 
Results in Oregon:
In Oregon, the Power 2 Change program announced the Sierra Club's presence and new leadership role in the Oregon clean energy and global warming community. Through media coverage, networking with business leaders, other non-profit groups and state leaders including Governor Ted Kulongoski and Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, Power 2 Change helped us to define our role in the statewide effort to find global warming solutions. The campaign solidified relationships with business leaders and volunteers that will allow the Sierra Club to be a more power force in this election year and campaigns to come.
Below: good and bad energy actions in this state, as profiled in our report.
 Designed for LEED® Gold Certification from the U. S. Green Building Council Mississippi Avenue Lofts is a sustainable new 56,000 sf 4-story mixed-use development located in Portland Oregon's Mississippi Historic District featuring 32 lofts, secure parking and locally owned retail stores including European style market Pastaworks. Inside and out every detail has been considered in this transit oriented development, from a hybrid Zipcar and efficient use of space that includes bicycle parking at each front door, to the exposed timber beamed ceilings, polished concrete floors and high level of finishes.
Connecting residents and guests with the surrounding outdoors, Mississippi Avenue Lofts offer views, an abundant amount of natural daylight with cross-ventilation, large balconies and a bamboo landscaped open-air courtyard.
Mississippi Avenue Lofts features a state of the art Mitsubishi HVAC system designed to exchange energy to hot and cool areas of the building and exceed a 25% reduction in energy use. Other features include an environmentally friendly KONE EcoSpace elevator, regionally produced Jeld-Wen Energy Star rated Low E window and door systems and TOTO low flow faucets with dual flush toilets designed to exceed 30% water use reduction.
The building is constructed using 350,000lbs of 98% post consumer recycled rebar that travels less than 300 miles round trip from the mill to the jobsite, 180,000lbs of 95% post consumer recycled structural steel fabricated regionally, 100,000 board feet of FSC Certified timber from a local supplier and 3000 tons of regional concrete.
 Lane Community College (LCC), located in Eugene, Oregon, is an epicenter of renewable energy technician training in the U.S. and has been so for nearly 30 years. During that time, its Energy Management Program has expanded from a focus on residential energy efficiency to tackling the gargantuan need for commercial energy conservation solutions.
Graduates of the Energy Management Program learn to evaluate the energy use of residential and commercial buildings and subsequently recommend solutions for reducing energy consumption via efficiency and alternative sources. The graduates of the Renewable Energy Technician Option are trained to recommend specific energy conservation systems and to install photovoltaic and solar domestic hot water systems.
The program's director Roger Ebbage says that LCC provides our nation's only two-year Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in commercial energy efficiency and is one of only several colleges to provide an AAS for Renewable Energy Technicians.
Ebbage is keenly aware of the potential to expand the program to incorporate a wind power component and expects to add one soon.
According to Ebbage, community colleges are uniquely positioned to respond to openings in the job market and are experienced as teaching skilled trades. The field of renewable energy management has plenty of room to grow, says Ebbage, because there are so buildings that can use efficiency and renewable energy upgrades. Making these improvements in commercial buildings, added Ebbage, can help lead us to energy independence and create a wealth of jobs along the way.
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Portland's Ecomotion is a new green car emporium that offers an alternative for consumers who want to move away from oil consumption and reduce their personal carbon footprint.
Ecomotion is expanding the suite of viable, smart energy transportation alternatives available to the public while also demonstrating the ability of these options to meet the diverse needs of individuals, businesses and governments. This commitment is evident in its available assortment of new and pre-owned 100% electric cars, trucks and scooters, EPA Smart Way Certified hybrid vehicles, and vehicles equipped to run on biodiesel.
In addition to selling low-impact products, Ecomotion is committed to supporting the local sustainability movement. The Ecomotion facility houses Hip Drip Cafe, an eco-friendly cafe that uses biodegradable and compostable "to go" cups and take-out containers, local food and sustainably grown coffee. Each month the Hip Drip Cafe hosts a sustainability fair that brings together green businesses, non-profit organizations and community members.
Health,environmental impacts from Boardman power plant to continue for decades
For more than 25 years, Oregon's largest utility company, Portland General Electric (PGE) has operated a 585 Megawatt coal-fired power plant in Boardman, Oregon. Constructed without modern emissions controls, the plant is the largest stationary source of air and global warming pollution in Oregon - emitting carbon dioxide, mercury, soot and smog pollution at levels well above those considered safe under the Clean Air Act.
Oregonians and the environment are paying a significant price for burning coal at the PGE power plant in Boardman, Oregon. Coal plant pollution causes 30,000 premature deaths annually. According to a recent study, coal plant pollution in Oregon is responsible for 7 deaths, 11 heart attacks, 1 lung cancer death, 163 asthma attacks, 4 hospital admissions, 5 cases of chronic bronchitis, and 2 emergency room asthma visits per year. Boardman is the only coal-fired power plant in the state.
PGE's Boardman plant also pollutes more than 10 protected parks and wilderness areas, including the Columbia River Gorge, Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, and Hells Canyon. As the largest stationary source of sulfur and nitrogen oxides in Oregon, its emissions contribute to the formation of acid rain and fog in the Columbia River Gorge that is 10 to 30 times more acidic than normal rainfall. This pollution contributes to visibility impairment 95% of the year and clouds the spectacular vistas that make the Gorge famous - and it could also impact the tourism to the area.
An environmental coalition has been working with PGE to find ways to clean up the Boardman plant and transition the company's operations to clean renewable power and energy efficiency. Unfortunately, PGE has been unwilling to make the investments necessary to modernize the Boardman facility with the best available pollution controls to protect our health and environment. Instead, the company has dug its heels into the ground and plans to continue burning coal at Boardman until the year 2040.
Coal is the dirtiest fuel we can use to generate electricity. Oregon deserves a better plan to meet its energy needs than burning coal. PGE's plan to continue to use old technology and to burn coal until the year 2040 takes our state in the wrong direction, when choosing to invest in renewable energy would create jobs and have few health impacts.
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