Pringle Creek repeats in Natural Home top ten

Pringle Creek Community is on Natural Home magazine's list, America’s Top 10 Best Green-Built Neighborhoods.The magazine states that "our favorite planned communities strive for responsible construction and promote sustainable living.”

Two and half years ago Natural Home published a similar listing, their top 10 “green housing projects,” and Pringle Creek was also on that list.

Two entries on the new list that weren't on the previous list are in Oregon:
Mosier Creek is in the small town of Mosier, seven miles west of Hood River. The other is Northwest Crossing in Bend.

Pringle Creek in Forests for Oregon magazine

The Oregon Department of Forestry has written about Pringle Creek Community in their quarterly magazine, Forests for Oregon. The article, "An innovative approach to trees, landscaping, homebuilding," by Cynthia Orlando, is on pages 6-7 of the online 12-page pdf.

The pervious asphalt is an important feature – it allows 90 percent of rainwater to infiltrate on-site to the aquifer, thereby protecting local rivers and streams. Pervious asphalt notwithstanding, “our trees are our most effective stormwater management tool,” says James Santana, Director of Community Development at Pringle Creek.

The site’s commitment to mature tree retention – an astounding 80 percent of the site’s trees were preserved during development – is another important feature. “Retaining existing trees on a development site is often more valuable than planting new trees,” says ODF’s Urban and Community Program Director, Paul Ries. “Mature trees deliver and instant sense of place – as well as a variety of environmental, economic, and social benefits that small trees take many years to provide,” he adds.

Photo log

Shannon (our Urban Farm Intern) working with Pete and Mark from Marion Polk Food Share

Pete, Mark, Shannon and Will in the Conservatory growing starts for MPFS

Our first blooms of passion flower inside the Conservatory!

The passion flower vine soon will be covered in incredible flowers

Kristen's LEED tall house is just about finished, gets exterior paint next week or so

Fariborz's LEED roundhouse getting framed

It will have a one car garage with master bedroom above

Inside the great room, lots of south facing windows

View of the north side. The crane work was done by local company Santana Crane.

Cousteau Loop beginning to take shape with six LEED certified houses!

Fairview Wetlands Park

Fairview Wetlands Park is a 40 acre naturalized park space with trails just a one mile walk from Pringle Creek Community. There are native plants and flowers and migratory birds to observe. The wetlands is a small wildlife oasis in the city, and a very nice place to walk or go for a run. Pringle Creek Watershed Council is asking for some help with maintenance.

Click to enlarge

Exchange students check out Pringle Creek

Here are some photos from a recent gathering in the "net-zero energy" Painter's Hall. Sixteen South Salem families are hosting 16 foreign exchange students from Munich, Germany, and they all came out for a potluck dinner. Afterwards, many in the party filtered outside to play and visit and check out Pringle Creek Community.

"This place has good potential for a disc golf course."

"Clouds are a problem for solar power in Germany too."

Potluck for 60? Notice the ceiling detail, which is an assembly of wood strips removed from another pre-existing building at Pringle Creek.

No clue as to which ones are German and which are American.

"We're hiding what tree?" Inside joke; behind the group is the "nurse log" in front of the Painter's Hall, a 300 year old naturally-fallen Oregon White oak that we’ve incorporated into the neighborhood landscaping plan.