Portland's Green Appeal

Green Spaces
Green Lifestyle
Sustainable Building Practices
Green Accolades
Green Meetings
Green Website

Cyclists on the east bank Esplanade, Portland, Oregon This is a city where, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, some 5,000 residents commute to work each day by bicycle; where city planners ripped out a freeway and replaced it with a park; where parking meters are solar powered; and where the meticulous synchronization of traffic signals results in an annual savings of 1.1 million gallons of gasoline. Currently, Portland also boasts the most LEED-certified buildings per capita in the nation.

Ringed by natural beauty — Mount Hood, the Oregon Coast, the Columbia River Gorge, and the Oregon wine country — Portland is obsessed with keeping that beauty unspoiled. Portlanders recycle 54 percent of their waste, a percentage that exceeds that of any other U.S. city. And they and their fellow Oregonians introduced the nation's first bottle bill in 1971 to encourage recycling.

Portland's "green appeal" also extends to the monetary variety. Since Oregon has no sales tax, the city's hotels and convention space carry ultra-competitive prices.

Green Spaces

Portland's scenic Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park was once a four-lane highway. Civic leaders removed the freeway in the 1970s, reconnecting downtown with the Willamette River.

Portland is home to the nation's largest urban wilderness — the 5,000-acre Forest Park.

The Portland metro area boasts 37,000 acres of parkland.

Portland has 278 public parks and 150 miles of trails.

All Oregon cities have an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). Portland's UGB, which is managed by Metro, a regional government agency, is an example of successful urban planning.

Green Lifestyle

Recycling

Oregon introduced the first bottle bill in the United States in 1971.

Portlanders recycled 54 percent of their waste in 2001, more than any other U.S. city.
—Waste News

Transportation

More than 5,000 Portlanders commute to work by bicycle. (2000 U.S. Census)

Portland boasts 226 miles of bike lanes.

Portland's Airport MAX light rail is the only train-to-plane option on the West Coast.

The Portland Streetcar is the only modern streetcar system in the nation.

Portland's traffic signals are synchronized at 225 intersections, resulting in an estimated annual savings of 1.1 million gallons of gasoline. (www.epa.gov)

Portland's "smart" parking meters are solar-powered, accept credit cards and stand one per block. A sticker is issued for each vehicle and is transferable to other spaces.

Portland is the birthplace of car-sharing in the United States. Today, Portland's Flexcar members enjoy access to a fleet of vehicles located throughout the metro area. Each Flexcar replaces an estimated six cars on the road.

Sustainable Building Practices

The Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center Portland-Lloyd Center has earned a Green Seal GS-33 Lodging Sustainability certification. The 476-room Doubletree — which will host the national conference of the Green Meeting Industry Council in February 2007 — is the first lodging property in Oregon and the largest hotel west of the Mississippi to receive this "green hotel" designation, which includes a set of stringent criteria that encourages hotels to adopt environmental standards and practices in their everyday operations.

The Oregon Convention Center's "Rain Garden" collects storm water from the facility's roof and filters it through an attractive system of rock terraces, pools, and soil, helping to prevent environmental pollutants from reaching the adjacent Willamette River.

Ecotrust's Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center is the first gold-rated LEED building in Oregon and the first gold-rated LEED historic restoration in the nation. Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) certification is awarded under the strict standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The transformation of the Historic Portland Armory into performance space recently earned Portland the distinction of having the only building on the National Register of Historic Places to achieve a LEED Platinum rating. The $36.1 million renovation of the castle-like Romanesque Revival structure, located in Portland's Pearl District, was completed in September 2006. The new space, christened the Gerding Theater at the Armory, now serves as an eco-friendly home to the Portland Center Stage theater company.

Portland currently boasts the most LEED-certified buildings per capita in the nation.

In November 2004, Portland hosted the U.S. Green Building Council International Conference and Exposition. The exposition is one of the world's largest showcases of leading-edge technology, product, and services for the green building industry.

Green Accolades

America's "Best running town" and "Best urban running trail: the Leif Erickson Trail"
— Runner's World (May 2003)

"America's most unwired city" (best wireless Internet accessibility in the nation)
— Intel Survey (March 2003)

"The City of Portland has a nationally recognized reputation for green building innovation and outreach." — U.S. Green Building Council (2003)

"Top Recycler Among the Nation's 30 Largest Cities" — Waste News (2001)

"North America's No. 1 Cycling City" — Bicycling magazine (2001)

"Portland's Forest Park ranked "Best urban park" in the nation — Outside magazine (Oct. 2001)

Green Website

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