Recycling and Sustainable Building At the Observatory

Recycled materials were used extensively in both the original construction and the renovation.

• The supporting power poles were salvaged from a Portland General Electric substation in Welches and transported to the site by ELC staff.
• Most of the original framing timbers in the main structure were recovered from the burned remains of the old Smuckers Jelly Cannery (now the site of the Clackamas Community College Art Building).
• The flooring in the dome came from bleachers discarded by the Community College.
• The metal struts supporting the telescope mount came from the same bleachers.
• The deck hand railing is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic (milk jugs!).
• The spiral stair rails are a plastic/wood chip hybrid.
• The new deck is steel; the warming hut is sided with corrugated steel.
• The flooring in the lower room is made from shredded and recycled tires.
• Even some of the optical equipment is "recycled". The finder scope used to point the main telescope was built from parts taken from a broken pair of binoculars donated to the Observatory.