Submitted by Joe Orzali
One of the things that the hordes of newcomers to Portland , OR learn quickly is that the job market can be a tough nut to crack. For many folks, this brings out their creativity, as evident in the modern day versions of the open air market providing direct to consumer commerce downtown at the Saturday market every weekend and every last Thursday of the month along NE Alberta St. These are a few of the unique features of Portland that seem born out of necessity and do their part to “Keep Portland Weird.”
Some sink and some swim, but fitting in requires adapting to the local customs. When in Portland : drink amazing craft brews, bike everywhere, enjoy the parks and buy local. The later practice is pushing past “organic” labeling and even infiltrating the building sector. It was one of the many things that contributed to the LEED rating of the green row house that we so serendipitously happened upon during our search for a house to buy, if we could buy.
My girlfriend and I had moved to Portland so that she could attend Lewis and Clark Law School at the top ranked institution for Environmental Law. We wanted to settle in and buy a house, but I immediately experienced the frustration of establishing myself in a new place where I had no connections. The old adage, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” was proving true. All the jobs seemed to have an inside track for hiring and my back-up plan of substitute teaching required too many hoops to jump through for my temperament. So I began to volunteer and get my hands dirty, seeking out the people who called the shots.
Portland has an Office of Sustainable Development (OSD). It sponsors several great, citizen-accessible programs, and I got involved by volunteering for the Green Homes Tour. Within biking distance from my apartment I was able to visit four different green homes, the first of which proved to be the best for me. Six new row houses, LEED-Silver, “close in,” meaning accessible to other parts of the city and very reasonably priced.
My focus during the tour was to try to talk to the builder, Dan, to see what opportunities my limited knowledge of green building might uncover. Dan was fully occupied with questions about the green features* and all smiles, but not available to talk about the particulars of my job interests. So, I led myself through the model unit and read the pamphlet about the specifications of the row houses. I was impressed. And when I learned that the homes were being offered only to folks who were at the median income level or lower, I was even more enthused. So, instead of finding a job, I found a spot to settle into—not the preferred order of things.
A few weeks later, I was working in a job great for meeting people—signing up folks to support new renewable electricity sources. Finally, I got my first paycheck in Portland and had to fax it, before depositing it, directly to our loan officer to verify my income. From then on, the “green row house dream” became a reality, and it was just in time for our sublet to expire. In rainy November of 2006, we were the first to move into the green row houses. We had almost no furniture at first, but since then we’ve utilized the thriving second-hand furniture business to get comfortable. We’ve filled the backyard with a vegetable garden and installed bike parking in the front. I’ve settled into a job teaching high school science and am developing curriculum around green building and renewable energy. Portland ’s been good to us, allowing us to live more sustainably. We’re focused on continuing to push the sustainability envelope by utilizing both who we know and what we know. Now we just have to find a way to deal with law school debt in a sustainable fashion—the challenges never end!
*Features: The green row houses feature a small backyard, two or three bedrooms, all energy star appliances, all CFL lights, carpet made from recycled bottles, low VOC paint and cabinetry, most materials purchased within 100 miles of Portland, a “tight envelope” meaning little heat loss and retention of cool air due, in part, to windows with Argon gas between the panes and Structurally Insulated Paneling (SIP) on the roof, low-flow toilets (2 flushing options), “green roofs” next to the carport and above the front door, a flash (on-demand) water heater, and an automated ventilation system (that acts like AC in the summer).
Photo Caption: Green row houses in Portland, Oregon. (Photo courtesy of Joe Orzali, who lives in one of them)
