The Forum for Business and the Environment

Engaging Oregon's business leaders in a dialo on emerging "triple bottom line" concepts through our Forum for Business & the Environment.

The Oregon Environmental Council concluded its 13th annual Forum for Business and the Environment speaker series in October 2008. The series featured captivating presentations from business leaders and elected officials on four facets of sustainability: climate-friendly transportation, green building, financial advantages, and green business practices. We played a vital role in communicating to the business community and government leaders that sustainability can create a competitive advantage for Oregon businesses and should continue to be woven into the Oregon Business Plan.

This year’s series attracted the highest attendance yet, with over 200 attendees for our “Transportation and Sustainable Communities” event. That event featured a keynote by Governor Ted Kulongoski, followed by presentations from Oregon Representative Arnie Roblan, Washington Representative David Upthegrove, and Oregon Business Association President Ryan Deckert. We garnered statewide media coverage, highlighting the Governor’s plans for transportation legislation that will be keenly focused on sustainability and mitigating climate change. We subsequently worked with two stakeholder committees (governance and vision) convened by the Governor to develop transportation policy proposals for consideration by the 2009 Oregon Legislature. These proposals will move the state forward significantly on sustainable transportation issues.

Our Forum event in May highlighted the benefits of sustainability to Oregon’s industry sectors. The presentations made the case for investing locally, demonstrated the dividend to companies and cities for doing so, and gave striking evidence that sustainability-focused businesses can outperform their more conventional peers.

June’s event called attention to the urgent need for sustainable building design and construction that reaches beyond even the best present-day practices. Presenters from the Portland-based firms Brightworks and SERA Architects and from the non-profit Cascadia Green Building Council gave the 100-plus attendees a look at next-generation buildings that use net zero energy and water. The concept of “regenerative design” was described as going “beyond sustainability,” whereby buildings can even help restore the watersheds in which they are located. Scott Lewis, president of Brightworks, made the business case for green buildings and projected a positive outlook both for the green building industry and the owners and occupants of those buildings.

In October we held events in Bend and Ashland featuring sustainable business leaders from around the state, who spoke peer-to-peer about how these practices are enhancing the bottom line. One of the goals of this year’s forum series was to take the conversation about sustainable business practices outside the Willamette Valley to widen the audience, discussion and viewpoints. The programs were well-attended, generated positive feedback from attendees, and fostered new relationships among business leaders. They also surfaced potential opportunities for OEC to work with small businesses, who often feel left out of sustainability circles because their staff and financial resources for action are limited.

When OEC launched the Forum for Business and the Environment series thirteen years ago, this level of discussion about environmental issues and business was highly unusual. The conversation about environmental protection and the economy has come a long way in the last decade. OEC is grateful to hundreds of companies that have sponsored this series over the years and to the many speakers and participants who have made this forum series a rich, challenging and productive venue to learn, understand and build trust between environmental leaders, business leaders, and policy makers.

Because the needs in Oregon are different today, we have decided to change OEC’s event series, and instead organize occasional events that are topical, timely and unique to Oregon. These events may take the form of hands-on workshops, in-depth discussions, or stirring debates. We look forward to a continued working relationship with our sponsors – continuing to promote a sustainable economy throughout Oregon, and partnering on future events when the opportunities arise.

Past events in this year's series

Transportation and Sustainable Communities: Investing in Climate-Friendly, People-Friendly Transportation Systems

with Governor Ted Kulongoski

Friday, April 11, 2008

Climate change is widely recognized as one of the world’s most urgent problems, requiring significant and immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The transportation sector is responsible for one-third of Oregon’s greenhouse gases. Concurrently, congestion is a front-burner issue for Oregon’s economy. Next year, transportation will be a major priority for the Oregon Legislature. How to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions within that context will be a major challenge. This event will explore what a congestion-busting, low-carbon, community-oriented transportation system for the 21st century really means and the role of businesses in designing that system. We have asked Governor Kulongoski to present his vision for integrating climate change and sustainability into Oregon’s transportation plans. The Governor will be joined by a panel of business and elected leaders.

Watch the video of Gov. Kulongoski's presentation here.

Speakers:

Governor Ted Kulongoski
Oregon Representative Arnie Roblan
Washington Representative Dave Upthegrove
Ryan Deckert, President, Oregon Business Association

Location and Time:

Friday, April 11, 2008
11:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Oregon Convention Center, Portland Ballroom, 777 N.E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

The Green Dividend for Companies and Cities: Seeing Green for Going Green

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - Bend
Thursday, May 8, 2008 - Portland

How does investing in sustainability affect a company’s bottom line? How do investments in environmental and social initiatives impact competitiveness, market share, profitability, and share price performance? Why should governments spend limited public resources on “green” policies and practices? Hear from experts about how companies and cities are reaping a ‘green dividend’ from their sustainability investments. Pierre Trevet will discuss the financial performance of sustainable businesses. Portland economist Joe Cortright will describe his recent study, “Portland’s Green Dividend,” which calculates the returns accrued when cities invest in green infrastructure, land use planning, and related policies.

View Portland economist Joe Cortright's presentation here.

View Pierre Trevet's presentation here.

The Next Green Building Revolution: Moving Beyond Zero Impact

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® rating system is the leading standard in green building and a major driver in the growth of this market. As green building enters the mainstream, early adopters are setting their sights above and beyond LEED. Our panel will address critical questions: Will the next target be zero-impact buildings or an even more aggressive goal? What does a “living building” look like and how can development actually help restore watersheds and slow global warming? How will the new LEED Neighborhood Development standard shape sustainable communities in the short term? Where is the green building industry headed?

Speakers: Gina Franzosa | Director, Oregon Chapter, Cascadia Region Green Building Council

Scott Lewis | Founder and Principal, Brightworks

Location and Time:

Tuesday, June 3, 2008
7:30 - 9:30 a.m.

Doubletree Hotel and Executive Meeting Center, Lloyd Center, 1000 N.E. Multnomah Street (Located on MAX light rail at Lloyd Center station)

Business Leader Forum: How Green Practices Increase Profits and Customer Satisfaction

October, 2008

Many companies throughout Oregon are seeing their bottom lines improve by adopting green practices. Businesses are finding new ways to cut costs, reduce waste, and use less energy, thereby increasing profitability. They are also increasing customer satisfaction and attracting new customers. Company leaders from across the state – spanning a variety of industries – will share their experiences of:

Making their business practices and operations greener
What ‘greener’ really means;
What financial incentives are available for making these changes;
How these changes improve their bottom lines.

If you are interested in increasing your profitability, then this is a must-attend event!

Event co-sponsors:

Bend Chamber of Commerce, Ashland Chamber of Commerce, reSource

Bend Event

October 7, 2008
St. Charles Learning Center, 2500 NE Neff Rd.
7:30 am - 9:30 am
Speakers: Hank Ashforth, CEO, Ashforth Pacific / David Williams, CEO, ShoreBank Pacific / Tim Fallon, President, Kettle Foods
RSVP by Sept. 30th. Late registrants cannot be guaranteed food.

Ashland event

October 17, 2008
Ashland Springs Hotel, 212 E Main St.
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Speakers: David Yudkin, Owner, Hot Lips Pizza / Barry Russell, CEO and Co-founder, Encore Ceramics / Alex Amarotico, Co-owner, Standing Stone Brewery
RSVP by Oct.. 9th. Late registrants cannot be guaranteed food.