How does Portland top itself?
The next mayor of Portland will ride into office on green coattails. Even if he knows nothing about climate change, he'll be regarded as something of a hotshot on the strength of the city's reputation alone -- plus its 15 years of work to reduce carbon emissions.
So here's a warning: Portland has the kind of head start that can vanish fast. The next mayor needs a very specific plan to capitalize on the city's global warming expertise, not coast on it.
Everyone everywhere is talking about creating "green-collar" jobs, including many candidates in the May primary. Portland has been talking for years about reaping the benefits of a greener economy. But unless the next mayor has specific plans to galvanize the community and create jobs, this could be yet another dream that passes Portland by. (Remember when biotech was going to be the next big thing?)
Meanwhile, the most difficult challenges in confronting global warming still lie ahead, including the need for green retrofitting of houses, businesses and buildings across the community. This is not nearly as sexy or exciting as building new and green, but it's essential, because buildings produce about 40 percent of carbon emissions.
Energy-efficient retrofitting can produce a quadruple win, reducing emissions, reducing energy consumption, reducing utility bills (with benefits for every size pocketbook) -- and creating jobs that can never be outsourced. Grasping the potential, many bright people are working on some facet of green retrofitting, but it will take mayoral leadership to ignite change on a communitywide scale.
The potential jobs bonanza (including some federal help in the offing) has mayors across the country scampering to launch green initiatives. Back in 1993, it seemed farfetched, even goofy, when Portland became the first city in the country to adopt a plan to counteract global warming. Not any more. As of Monday, 830 mayors had signed on to the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to reduce greenhouse gases.
When mayors gathered to talk about climate change last fall, they sounded almost giddy in ticking off the fringe benefits of making their cities greener, more walkable and livable. Portlanders, of course, had heard it all before.
By 2006, Portland had notched real progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions on a per capita basis by 14 percent. That should have voters elbowing the city's mayoral candidates and asking: "OK, buddy, how will you top this?"
The mayoral candidates need to explain exactly how they'll build on what Portland has achieved -- instead of basking in the city's (fading) limelight while boasting rights and economic opportunities slip away to other communities.
