ABSTRACT
For those who came of age in the 1970s, Oregon was that odd defiant state inhabited by the last pioneers; where one could enjoy the freedoms of open country and open minds. The values that brought young professionals to Portland in the 1970s and 1980s brought responsible environmentalism to the forefront well in advance of many other cities in North America. Popular agreement on the importance of recycling was sufficient to enact the statewide bottle bill in 1971, and soon many were rinsing, flattening, and recycling cans, as well as delivering bundled newspapers and cardboard to salvage companies. In the wake of 1960s urban renewal and the displacement of whole communities from the South Auditorium District, there was great sensitivity to the evils of gentrification. In 1850, the year before Portland was incorporated as a city, Ebenezer Howard was born in far-off England into a roaring Industrial Revolution that generated great wealth, while degrading the lives of the working poor.
