The Building Tomorrow’s Jobs forum held Feb. 1 featured many ways the Portland metropolitan region can better position itself to be an attractive and competitive job market. Tuesday’s speakers, experts in developing economically and ecologically sustainable employment, highlighted clear opportunities for local employers to improve their triple bottom line (social, environmental and profitable outcomes), as well as tips for cities and counties that want to attract and retain business.
Bert Gregory, an expert in developing resource-efficient structures and communities, noted that communities with ambitious objectives are doing great work in the region.
"Employers are looking to locate in areas that are hip, urban and green," he said.
Gregory says there are incremental changes communities can make while they wait for the economy to turn around. For instance, he suggested looking for hidden barriers to sustainable practices, such as reviewing zoning code to make sure building day-lighting or natural ventilation is not inadvertently prohibited.
Representing the US Business Council for Sustainable Development, speaker Andrew Mangan described sustainable practices that give businesses a chance to improve revenue, product growth, cost savings and reduce risks. He discussed the concept of byproduct synergy networks, collaborations where businesses turn waste from one company into raw material for another, resulting in new revenues or savings, environmental and societal benefits. He also described an innovative, low-risk partnership between the public and private sector to finance cost-effective energy retrofits for existing businesses.
The third speaker, Tracy Casavant, also had numerous recommendations for the region. As a leader in sustainable industrial and commercial development, she said sometimes educating engineering departments can be the key to implementing new design solutions. Casavant said Metro could assist local jurisdictions in developing policies that provide flexibility and certainty for developers.
In a meeting near the end of the forum, all three speakers emphasized to Metro Council President Tom Hughes and other councilors that Metro can and should champion these practices at a regional scale. They recommended Metro act as a leader to break down silos that create difficulties for employers across jurisdictions. The speakers also agreed that Metro is uniquely positioned to drive collaborations that simplify regulations, identify efficiency opportunities and achieve sustainable outcomes.
The forum was held in conjunction with the release of the newest volume of Metro's Community Investment Toolkit. "Eco-efficient Employment" provides creative ideas for attracting new businesses and achieving greater economic and ecological efficiencies through development in existing employment areas. This toolkit showcases best practices employed in communities across North America and the results they have achieved.