Green Portland

Portland's accolades for environmentally-friendly living reads like a laundry list: "Top Green Destinations" (Corporate Meetings & Incentives, 2010), "Green City" (American City Business Journals, 2010), "5 of the Greenest Cities in the World to Visit" (TreeHugger.com, 2009) and "Favorite city for Environmental Friendliness" (Travel + Leisure, 2009).

Downtown's 330-block Free Rail Zone makes Portland's public transportation accessible and affordable. MAX Light Rail—the first train-to-plane transportation option on the West Coast—services downtown to the airport, Expo Center, Clackamas Town Center, Beaverton and Hillsboro. Portland's Streetcar travels along the South Waterfront, through the city center, and ends in Northwest Portland. With timed traffic signals that reduce annual gas consumption by 1.75 million gallons, this city is even green for car travelers! Portland's "smart" parking meters are solar-powered, accept credit cards, and stand on every block.

Portland enjoys 10,000 acres of parkland, including Forest Park—the nation's largest forested area. Epicureans will love the more than 20 farmers' markets and 35 community gardens, providing fresh, locally-grown ingredients to the city's bountiful farm-to-fork restaurants.

Portland's green conscience has even extended to the apparel industry. We are home base to a number of big names who emphasize sustainability, including Nau, Keen Footwear, and even Adidas and Nike—both of whom are at the helm of the new Sustainable Apparel Coalition, created to reduce the environmental impact of apparel and footwear products.

So get out there and explore Portland with a clean (or rather, green) conscience! And if you're looking for an expert to guide you through the area in an environmentally-conscious manner, look no further than EverGreen Escapes – offering tours that are powered by clean burning alternative biodiesel fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. EverGreen Escapes strives to be not only environmentally-sustainable, but also socially-sustainable. Sustainable tourism benefits local communities and travelers without compromising the enjoyment of future generations.