Professionals convene for Oregon showcase
By Mason Walker
Sustainable Business Oregon
The Oregon Sustainability Experience kicked off its third year on Monday, with participants from around the country – and the world – convening in Oregon to examine what the program sells as the state's "living laboratory of successes, challenges, and on-going experiments" in sustainability innovation.
The week-long program is split into two tracks; Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, and Sustainable Urban Built Environments. Participants experience guided tours, expert panel discussions, and field-based, hands-on training exercises.
On Monday, both groups met at Intel's Jones Farm campus for a symposium on Oregon's unique land use planning practices, including the urban growth boundary. A panel of local experts — including Metro President David Bragdon and Oregon Department of Agricuture's Land Use and Water Planning Coordinator Jim Johnson – led an hour-long discussion about land use accomplishments, struggles, and vision for the region.
Among the attendees of this year's program is Sarah McGinley-Smith, director of corporate communications for Vermont-based King Arthur Flour Company. She heads up the company's sustainability team, and is attending on scholarship from B Lab, a non-profit certifying agency for socially-responsible companies, designated as B Corporations. King Arthur is one of the founding class members of the B Corporation certification. She is participating in the Sustainable Agriculture track and said she hopes to further King Arthur's sustainability efforts, primarily in the area of water.
"Water use is one of our biggest areas of impact," said McGinley-Smith, adding that the agriculture industry is very water-intensive. She said she also aims to learn more about trends in no-till farming techniques and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The agendas for the Agriculture and Built Environment programs outline nearly 40 destinations that the program will touch throughout the week.
The program is funded with the help of $150,000 from Business Oregon, the state's economic development department.
Comments
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.