The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Holiday & Chamber Cares Giving Breakfast is slated for 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 3,at the Heathman Lodge, 7801 N.E. Greenwood Drive, Vancouver.

It marks the third year that GVCC staff, ambassadors and members raise money to support the more than 60 nonprofit organizations that are chamber members.

Rob Ingram, director of the office of Youth Violence Prevention for the city of Portland, will be the guest speaker. The cost is $30 for members and $40 for non-members. The event is sponsored by U.S. Digital.

Please register online at www.vancouverusa.com or call 360-694-2588.

The Clark County Environmental Services’ division offers several tips to reduce the amount of household waster generated during the holiday.

• With friends and family, give to those in need. Donate to a charity you all support; volunteer together at a local food bank, shelter or service agency; donate blood together.
• Give experiences rather than things. Give tickets to concerts, movies, ball games or other events, or a gift membership to a club.
• Prevent waste when shopping. Remember to take your reusable bags when doing your holiday shopping. Avoid buying items with bulky or non-recyclable packaging such as foam and blister packs. Look for recycled content in cards and gift wrap.
• Make the package part of the gift. Put holiday goodies in a reusable cloth gift bag, candy dish or cookie tin.
• Reuse or recycle gift wrap. Save gift bags, ribbons and bows to use again. Cardboard boxes and most wrapping paper (not foil-covered paper) can be recycled after removing ribbons, bows and plastic. Paper boxes and gift wrap can go into your recycle cart with other mixed paper.
• Recycle your Christmas tree. Be sure to remove lights, ornaments, tinsel and other decorations. Residents with curbside yard debris collection service can cut up the tree to fit in the yard debris bin (5 feet maximum length). In some areas, Boy Scouts collect trees for a nominal fee. Trees can also be dropped off wherever yard debris is recycled.

For more waste prevention and recycling ideas and information, please visit, http://www.clark.wa.gov/recycle/holidaywastereduction.html or call Clark County Environmental Services at 360-397-2121 ext. 4352.

Misty River performs Sunday to benefit the School of Piano Technology

The Misty River Band will perform a benefit concert, “Harmony for the Holidays,” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, at Southeast Portland’s Aladdin Theater, Portland.

Proceeds benefit The School of Piano Technology, formerly known as the Piano Hospital.

Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com, 1-866-448-7849,  all Ticketmaster outlets and at the Aladdin Box Office, 503-234-9694. General Admission for the event is $20, or $22.50 at door. VIP Admissions are  $50 or $55 at door.

The School of Piano Technology for the Blind is a private, post-secondary, vocational school.  The school, the only one of its kind in the world, is supported by donor contributions and by customers of the Piano Hospital whose tuning and repair services help sustain the school’s mission. For more information about the School of Piano Technology for the Blind, please call 360-693-1511 or visit www.pianotuningschool.org.

Today, Wednesday, Dec. 1,  is the deadline to register for the private champagne reception with former First Lady Laura Bush prior to her appearance at the 2010 Authors & Illustrators Dinner & Silent Auction. Tickets are $250 and limited to 150 guests.

For more information, visit  http://www.fvrlf.org/.

The event is a benefit for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation. The Foundation is a nonprofit organization created in 1990 to fund the continued development and enhancement of quality library services in the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. Columbia Credit Union is the presenting sponsor.