Industries unearth `green' boom.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

There is a lot of "green" - as in profit - to be made in sustainable "green" industries, the editor of Sustainable Industries Journal Northwest said Saturday during the second annual Oregon Bioneers Conference at Lane Community College.

While volatile fossil-fuel prices - and their potential to spark economic calamity - make front-page news, businesses practicing environmentally sound farming, building and energy production are finding ways to boom, said Brian Back, editor of the journal, whose theme is "economic gain through environmental innovation."

Back based his talk on the journal's ongoing survey of business leaders for its annual report on trends in Northwest green industries.

"It's no longer a fringe. It's a huge economic opportunity," Back said.

The retailing of healthy food is just one sector where consumer demand is building green business, he said.

The stock value of Whole Foods Market Inc. rose 422 percent in the past five years. United Natural Foods' share price rose 340 percent in the same period.

The desire of individuals for a healthier lifestyle lies at the root of environmental awareness, creating huge markets for business, Back said. Markets in green business grow as individuals begin seeking healthier communities and a healthier planet, he said.

The result is demand for locally grown foods, locally produced biofuels, wind and solar energy, and more efficient structures and vehicles.

"Green building is what we see as the most active business sector," Back said, noting that public and private developers in Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, B.C., and to a lesser extent San Francisco, are building with energy efficiency, livability and sustainability as core features.

These builders seek a high grade on the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design scale, which rates buildings on their use of less-toxic materials, natural light and ventilation, energy and water efficiency, and other green values.

"It's not just governments that are doing it," Back said. The hospitality and convention industry, hospitals and downtown urban developers are adopting green features to save money and attract customers and tenants, he said.

But the green boom makes some see red, Bank noted.

Auto manufacturing lobbyists, for example, are suing to prevent Oregon from following California's lead in imposing stricter vehicle emissions standards on new vehicles sold in the state. The emissions rules could require car makers to make their vehicles more fuel-efficient, he said.

Leadership in green industries will emerge at regional levels because traditional industries dominate public policy at the national level, Back said. The green trend emanates naturally from the Northwest because "there are more idealists per-capita here than anywhere," Back said.

The three-day conference attracted more than 300 registrants, who were linked by satellite to similar events in 17 cities attended by an estimated total of 10,000 people in the 16th such conference since the founding of Bioneers, local conference co-coordinator Jeremy Olsen said.

"We want to create a forum to promote community and create opportunity for people to support one another and really express the hope and the solutions for building a better world," Olsen said.

SUSTAINABILITY TRENDS:

Based on surveys of business leaders and economic trends, editors of the Sustainable Industries Journal Northwest cite six increasingly important areas driving environment-friendly business development.

Fossil fuels: With the era of cheap oil passing, new emission laws in states such as California, Oregon and Washington will increase pressure on national leadership for energy alternatives and conservation.

Climate change: Trading in pollution credits to lower greenhouse gas emissions will evolve to include more industries, such as agriculture, in more sophisticated ways - possibly creating one of the largest futures trading markets in history.

Green building: Private and public buildings will include more recycled materials, natural ventilation, water and energy conservation and natural lighting features. Building design software is rapidly evolving to include "green" considerations.

Education: Colleges are adding degree programs on environmentally sustainable practices for business, construction and forestry.

Pesticides: Consumer demand for organic products, and rising pesticide costs, motivate farmers to seek alternatives to pesticides, particularly in the West.

Recycle by design: More products, from garments to cars and electronics, will be designed to be recycled into new products.

- Sustainable Industries Journal Northwest