New sustainable board seeks quick impact in Lake Oswego

By Cliff Newell

The Lake Oswego Review, Jul 31, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

Bauman

If enthusiasm, acumen and vision are the necessary ingredients for success, then the new sustainability advisory board for the city of Lake Oswego will be a slam-dunk to succeed.

Optimism reigned supreme at the board’s very first meeting on July 23 at city hall.

“I think we can be a model city,” said board chair Jean Baumann, in her opening remarks. “We want sustainability to be a new mindset in Lake Oswego.”

Getting the new board for Wednesday night’s initial meeting was a lengthy process. It took more than six months for completion — from the city council’s adoption of a motion to have a SAB, interviews of applicants (nearly 50 people applied), and selection of the 11 members.

But now that everything is in place, Baumann and her comrades want to move quickly. They want Lake Oswego to be not just an oasis but an inspiration for sustainability.

“We’re coming in with a great blueprint with the city’s sustainability plan,” said attorney Patrick Rowe. “It’s important to get citizen support and involvement. Without that, it will be difficult.

“Some day I would like similar-size cities to say, ‘You’re doing it right.’”

Bruce Brown, who teaches sustainability to children in Southeast Portland, said, “I hope we get to where ‘green’ is not a word that is used anymore. Green will just be the normal state of affairs. I don’t want to be a green island here but part of an overall green network.”

“I want sustainability to be convenient,” said interior designer Lisa Murphy. “I want it to be a way of life and part of our economy. I want it to be second nature to us.”

1 | 2 Next Page >>

Facebook	Digg	Del.icio.us
Newsvine	Stumbleupon	Reddit