A solar-powered site.

Portland may not be the sunniest spot in the United States, but that didn't stop the Portland Oregon Visitors Association (POVA) from launching a solar-powered Web site, making it the nation's first convention and visitors bureau to do so (www.travelportland.com).

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"Since the company (Solar Data Centers) that hosts our Web site currently purchases power collected from solar panels scattered across the country, its power supply isn't affected by local weather or atmospheric conditions," explains Deborah H. Wakefield, POVA's director of communications and public relations. Solar Data Centers (SDC) is the only company in the world that uses solar energy for every aspect of its clients' Internet operations.

The reason. For POVA, whose tourism slogan is "It's not easy being green," the switch to a clean, renewable energy source made sense. "People think of Portland as a green destination, both in terms of scenery and the city's environmental commitment," says Joe D'Alessandro, POVA's president and CEO. "This is just one way that we can live up to Portland's impressive international reputation."

The selection. POVA researched several Internet service providers that use wind, sun, and other alternative energy sources but ultimately selected SDC because of its commitment to renewable power, Internet security, customer support, affordability, and technical support. The CVB's former Web host used electricity generated primarily by hydroelectric dams.

The money. POVA spends $100 more each month for Web hosting through SDC than it did with its previous host. The energy switch is the monthly equivalent of 1.72 acres of forest not being cut down; 16,286 auto miles not being driven; 4.32 tons of coal not being burned; or 14,482 pounds of carbon dioxide not being produced. "We believe that $1,200 more per year is a miniscule price to pay in exchange for being a more eco-friendly system," says Wakefield. "Plus, more and more of our client meeting planners are specifically looking for green destinations and green components that they can add to their meetings. This is as important to them as it is to us."

The results. POVA's decision to go solar has drawn interest from such business media outlets as CNNMoney, CBSMarketwatch, and Yahoo Finance.com, as well as local media outlets. What's more, the switchover was painless. "There were no glitches related to the switch to solar power," says Wakefield. "We had a few links that didn't go live and a few of the images in our image library weren't willing to download. But those are normal bumps that occur when moving any large multilayered Web site to a new host, and we were able to fix most everything in just a few hours."