'Greenprint' aims to focus Portland's regional economy

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Last week, the result of more than a year of effort was released to the business community: A plan for integrating economic development and climate protection for the Portland metro region.

The draft plan, called a Greenprint, calls for a concerted drive toward climate-sensitive economic development that will require the united efforts of both the business and government sectors.

But first, the folks behind the Greenprint just need business owners to read it.

The Portland Metro Climate Prosperity Work Group, operating under the auspices of the Portland Sustainability Institute, is at the early end of a 45-day comment period on the Greenprint draft, which was formally released last week at the Greenlight Greater Portland 2010 Economic Summit.

Buy in from business owners will be key to the plan’s success.

"We’re hoping that this becomes primarily a business-led initiative," said Liz Hopkins who is managing the initiative for the Portland Sustainability Institute.

"Getting to this Greenprint, is getting to the starting point," Hopkins said. "We want to get to a deeper level with the business community."

Four individual businesses are represented on the work group that put together the Greenprint draft — Nike Inc., law firm Lane Powell, software company Formos LLC and DSW Collective, a consulting firm. The other participants involved in drafting the plan included government and nonprofit groups.

Core members of the work group traveled to Silicon Valley last year where the first regional Greenprint draft — a plan for Silicon Valley developed in partnership with a national organization, Climate Prosperity Project Inc. — was released and discussed.