmental regulations. Then they have to be shipped here. It has become more commonly known that these countries (think China, Vietnam, etc.) don’t have labor laws that protect workers from exposure to toxins, nor do they pay fair wages. They are inexpensive for a reason, dear readers. If these totes are recyclable, it is often not known because the content is not clearly or consistently disclosed on the tags. Many of them are not washable, and there’s been lots of press lately about the yuck that can grow in them. So, while they do last a long time their ultimate resting place is unknown and they carry with them all sorts of thorns that can get stuck in our social consciousness’.

So what to dooooooooo?

Ideally we should use bags made from sustainable and organically produced natural fibers that can be laundered, have at least some recycled content, and are made in the U.S. Is this feasible? Yep. Easy? Maybe not so much.

We have gone round and round about what kind of bags to provide for our customers here at re•volve. While we would LOVE to put your new-to-you clothes and accessories in the above “ideal” bag, unfortunately it is abysmally cost prohibitive. We’ll keep working toward it, but in the meantime we have decided to use 100% recycled non-inked made-in-the-USA plastic bags. We have questioned and re-questioned our decision, pulling apart the sticky mess that stigma makes of any fact and, although tenuous, we stand by our choice. So maybe instead of straight demonizing the plastic bag we should all make a serious commitment to always recycle them. Check out the last link in the sources list below for the summaries of some comparative studies done on the impact of plastic versus paper bag production as well as articles that debunk some of the more egregious myths – it kinda blew our stigmatized minds, maybe it’ll do the same to you. And if not, please leave a comment so we can have some meaningful conversation around this. In any case we’d love for you to bring in your own bag of any sort or even use no bag at all, and if you do we’ll give you a bauble that benefits!

Thanks for sticking with us – knowledge, while sometimes uncomfortable, is powerful. Especially when it calls into question everything you thought you knew about something! Sorry about the cliché, but this stuff gets you thinking, yes?

Sources:

http://blog.greenfeet.com/index.php/paper-vs-plastic-the-shopping-bag-debate/reducing-your-footprint/121

http://www.reuseit.com/learn-more/myth-busting

http://www.nashvillewrapscommunity.com/blog/2011/01/when-we-ban-plastic-bags/

http://myecoproject.org/get-involved/waste-recycling/what-can-be-recycled/recycling-plastic-bags/

http://www.nashvillewrapscommunity.com/blog/2009/08/reusable-shopping-bags-not-so-eco-friendly/

http://savetheplasticbag.com/ReadContent486.aspx (Despite the website name, it isn’t affiliated with the chemical or plastics lobby. Read more on numerous comparative studies here.)

Welcome to re•volve

It’s been a couple of weeks since the last blog post, and what a crazy amazing stretch it’s been! It’s hard to briefly sum up our first two weeks of being open, so let’s just say that our welcome into the downtown Corvallis business community has been warm and the feedback from customers, consignors, and passersby kind and encouraging. We have had loads more fun than we could have even imagined, which has definitely made up for some of the pre-opening drudgery. We are settling in nicely and are abundantly grateful for the opportunity to realize our dream – we get to operate a shop that promotes environmental and social responsibility all while meeting and engaging with all sorts of people, some of whom have never shopped resale or consigned before. So, thank you Corvallis for welcoming and supporting us! We feel honored to be able to serve you and to give back to the town that has contributed so much to our worldview and core values. We look forward to the future even as we relish the present. :)

Oh and FYI, we always have candy free for the taking at the counter. So even of you’re just walking by and need a little nosh, pop on in and take some for the road. Cheers to that!

Baubles That Benefit

We want to do our part to reduce the number of shopping bags floating around your house, your car, and maybe even your garbage can (fail!). When you shop at re•volve and opt to use your own bag or no bag at all, we will give you a shiny little bauble to drop in a jar on your way out the door that will go towards benefiting a local cause. Each bauble is worth 5¢ and you can choose from one of three local causes to support. We’ll tally the baubles quarterly and make a donation to each of the organizations chosen. How fun to see how just one little bauble can add up and how tangible the impact can be - thanks for helping us make a difference one bag at a time by participating in baubles that benefit!

Here We Goooooo!!!

