Oregon Public Broadcasting (Portland, Or.)  [Printer-friendly version]
May 11, 2006

MULTNOMAH COUNTY, PORTLAND ADOPT ECO-FRIENDLY PURCHASING POLICY

[Rachel's introduction: In the local media, Portland's new
precautionary purchasing policy is called "the most comprehensive in
the country."]

By Ley Garnett

PORTLAND, OR -- Multnomah County and the city of Portland adopted a
policy this week to purchase the least environmentally harmful
products for government use.

The practice, called a "toxics reduction strategy," was compiled by
the Sustainable Development Commission of Portland and the Oregon
Center for Environmental Health.

Center director Jane Harris says simply using unbleached paper helps
the environment.

Jane Harris: "We have a superfund site running through the heart of
our city that's contaminated, and a lot of that contamination is
coming from industrial activities like paper mills. By choosing
unbleached paper we can begin to use market forces to change that.
Same with organic food and sustainably raised meats."

Harris says the city and county now have the most comprehensive toxics
reduction strategy in the country.

Copyright Copyright 2006, OPB