Chinook Book and Portland Arts Coalition Partner to Offer Exclusive Deals On Local Theatre, Music and Dance

Gift-giving may take a different form this year, and the Chinook Book Green Gift Guide aims to help Portland-area residents shop locally, give experiences and save money. A partnership of the Portland Arts Coalition and Chinook Book, the guide was released today and is available free in print and digitally at www.greengiftspdx.com.
 
“People are thinking differently about their holiday shopping this year,” said Cynthia Fuhrman, Marketing Director at Portland Center Stage and coordinator of the project for the Portland Arts Coalition, “The gift of an experience from a local arts group or shop is the kind of meaningful gift people are looking to give this season. And the Chinook Book Green Gift Guide helps them do just that.”
 
Over 30 local arts groups participated in the guide, including the Oregon Symphony, Oregon Ballet, Portland Opera, BodyVox, the Portland Art Museum, Whitebird, Artists Repertory Theater and Portland Center Stage. Many offered an exclusive discount in the guide. For example, Portland Center Stage will double the value of a gift certificate when the guide is mentioned, and Oregon Symphony offers 2-for-1 tickets for selected performances.
 
A dozen local shops, including Alma Chocolate, Signature Shoes and Garden Fever! also participated in the guide. The 2010 edition of Chinook Book contains coupons for savings at almost all of these merchants. All products and services appearing in Chinook Book and the guide meet a specific environmental and community criteria (complete info available at ecometro.com/criteria).
 
The Chinook Book Green Gift Guide also contains several pages of information on reducing waste around the holidays. Ideas for wrapping gifts and listings for how to recycle holiday detritus – from batteries and cardboard to ribbons, bows and electronics – are included. These messages were sponsored by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

The Regional Arts and Culture Council and KINK-FM also provided significant support for the Chinook Book Green Gift Guide.

Produced by Portland-based Celilo Group Media for the past ten years, Chinook Book is a coupon book, a directory and a source of ideas and inspiration that promotes living a healthy, green lifestyle on any budget. Chinook Book is available at local retailers, through schools and non-profits and online at ecometro.com.

Over a year ago a small group of leaders from a handful of Portland’s arts and culture organizations gathered to hold a conversation about new ways to seek collaboration and partnership. That gathering quickly grew to a bi-monthly luncheon with over 50 representatives from those groups in attendance. From discussing latest trends in audience development and philanthropy, to nuts and bolts topics like ticketing software, to sharing ideas on deepening connections with the region, this group aspires to make the Portland arts and culture community more sustainable in many ways.