Tonight’s the night friends – we’re having a soft opening from 5 to 7ish pm! Come down and check out the store and help us celebrate the culmination of this dream – to be a part of the amazing downtown Corvallis community, to operate in a way that reflects our town’s commitment to social and environmental responsibility, and to thoughtfully engage with patrons and passersby alike. We are forever and ever grateful to our family, friends, and all those who have helped us along the way. Whether it was through donations, pre-consignments, well wishes, or putting the word out, this really couldn’t have happened without ALL of you! The blessings just keep rolling in…

We also want to give a shout out to our first generation staff – Michelle, Kim, and Derek. We are so lucky to have you representing our store and for believing in what we are doing. You’ve each brought your unique gifts and talents to this work and we appreciate it beyond measure!

Also, our operating hours will be shortened for the rest of this week: 12-5pm Thursday and Friday, 10am-2pm Saturday. We’ll be switching to our regular hours of 10am-6pm Monday through Saturday beginning June 13^th.

Thank you all once again for your support and we hope to see you tonight!

Building It Up: The Final Chapter

Here it is folks! The last photo album before we open - click on the image to see the (almost!) full transformation.

Consignment versus Thrift Stores

We’ve been asked “When is your thrift shop opening?” many times since we started this endeavor, and aside from hesitating on the opening date (!) we’ve tried to clarify the key differences between thrift and consignment stores. Here they are:

• Consignment shops value quality over quantity. Unlike most thrift stores (think Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.), consignment shops handpick the items for sale. This generally means that they will be in top condition – no stains, tears, excessive wear, or odor. Yes, you may be able to find a similar item at a thrift shop, but you have to dig through a lot of stuff to find the gems!
• Consignment shops offer you money for your items. Thrift stores let you unload a ton of unwanted stuff, but for little (donation tax write-off, if you itemize deductions) or no return. Consignment shops, on the other hand, pay you to clean out your closet! Yep, we’re picky, but we want your items to sell so you can recoup some of the money you’ve spent on your wardrobe.
• Consignment shops usually have a narrow target demographic. Most thrift stores accept a vast array of items, whereas a consignment shop tends to stick to just a few categories. This reduces the amount of extraneous “stuff” floating around and for many is a more pleasant shopping environment – you can expect consignment shops to be orderly and tidy and for the staff to know the inventory.

It is often noted (and sometimes lamented!) that consignment shops charge more for items than thrift stores, and that is largely because of the above differences. Also, thrift stores deal in sheer volume and this necessitates set prices for items regardless of their condition. So, if you're anything like us and get overwhelmed in thrift stores when you're looking for specific items, try visiting a local consignment shop. We think you'll like it! :)

World Fair Trade Day - May 14th

I think it’s fair to say that a sizeable portion of the American population never really thinks about where their wearables and other accessories come from unless they’re complaining about it, let alone who makes them. Although global trade has been conducted for centuries (I had to think back to high school history for that – spice trade, anyone?!?), it has reached the point where we now call it a “global economy.” There has been woven a web of interdependence and with that, unfortunately, often comes the exploitation of people and their labor in a not-so-noble effort to increase profits. Some would argue that by setting up factories in less-developed countries we are providing employment opportunities to people who wouldn’t otherwise have them.

Okay, but at what cost to them?

In many cases, they are not protected by labor and safety laws. Nor are they paid fairly. Working long hours leaves them little time to preserve their cultural traditions, including the production of artisan goods. They have little to no voice regarding the terms and conditions of their labor. The cold truth is that many of the workers who mass produce the stuff we use everyday are considered disposable and are readily replaceable. And because they are generally undereducated they don’t know any better, which is why the word “exploitation” is so apt in this context. Ugh.

But! The Fair Trade movement has been gaining steam, and in the spirit of all that is good and compassionate about human nature I encourage you to consider choosing Fair Trade products whenever possible. Here are a few reasons why:

• Fair Trade means what you buy matters. By choosing Fair Trade products, you are not only accessing high quality products, you are making a difference in the lives of the people who grow the food you eat and the goods you use. You are empowering the artisans by giving them an opportunity to move from poverty toward economic independence.
• Fair Trade connects you with other cultures. Fair Trade products are unique to the places they come from and the people who make them. Farmers and artisans are involved in the entire process, and Fair Trade products reflect the people and cultures they come from.
• Fair Trade means high quality goods. Artisans take pride in their work. Crafts are often handmade, which translates into closer attention to detail and in the end higher-quality products.
• Fair Trade means fair pay and working conditions for farmers and producers. Fair Trade products are made in safe and healthy working conditions, where farmers and producers receive a fair price and have a voice in how their workplace is run.
• Fair Trade is better for the environment. Fair Trade supports sustainable practices that minimize our environmental footprint.

