PORTLAND, OR-After more than a year of analysis and feedback, the Portland Metro Climate Prosperity Project has released a draft Greenprint for the seven-county metro region. The Greenprint is a call to action to simultaneously strengthen the regional economy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and maintain a focused leadership position in the global green economy.
“The Climate Prosperity Greenprint reinforces the unique opportunity we have to invest in our strengths; to create the economic future we want through global leadership in the rapidly growing clean economy,” says Brad Zenger of Pivotal Investments, in a prepared statement. “We need a shared commitment by business, local government and educational institutions to invest in that future.”
The Portland Metro Climate Prosperity Project is one of four pilot regions of the national Climate Prosperity Project, an initiative supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. “The Portland region can no longer afford to work without a strong regional platform on which to frame collaborative efforts,” says Rob Bennett of the Portland Sustainability Institute. “The region’s efforts must align to grow competitive advantages, scale up efforts and significantly reduce environmental impacts.”
PoSI is one of 14 organizations making up the working group that is spearheading the Climate Prosperity Project for the Portland region. Others include Greenlight Greater Portland, Nike, Metro, Oregon Business Council, Lane Powell, Climate Solutions, DSW Collective, Portland Bureau of Planning & Sustainability, Worksystems Inc., Regional Partners, Formos, Oregon Institute of Technology and Portland Development Commission.
The working group, formed in 2009 to develop the Greenprint, consulted more than 150 business, higher education, and workforce leaders in developing the Greenprint’s six actions. The group will work in parallel with the outreach effort to create a CEO-level leadership council to guide implementation and track progress.
The release of the draft Greenprint marks the opening of a public comment period for the effort. Over the next month, the Climate Prosperity Working Group is soliciting comments and feedback on the draft. The Working Group seeks refinements and support of the Greenprint’s six priorities: Establish finance mechanisms for green innovation; Accelerate energy and resource efficiency; Commercialize green technologies; Cultivate the regional clean tech cluster; Develop a pipeline of green talent; and build support and communicate results.