The Blueprint Foundation

There's no better way to spend a gloomy day than to spend it with Friends of Tryon Creek! 🌿

Last week, Grounding Waters enjoyed an ITEK Dyeing and Basket Weaving Workshop led by our friends at Tryon Creek. We kicked off the day with a presentation introducing students to the foundations of traditional dyeing using resources found at home or in nature. Things like plants, flowers, and bark can be boiled down to create natural color pallets, making upcycling old clothing—or in our case, yarn—more accessible and sustainable.

Once we learned the foundations, it was time to move on to the basket-weaving portion of the workshop. We got to choose from several different colored yarns (all naturally dyed) to weave our very own baskets. Some students chose to collaborate and work on baskets as a group, while others worked independently.

A day that started off sleepy and slow turned into a day where excitement and creativity energized us all! 💚

Are you ready for our first plant sale? 🤔

The Blueprint Foundation and Columbia Slough Watershed Council are teaming up with Sparrowhawk Native Plants for this year’s Native Plant Pop-Up Sale! 🌿

Starting March 1st at 9 AM through March 29th at 12 AM, choose from over 115 diverse species of plants that support climate resiliency, pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

At checkout, select to pick up your plants at Level Beer in NE Portland on May 8th or May 9th to support Blueprint and CSWC.

Proceeds from the sale will support our Columbia Slough-based projects, including our annual Vanport Stewardship Event, which connects students to the watershed’s history while addressing the disenfranchisement of Black communities following the 1948 floods through environmental restoration.

🔗 Eager to see what plants are available? Click the link in bio to view this year’s native plant collection!

If you read this far, comment down below what you’re planting in your spring garden!

📸 Credit: Slide 1, Tara Lemezis & Slide 2, Columbia Slough Watershed Council

The Change is in the Air Program (CAP) equips BIPOC youth with the skills and know-how to address data gaps concerning climate-related air pollutants in Black, BIPOC, and low-income communities throughout Portland.

These quarterly Community Education Events (CEE) are student-led symposiums designed to empower BIPOC communities to take ownership and drive action in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Students will share their experience in the program, review and explain collected data, and address various climate-related concerns at each session.

Attendees will receive one free air quality monitor (per household) built by students, participate in a hands-on DIY air filter, and have access to live and recorded installation demos.

Join us in shaping a cleaner, more equitable future—one breath at a time!

📆 When: Saturday, March 21st, 2026
📍Where: Charles Jordan Community Center,
9009 N Foss Ave, Portland, OR 97203
🕓 Time: Event starts at 12pm!

🔗 RSVP to secure your FREE spot by visiting: https://forms.gle/Ud7nb2XXsgyF3mJv8