 Sources: http://www.fairtraderesource.org/, http://www.fairtradefederation.org/

We can’t stop the global economy machine, but we can make choices that position our fellow global citizens to be successful in the context of their cultures. So, in honor of World Fair Trade Day let’s celebrate their contributions!

Building It Up: Part 3

Silliness, paint, floors, oh my! Here's what we've been doing in the last few weeks - click on image to see the full album.

The Inevitable Expectation Curve

“The best laid schemes of Mice and Men oft go awry…” – Robert Burns, 18^th century poet

Or, to put it more colloquially, Murphy’s Law indeed reigns supreme! Planning, timelines, deadlines – these should only be used as guidelines, we are learning, when starting a business. Especially when construction inspectors and subcontractors are involved! Oh please grant us this moment of levity, we’re certainly not placing blame – just trying to make sense of things, find the humor in it, and readjust. That said, we’ve had to revisit and revamp our expectations for completion dates and in doing so have had to push our opening back to the middle of May. Here’s to hoping that we’re on the downhill side of that pesky curve!

Building It Up: Part 2

Hallelujah we have WALLS! Here are a few pictures from today - click on the photo to see more.

Why Shop Resale?

Augmenting your wardrobe with items purchased from resale and consignment stores is a great way to offset some of the not so great consequences of the production of raw clothing material:

• Mainstream cotton production degrades farmland and pollutes waterways – the amount of cotton it takes to make a simple tee requires the application of two pounds of pesticide

• The most common fabric dyes contain heavy metals which can be harmful to animals, ourselves, and the environment in general

• Synthetic polyesters and nylons are made from petrochemicals in a super-polluting crude oil refinement process

Source: http://www.natural-environment.com/blog/tag/landfill/

We can all do our part to reduce our impact on our lovely planet. We sure have gotten an education about the environmental ramifications of mass textile production as we delve deeper into the clothing industry and want to share what we’ve learned. There is a huge social piece to this puzzle too, but we’ll save that for another post. It has definitely encouraged us to make some changes in our buying habits and hope that it will for you too!

Textile recycling update:

The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition is currently looking for a location to place a large (think semi-trailer) sized container to collect textiles, and when found St. Vincent de Paul has agreed to transport the container to the appropriate reclamation center. In the meantime, St. Vincent de Paul in Albany accepts textiles of all kinds for reuse and recycling, including items that aren’t suitable for resale (like rags, old towels, and too-worn clothes) as long as they’re free of any hazardous substances. We’ll be keeping up on the progress toward getting a depot in Corvallis and will keep you in the loop too!

Building It Up: Part 1

Here's a little taste of how the space is shaping up! Click on the photo to view the album.

It's All in the Name

re•volve

[ri-volv]

1. to move in a circular or curving course or orbit: The earth revolves around the sun.
2. to proceed or occur in a round or cycle; come around again in the process of time; recur.
3. to focus or center on.
4. a downtown Corvallis boutique of consignment, gently used, and new merchandise.

When we were thinking about a name for our store, we really wanted something that captured the benefits of consigning unwanted clothing. Working off of the principle of the three R’s, the name revolve was born.

Reduce: The average American throws away 67.9 pounds of clothing and rags annually. Collectively, 2 quadrillion (2,000,000,000,000,000!!!) pounds of clothing and textiles end up in landfills every year, and it is estimated that 95% of used clothing is still usable (e.g., made into rags) or at the very least, recyclable (http://charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/used-clothing.htm).

Reuse: There’s a very good chance that your unwanted items of clothing will find new life in someone else’s closet. Even if that sassy shirt has lost its luster for you, just think of how fabulous it might make someone else feel…maybe they’ve been looking for THAT SHIRT for a long time, and you get to be the one to give that little gift!

Recycle: This one has proven to be a little tricky. Textile recycling programs are out there, but they’re most often found in more metropolitan areas. We’re hoping to collaborate with Corvallis Disposal to establish a textile recycling depot here – we’ll keep you posted as information comes in.

So what is in a name? Well, we’re hoping that our name will become synonymous with the three R’s around here. A lofty goal, yes. But the business’ mission was formed around the idea. It’s not new or crazy, but it is at the heart of how we conduct ourselves personally and now professionally. And we think that the word “revolve” fits in nicely with reduce, reuse, and recycle. It kind of caps the phrase off, bringing it all together. And that, friends, is what is in our name.

