Portland, OR Adopts Bold Plan to Fight Global Warming, Boost Local Green Economy

With it's bold new plan to fight global warming, the city of Portland reminds us why it's consistently voted greenest in the nation:

The Climate Action Plan, a joint effort by the city and Multnomah County, commits the area to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. That’s the amount many scientists calculate is needed to avert dramatic impacts from climate change. Photo collage by Tara Anderson

The plan prescribes major changes in how we heat our homes and offices, how we get to school and work, how we design our neighborhoods and how we get our food.

Among the goals in the plan for 2030:

•Assure new homes and buildings have “zero net greenhouse gas emissions.”

•Reduce energy used in all current buildings by 25 percent, via energy efficiency measures.

•Design neighborhoods so 80 percent of county residents, and 90 percent of city residents, can easily walk or bicycle to meet all basic, non-work needs, and have safe pedestrian or bicycle access to transit.

•Reduce daily miles driven in vehicles by 30 percent, per person.

•Reduce total solid waste by 25 percent, and recycle or reuse 90 percent of the waste

•Significantly increase the consumption of locally grown food

•Expand the urban forest canopy to cover one-third of Portland

If I didn't live in the Bay Area, Portland would be my next choice -- I loved living there in 1996-1997, when I was consistently proud of my city.

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