Sustainable successes may mean change to business practices

Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), May 26, 2006 by Alison Ryan

Sustainability's move toward the mainstream means good things for both the environment and green enterprise, but it also means a new direction for business and the economy, said speakers at yesterday morning's Sustainable Industries Economic Forum 2006.

The forum, presented by Celilo Group Media, featured a presentation by economist Glenn Pascall and a panel discussion that brought together Eric Schooler, chief executive officer of Collins Companies, Neil Koehler, president and chief executive officer of Pacific Ethanol, and Dennis Wilde, senior project manager at Gerding/ Edlen Development Company.

There has been a market shift, speakers said, toward supporting sustainable industries. Demand for greener, cleaner products and services is rising. Tremendous growth has occurred in ethanol production and consumption outside the Midwest, Koehler said. Gerding/Edlen's green office space in the Brewery Blocks rented quickly, and during a period of economic downturn in Portland. The cost of becoming a Forest Stewardship Council certified wood provider has, Schooler said, been recouped by the business the company's pulled in by offering sustainable wood.

But as interest in green grows, challenges to the existing business model of more sales equals more profit arise. Pascall sees a progression from buying green, to buying smart, to finally buying less. And as consumer make the leap to less consumption, the economy as we know it will change dramatically.

All of our current economic indicators are based on sheer quantitative growth-and that's where we're stuck, Pascall said.

A new business model, he said, must ultimately emerge to create a new, sustainable economy.

The economy as we know it is on the way down anyway, and sustainability is key to the next stage.

Sustainable industries could also, Wilde said, have a significant impact on the economy of Portland, a city that already has a reputation as a hotbed of sustainability.

We have a lot to share, Wilde said. And we need to figure out how we market ourselves to get those like-minded companies to come here?