LOCAL LOOK – WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
By the year 2050, Portland, Oregon hopes to be fully converted to 100% renewable energy. This is just one of the numerous, bold plans the city has for making life in the Pacific Northwest ‘greener’ for everyone, including business owners.
As with many larger cities with environmentally aligned initiatives, the City of Portland is working closely with commercial real estate developers to ensure that the buildings that go up are engineered with a focus on efficient energy use. As it turns out, prefabricated steel buildings represent some of the most energy-efficient building types in existence, making them the premier choice for commercial developers throughout the state.
The City of Portland is a shining example of how steel can be used to ‘go green’. Are there similar initiatives in your state?
Tucked right between the top left-hand corner of the US’ Cascades Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean, Portland symbolizes green. With its rainforests and waterfalls, as well as deserts and beautiful geographic features, Portland, Oregon is dominated by a natural environment despite being the 6th largest city on the West Coast.
Renowned for being one of the greenest cities, Portland is growing exceptionally fast, causing the city to implement intentional strategies geared towards protecting the future and keeping everyone healthy. The green building practices in the city are designed to sustain this forward momentum.
The Green Building Initiative involves an integrated framework that considers the social, economic, and environmental impact of designing, constructing and operating buildings. The practices involved in green building are founded on the ideology that built and natural environments are interdependent, thereby seeking to minimize how natural resources like energy and water are used while providing a productive and healthy environment.
Renewable energy is the source of most of Portland’s energy with up to 60% coming from hydroelectricity. There are also geothermal, wind, biogas/biomass, and solar energy. This is in line with its 2009 Climate Action Plan that mandates buildings to obtain energy from renewable sources.
The goal of Portland is to ensure that, by 2035, all of its electricity needs are supplied by renewable sources. It also seeks to use renewable energy sources in all segments of the city by 2050. And, with its City Energy Challenge Program, there are now waste management and energy-efficiency programs in place. The US Green Building Council also has specific guidelines that Portland takes seriously. The City now requires that all forms of remodeling and construction of municipal buildings meet those guidelines.
WHY GREEN BUILDING PRACTICES ARE CRUCIAL FOR OUR FUTURE
Between now and 2025, at the current rate of urban development, the world’s cities will experience an unprecedented surge in population.
This will definitely increase the demand for infrastructure and how we build now will be one of the major determinants of urban sustainability in the coming decades.
Why are green cities crucial?
- The city of Portland is extremely bike-friendly, reducing how many vehicles you find on the road. This, in turn, lowers carbon emissions.
- Indoor air quality has improved, keeping people more productive, happier, and healthier.
- Low-impact building materials and sustainable construction practices are now in place. Construction practices now have a lower impact on the soil, air, habitat, and water system.
- Building owners and tenants now benefit from improved efficiencies that reduce the costs of building operation.
With practices like these, the local economy becomes richer (both materially and in health). Green districts have so much commercial and environmental potential that makes them an ever-growing need in a world that is urbanizing fast with very limited resources.
GREEN DEVELOPMENT MAKES SENSE
For green building to be successful, there has to be the right design as well as location and marketing. Green development will maximize the environmental, social, and economic potential of cities in the United States. Portland has shown us that green building has a future, not just in the US alone, but for the whole world.
Today, we are starting to see new, sustainable, and innovative green building materials that help builders and architects create more eco-friendly and healthier buildings.
And did you know that one of the most sustainable green building materials has been around for more than two centuries?
When it comes to the king of sustainability, no other building material can match up to Steel.
Steel is being used now more than ever as the building material of choice in the construction of homes of the future. It possesses a lot of properties that make it one of the most preferred materials throughout the construction industry. Apart from its non-combustibility, durability, and strength, steel continues to shine in the building industry because of its sustainability.
PARTNER WITH CSI FOR A GREENER FUTURE
As we head into the future, steel will continue to play a major role in green building. These structures can last a lifetime as they are resilient, cost-effective, and able to withstand environmental turbulence.
At Capital Steel, we are committed to protecting and caring for our environment. We provide environmentally friendly green building materials through our network of local, certified contractors. If you have an interest in becoming a CSI dealer or preferred local contractor, speak with our team to learn about ongoing opportunities.
