There's a quiet revolution happening in the Portland metro region towards a system that supports the wellbeing of wildlife, as well as human beings.
And it's happening in our own backyards. The Backyard Habitat Certification Program, stewarded by the Bird Alliance of Oregon, has over 11,000 active participants in the four counties surrounding Portland, and grows larger everyday. The collective effort of these homes creates space for birds, mammals, insects and wild creatures of all sorts, and contributes towards a grid that is more carbon responsible.
Human Centric Media produced this short video as part of collaboration with the City of Tigard, highlighting their carbon responsible development initiatives, and the 116 backyard habitat builders within the city limits.
Garey Pagenstecher, an urban planner with the city, is among them! In the video, he speaks to his dual role in planning a more responsible model of urban development and playing a part with his family at home.
Katherine Noble of Bird Alliance Oregon was kind enough to walk us through the certification's growth, and the steps required to get involved.
If we're going to build a more equitable future for not just human beings, but all living things, it has to start in our own proverbial (and sometimes literal) backyards. We all have a responsibility to the future and to the planet.
I really vibe with what Katherine says in this doc, about having an intellectual or name-based connection with plants and wildlife. Showing a creature that respect always helps me connect empathetically to their very different physical experience. We're all sharing this planet, after all.
These kinds of productions remind me that nothing is more important than community.
