Green Housing
Travel and Leisure readers recently voted on the Greenest Cities in America and Portland, OR was selected as the top city.
Portland has a long history of focusing on practices that have made it one of the most environmentally friendly and liveable cities beginning when it was first laid out in 1910. City planners opted to make the blocks about half the length of other city blocks and to set a boundary to prevent sprawl. The smaller scale also makes possible for more natural light to be brought into both buildings and on the streets.
Portland boasts more than 315 miles (510 km) of developed bikeways to accommodate leisure bicyclists and the nation’s highest percentage of bike commuters (7%). It was also the birthplace of the FlexCar.
Portland’s building policy encourages green design features, which has helped put the city in the top ten for most LEED-certified buildings in North America. Portland’s Oregon Convention Center was the nation’s first convention facility to receive LEED certification in 2004. The nearby Rose Garden, the city’s largest entertainment and sports arena, is LEED gold certified.
Check out this video on how Portland is building itself green.
If living green is important to you, then Portland should definitely be on your list or places to live. For help finding a home that meets your needs, contact one of our certified Green Real Estate Specialists.
Portland, Oregon was recently named the twelfth most walkable city in America by Walk Score. According to the survey, nearly half of Portland’s neighborhoods have a WalkScore of 70 or above.
Portland continues to pursue policies that make it an environmentally friendly place to live and work.
“A recent survey of hundreds of residential builders throughout the U.S. shows that a majority of them found buyers willing to pay up to 25 percent more for a green-built home. Are you one of them?
A green home is one built for conservation-minded use, with sustainable materials, designs and technology. It uses less energy and natural resources and creates less waste. It’s healthier and more comfortable for people who live in them than a traditional home.
If you don’t want to move, or spend the money for a green home, you can change your existing home toward being green by using basic weatherizing and energy-saving tools like: programmable thermostats, correcting air leaks from the outdoors, insulation, fluorescent light bulbs, maintenance to your HVAC.
The Northwest has the highest certification for green buildings in the U.S., rated by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), created in 1993. U.S. Green Building Council is an excellent resource for many of the steps that can be taken to help with global warming and the environment by “greening” up your home.
