Task Force: An online survey will help initiative best serve community
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sustainable development strategy
for Eugene business and the com
munity. The strategy expands the
“triple-bottom line” —- economic,
social and environmental well-be
ing — in an attempt to make Eu
gene “a nationally known ‘center of
excellence’ in this rapidly growing
field,” according to a press release
from the mayor and city council.
Piercy’s economic vision com
bines community outreach and in
volvement, sustainable business
and jobs summits and a develop
ment strategy drafted by the task
force over the next 15 years. The
goal is to “identify economic devel
opment needs and opportunities
that can benefit all industries, busi
nesses and workers in the commu
nity,” according to the press release.
Gathering community input will
be one component of the SBI. A 15
"minute online survey asking for
ideas and feedback from citizens
“on methods and opportunities for
growing sustainable businesses and
jobs that benefit the entire commu
nity” will be made available to the
public around Aug. 12.
In order to best serve the commu
nity and city of Eugene, the survey
draft correlates access to jobs, good
wages and benefits with environ
mental conservation efforts and an
overall healthy city economy.
The draft adds, “the success of
the SBI depends on creative input
from the general public. Specifical
ly we want to know your vision of
the future of sustainable business
and job development in Eugene and
how best to reach that vision.”
Cluster appeal
The second official SBI meeting
was held Thursday in the Eugene
Public Library where Bob Doppelt
and Mike Russo of the University
gave separate presentations on gen
eral goals and how the task force
should go about combining each
sector of economic development.
Doppelt, a courtesy associate
professor at the University, used
“The Ladder of Inference” in his
presentation to describe his point
that “we live in a world of ideas and
beliefs that are largely self-generat
ed and untested.”
He said that people often make
assumptions without thinking criti
cally about the different sides and
different data before taking action.
“Don’t assume it’s true just be
cause people think another option is
more sustainable,” Doppelt said. He
suggested that task force members
inquire about other members’ ideas,
ask about data from both sides and
think critically as individuals, keep
ing in mind the underlying objec
tives of the task force.
Doppelt emphasized the
importance of keeping the main ob
jective in mind while working on
the individual sectors in the day-to
day setting.
“All the parts of the value chain
must participate effectively,”
Doppelt said. “We need to focus on
benefiting everyone (and) we need
to keep in mind how we want
sustainable business to function in
the future. ”
As the basis for the task force’s
collective mold, Doppelt defined a
system as, “any group of interact
ing, interrelating, or interdependent
parts that form a complex and uni
fied whole with a specific purpose.”
“This task force is a system,”
Doppelt said.
Michael Russo, professor and
department head in the University’s
Lundquist College of Business,
spoke to the task force about “clus
ters of development” and how the
economic activities that cohere
around similar industry sectors cre
ate mutual interest and a more
competitive economy.
“It’s about accumulating the
ability to do things in Eugene that
would be difficult to do alone,”
Russo said.
Clusters benefit both businesses
and consumers because they offer
alternative means of transportation,
packaging and other mutual interest
options for business owners while
providing high competition for
cheap and easily accessible prod
ucts for consumers, while working
toward a more environmentally
conscious economy.
“People want to move where
clusters are,” Russo said, “The idea
is that... it won’t cost as much for a
business to move here.”
Russo also talked about how to
reach apathetic consumers. He used
a national poll showing the percent
age of consumers who are environ
mentally conscious in their purchas
ing and those who did not care.
Only 9 percent were titled “True
Blue Greens,” consumers who
speak out on environmental issues
and consume environmentally
friendly products, while 33 percent
were found to be apathetic.
Task force member Scott Pope of
Sustainable Wealth Management
said, “I think it’s not that they don’t
care, I think they just don’t know.”
Concerned with these statistics,
the task force vowed to continue re
searching ways to inform the com
munity about environmentally
friendly goods.
Community Roundtables
Thursday’s meeting focused on
how to implement a plan and how
to work together. A different set of
meetings, called “Roundtables,”
will address various sectors of the
SBI with the guidance of six to 20
experts in each field and sugges
tions from the community.
Members of the task force will
not be obligated to attend any par
ticular number of Roundtable meet
ings or any that they are not inter
ested in. Piercy said that in order for
people to really get involved in
these groups, members should
choose the Roundtables that are
most appealing to their interests.
“We’re creating opportunities that
individual task force members can
take advantage of,” Piercy said. She
emphasized her desire for task force
members to take responsibility for as
pects of Eugene sustainability that in
terest them because “they’re are not
going to be forced on people.”
Roundtable meetings will be
open to the public, and co-Chair
man Dave Funk of Funk/Levis & As
sociates encouraged participation.
“We count on all points of view
represented at the table to shape the
community,” Funk said.
All information presented and dis
cussed at the meetings and Roundta
bles will be posted online. The Web
site has not yet been activated.
Although the meetings will be
looking at long-term growth and de
velopment, task force member Kar
tar Khalsa’s suggestion to take ac
tion on certain issues before 12 to
18 months found agreement from
other members.
The best way to “benefit everyone,”
as Doppelt said, is to have everyone’s
voice when making decisions.
To get involved contact co-Chair
men Rusty Rexius at
rusty@rexius.com or Funk at 485
1932; or the City of Eugene Mayor’s
Office at 682-5010 or visit www.ri.eu
gene.or.us.
nwilb u.r@ dailyemerald. com
ROUNDTABLE SECTORS
The online Draft Survey will present these subjects:
•Alternative transportation: Explores renewable
energy and systems of travel beyond solo vehicle
use such as carpooling, public transportation, walk
ing and bicycling.
• Biofuels: Focuses on renewable sources of ener
gy such as vegetable oil, animal fat and algae.
• Bioproducts: Explores continual and future de
velopment of non-food agricultural and renewable
resources other resources such as biodegradable
plastics and plant-based lubricants.
• Education for sustainability: Addresses ways to
help schools and colleges implement sustainable
•principles and practices that minimize environmen
tal impact.
•Green building: Focuses on design and building
techniques that reduce operation and construction
costs, minimize energy consumption and environ
mental hazards and contribute to the health and
productivity of residents and workers.
• Organic and sustainable foods: Continues and
advances organic and sustainable food certification
standards.
• Renewable energy: Moves away from fossil fuel
consumption and dependency through sources such
as biomass, hydro, solar, rave and wind power.
• Sustainable healthcare: Focuses on health facil
ities, materials, practices and products that with
minimal waste and environmental impact.
• Sustainable forestry: Concentrates on forest
management and wood manufacturing practices
that meet the "triple-bottom line.”
• Sustainable tourism and recreation: Explores
ways to use tourism and recreation to generate in
come and employment with minimal effects on the
environment and culture of Eugene.
All Roundtable sectors are open to the public.
Principle
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Managment
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