Who We Are
We are a new organization of sustainability leaders, founded to implement an aggressive sustainability roadmap in the Portland region. Our region has long been a living laboratory of sustainability in the areas of land use, transportation and green building. As cities throughout the world struggle to implement sustainability and the early shoots of the green economy begin to emerge, we have an important market opportunity to test scalable and catalytic strategies in urban sustainability. PoSI believes the results will fuel business and policy innovation, enhance quality of life, and create cities and neighborhoods that are not just sustainable, but restorative.
What We Do
Our projects test collaborative models that tie together economic development strategies, development best practices and policy innovation. They are geared to effectively turn ideas into actions. They are high leverage and high value - producing multi-sector partnerships, enduring results and global exchange of best practices. As our projects advance ecological and social wellbeing and economic growth and prosperity, we will communicate the results widely.
We have three projects to start: EcoDistricts, the Oregon Sustainability Center, and the Portland Metro Climate Prosperity Project.
Why Now?
The complex issues of climate change, resource constraints, globalization of markets and rapid urbanization are affecting municipalities across the globe. The Portland region "gets" sustainability, but despite some excellent policies and pragmatic investments, our efforts have been largely isolated and left significant goals unmet. To match the pace of change, we must accelerate and align our efforts.