Six things about Portland that make it the perfect home for Ecos:
- Greenest City in the U.S. – Portland is regularly recognized as a world leader and model sustainable city. Portland has been named the Greenest City in America by Popular Science, SustainLane and many other publications, including Grist, which recognized Portland as a global leader.
- Transportation – Portland residents love to commute by bike. The city is regularly named the Top Bicycling City in the country by, among others, Bicycling Magazine. Add public transportation and other alternative commuting to the mix and over a quarter of Portland’s work force commutes sustainably. Ecos encourages employees to commute by bike with incentives and special activities. Thanks to these efforts we’ve placed in the Top Ten for three years in a row in the city-wide Bike Commute Challenge. Portland’s light rail and mass transit system provides another easy, affordable and eco-friendly transportation option. All this non-car commuting is making a difference. According to a recent report, Oregonians (along with neighbors Washington and Idaho) cut 2008 gasoline use by 11 percent – about a gallon a week – the lowest level since 1965.
- Locavorism – Portland eats local. We pick the many farmers’ market stands bare each week and restaurants and grocery stores pride themselves on offering local ingredients. The New York Times wrote that nearly every notable Portland chef lives by “the gospel of locally grown ingredients.” The more local our food is, the lower its carbon footprint. We’re happy to live in a place that makes eating local so enjoyable.
- Green Building – Portland is home to the most Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings of any municipality in the country, and the nation’s first LEED Platinum condominium building. The city has forward thinking development policies that will keep us on the forefront for years to come and inspires other cities to improve.
- Green Policy – Policies implemented by the City of Portland and the region’s metropolitan council help its residents be more aware of sustainability and make it more convenient to put into practice. In turn, residents contribute by demanding more legislation and progress. Half of Portland’s energy comes from renewable sources and Portland’s recycling rate is 55% (17% higher than the national average) with plans to be at 75% by 2015. Strict land-use and urban growth legislation has been in place since the 1970s, and even as Portland’s population rises, the future is still looking very green.
- Sustainable Business Cluster – Portland is home to a large and growing “cluster” of organizations, like Ecos, that work for the environment on a multitude of levels. In addition to the city government, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) has been instrumental in creating this cluster. NEEA, through collaboration with Ecos and other like-minded organizations, has made the Northwest a national leader in energy efficiency. This sustainable business cluster has attracted the nation’s best minds and talent to the region and local colleges and universities have answered the call to inspire the next generation by offering sustainability focused programs.
Having been here for over a decade, Ecos is proud to call Portland home and has become a senior member of Portland’s sustainable business cluster. Because Portland is such a great place for us, we know it’s important to give back to this community and the environment that we value, which is why we have formed our Community Service and Green teams.
Why Portland? The city has become our showroom for sustainability, and as we expand, we plan to be here for years to come.
There are simple things you can do in your city to become more environmentally sustainable. Click here to learn more.