Some of you might also be wondering, “What’s the deal with the dot in the middle of your name?” That’s really open for interpretation – ours changes all the time! But we always come back to the clichéd idea that change is constant and that we should be ever-vigilant of opportunities to, well, evolve. Our location also reflects a desire to evolve a space: there it was, a rundown and oddly divided space in an historic building in downtown Corvallis. To us it was practically screaming for someone to come in and love it into being! Something about it felt magical…we could see beyond the scrappy carpet and wood paneling, the weird nooks and the smell of years of being uninhabited. We envisioned a space created with intention that would at once honor its history while entering the modern realm. We are so ecstatic to have been able to be the catalyst for this space’s evolution and to have had the support and encouragement of the owners of the Hotel Julian. It is our hope that you feel the goodness when you come in our store!

Join the re•volvement

And now for some of the nitty-gritty...

Below is an abbreviated version of the information card that will be available when we're actually open, but as we lead up to the big day we are very gratefully accepting donations and items that will be put on pre-consignment (all this really means is that we hold your items and your contract start date will be pushed back to when we put your items on the sales floor). If any of you are interested in getting in on this, please email us at revolvement@gmail.com and we'll coordinate!

HOW IT WORKS

Merchandise must be in excellent condition. Current styles are preferable, but if you have a vintage gem we'll be happy to take a look.

All items must be freshly laundered with no stains, tears, musty, or smoke smell and free of pet hair. Please bring your items in neatly folded. Remember that we want your clothes to sell! Please have them in the condition that you would like to buy them.

We will assess your clothing on the spot during our consignment times if you have one bag of merchandise. If you have multiple bags, please be willing to leave it for us to go through or call ahead to set up an appointment. Any items dropped off must be picked up by closing of the third business day following the drop off or the merchandise will become the property of re●volve and donated.

You will be offered 40% of the final selling price for consignment items. Checks or store credit will be issued after your items have been sold. The Consignment Contract is for 60 days and begins when the merchandise is put onto the sales floor. In some cases re●volve will offer to purchase your items in cash instead of consignment. This depends on the item and the demand for it. 

We accept clothing in current seasons:

Fall: August - October    Winter: October - February

Spring: February - May    Summer: May - August

NOTE: these dates are subject to change, please call to confirm.

Looking for something in particular? Fill out a wish list and if we come across a specific item you're looking for we'll get it for you. There is no additional fee for this service and we'd love to help you find it!

SOME OF THE LABELS WE LOVE

 7 for all Mankind, American Apparel, Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Betsey Johnson, Billabong,

Citizens of Humanity, Columbia, Esprit, Free People, Gap, G-Star, Hudson, J. Crew, Juicy Couture,

Lucky Brand, Lux, Miss Sixty, Paige Premium, Rock & Republic, RVCA, Splendid, The North Face,

True Religion, Volcom, William Rast.

Feel free to introduce us to labels that YOU love.

Ready, Set, re•volve

 It all started a couple of years ago. Two sisters, chatting on their back patio, dreaming of opening some sort of store whose core mission reflected the conscientious spirit of our beloved community.

Fast forward to the fall of 2010, when our mom and grandma casually suggested opening a consignment boutique. Well, needless to say, we took that idea and immediately ran with it! The possibilities were at once endless and overwhelming – had we actually found the niche in which our musings could be brought to fruition? We began feverishly researching the industry, visiting other local consignment stores, brainstorming like nobody’s business… Could we do this? How? When? Huh?!?

As the weeks went by we began to feel more comfortable with the idea of opening a resale store, embracing the known and even the unknown aspects of business ownership. Scoping out potential locations, deciding on a meaningful business name, tinkering with logo designs, registering with the State… check, check, check, and check. Writing a business plan, finding a location, persevering through periods of doubt and seeming stagnation… sometimes it felt like we’d never get through the yuck. But check, check, and check. It was in these times, as is often true in life in general, that the most valuable and rewarding lessons were learned. A big hurrah for reaching, stretching, and growing!

We’re really looking forward to being a part of the downtown Corvallis culture and engaging with our fellow Corvallians, visitors, and the OSU community. We hope to become a vital part of Corvallis’ spirit through charitable endeavors and by embodying its commitments to social responsibility and environmental sustainability. This blog will be a platform for expressing and discussing these ideals, giving you an opportunity to get to know us better. We’ll also share tips and tricks and other relevant tidbits as we come across them. We love feedback, so leave comments if you feel so inclined!

We’ll keep you updated on our progress so check back soon!