What is Resourceful PDX?
The Resourceful PDX program helps Portland residents make simple changes to conserve natural resources, save money, use second-hand goods, support community-based sharing, and extend the life of their stuff through basic maintenance and repair.
The program connects residents with those resources – including community-based organizations, local businesses, government agencies, and each other – through:
- A map showing what resources exist in their neighborhood and a search function to find what they need within the city.
- An event calendar listing upcoming Repair Cafes, swap events, and more.
- A blog that offers timely tips, like holiday gift-giving or spring cleaning, as well as highlights of new organizations and resources.
Resourceful PDX focuses on four categories:
- Reuse: Choose second-hand, salvage, and vintage, or repurpose something old into a new creation.
- Borrow and Share: Cut down on clutter by borrowing, sharing, and renting items.
- Fix and Maintain: Extend the life of your stuff with basic maintenance and repair.
- Buy Smart: Create memories instead of excess stuff by planning ahead and shopping with purpose.
These are effective ways residents can get the things they need while saving money, avoiding waste, and cutting clutter – while simultaneously conserving natural resources and reducing carbon emissions.
The Resourceful PDX website also shares resources for life transition moments, such as moving to a new home, growing a family, home improvement, and kids heading back to school. These are often periods of increased stress, pressure, clutter – and stuff – which can also lead to greater waste. During these transitions, people are exploring new ways of doing things (new neighborhoods, new schools, new projects) and developing new habits, which makes this an ideal time to share information and examples of how to do things differently.
The program promotes events and efforts organized by the local sharing community, from tool libraries and clothing swaps to neighborhood food exchanges and Buy Nothing groups.
History of Resourceful PDX
In 2010, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) started the Resourceful PDX pilot program as a values-based, long-term public awareness and behavior-change campaign focused on thoughtful consumption. The program's creation was informed by the 2007 City Council vote to approve the Portland Recycles! Plan, mandating the City work with the community to reduce waste as part of a goal to reduce per capita waste below 2005 levels by 2015.
Before creating Resourceful PDX, the City conducted extensive audience research and message testing to identify barriers and benefits, values and motivators, and existing knowledge. Some key findings were:
- A “win/win” message of personal/environmental benefit resonated with people.
- Top values/benefits of reuse were thriftiness, responsibility, self-sufficiency, fun, health and family, smarts, achievement.
- People wanted more “how-to” information and less “why to” explanation.
We heard from community members that they want to reduce waste and shop in ways that benefit the community and the environment but they didn't always know how. They wanted advice and resources that make it easier to repair, share, borrow, and shop with purpose.
So, the City of Portland, in partnership with other reuse-focused organizations, created the Resourceful PDX program to help Portlanders make simple changes to save money, support the community, and conserve natural resources.
Disclaimer about featured businesses and organizations
The Resourceful PDX program is meant to connect Portland residents with free or low-cost options for living more resourcefully. The resources shared through the Resourceful PDX website and program materials are meant to show a representation of both small and large for-profit, nonprofit and grassroots organizations, companies and businesses across a wide geographic area of Portland.
To submit an organization for possible inclusion in the map or elsewhere on the program website, please contact us.
The City of Portland does not endorse any business, company, or organization through the Resourceful PDX website. The City does not make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assume any legal liability or responsibility, for the businesses, organizations, products or processes identified or disclosed in the Resourceful PDX website. The City takes no responsibility for the quality, accuracy or timeliness of customer service provided by any companies, businesses or organizations identified in Resourceful PDX.
There are a range of business services that allow consumers to look into business practices and background. We encourage consumers to protect themselves by using the following resources or similar forms of consumer protection:
- Better Business Bureau
- Consumer Protection - Oregon Department of Justice
- Bureau of Consumer Protection - Federal Trade Commission
- African American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon
- East Portland Chamber of Commerce
- Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber
- Philippine American Chamber of Commerce
- Portland Metro Chamber of Commerce
Non-Discrimination
Resourceful PDX’s policy is to eliminate discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, marital status, familial status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and source of income.
For a business or organization to be listed or otherwise participate in the Resourceful PDX program, the organization or business must be open to, allow the participation of, and offer its products or services to all citizens or patrons, without regard to race/ethnicity/national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income, age or other protected class.
If the Resourceful PDX program is informed or otherwise becomes aware that a business, company, or organization does not meet these criteria, then the Resourceful PDX program will act to remove the business, company, or organization from the website.