Portland Is Beacon of Sustainability, Green Development
Published Mar 24, 2008
John Russell enjoys the view from one of the green roofs at LEED-certified 200 Market Place.
Sustainable development isn’t some far-fetched goal in the Portland region. For many businesses here, it’s an everyday frame of mind.
“The best thing about doing business here in Portland is statewide land-use planning that attempts to reduce sprawl and thereby produces exciting urban areas,” says John Russell, owner of Russell Development Co. Inc. “We’ve been called the best European city in America.”
Russell Development, which has won several awards for sustainability, is one of numerous Portland companies that have achieved economic growth while considering the resources and environment of future generations. Others include such companies as Portland General Electric, CH2M Hill, Zipcar and Gerding Edlen Development Co.
In 2006, the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, known as LEED, awarded Russell Development’s 200 Market Place building a gold rating. Russell purchased the property in 1988 and began asbestos removal as part of complete reconstruction of the building’s interior and its exterior ground level.
“We were the first existing multi-tenanted building in America to be awarded a LEED rating,” Russell says. “What caused our building to win is a 19-year record of constant work on sustainability. I was convinced when I bought the building that folks were underestimating the increases in utility costs for water, electricity and natural gas. As a result, I undertook investments that might not have made as much sense to others as they did to me then, and [the investments] have proven correct.”
At all of its properties, Russell Development strives to reduce electricity consumption and uses green roofs to reduce stormwater runoff, among other sustainable practices.
“The importance is greater than a simple economic return,” Russell says.
The 200 Market Place building, for example, is healthier than most buildings, making it more appealing to tenants. “We supply much more ventilation than current code for less fatigue and less exposure to toxic substances,” he says. “Our use of sustainable cleaning products and building materials means a significant health benefit as well.”
Powerful Force for Sustainabillity
At Portland General Electric, executives are working to reduce the company’s environmental impact both in managing facilities and in generating power.
“In managing our facilities, we’ve changed to more efficient lighting, upgraded our HVAC systems, and recognized the balance between our actions and the policies we put in place for future building construction and renovation,” says PGE spokesman Steve Corson.
In June 2007, PGE opened a natural gas-fired power plant in Columbia County, Ore., with features that reduce emissions.
The company – Oregon’s largest electric utility – also is constructing the Biglow Canyon Wind Farm in Sherman County, Ore. “It will be the first wind farm we’ll own and operate ourselves,” Corson says. PGE already buys energy generated at Portland-based PPM Energy’s Klondike II wind farm in Sherman County.
“We’re also doing things with our fleet of lift trucks,” Corson says. “We’re using biodiesel to help fuel them, and we have purchased a hybrid truck to test.”
More than 50,000 PGE customers have signed up for one of the company’s renewable power options. As a result, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy designated PGE as Green Power Program of the Year in 2006.
“We are No. 1 for the amount of renewable power we sell to our customers, and we are proud to have achieved that,” Corson says. “We’ve put a lot of work into marketing renewable options to our customers.”
The Portland area’s environmentally inclined residents expect PGE to provide such options. “Our goal is to reflect our customers’ values, and they value sustainability very highly,” he says. “We do a lot of research and surveys, and we consistently hear they want us to focus on renewable energy and environmental responsibility.”
Story by Jessica Mozo
Photo by Jeff Adkins
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