Here at Portland Pedal Power, our delivery network was grown from a simple commitment: use bikes to fulfill an existing need in the urban core. We’ve worked to sustainably fill the gap of last mile delivery needs. What does sustainability mean to a business run by bikes? It means reducing congestion and green house gasses on our downtown streets, it means helping businesses to up their sustainable businesses practices, it means encouraging our vendors to think differently to access the growing market demand for green services, it means building a business that provides healthy and active employement for our riders. It’s a holistic approach that we are constantly working to improve.

The challenge many local businesses face is how to incorporate sustainable practices holistically and profitably. We are committed to promoting this goal, and that’s why we’ll be at the GoGreen Conference this year. We encourage you to join us, to continue thinking about how you can green up your business and build connections to help make it happen.

GoGreen Portland is Tuesday, October 6 at the White Stag Building. Now in its eighth year, GoGreen Portland has established itself as the largest regional conference bringing together business and government decision-makers to advance sustainability best practices.

GoGreen Portland 2014. Flickr: Photosbykim.com

Keynote speakers include: Governor Kate Brown; Gifford Pinchot III, President and Co-Founder of the Bainbridge Graduate Institute; Deborah Kafoury, Multnomah County Chair; and Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, Director of Community Affairs, New York City Department of Environmental Protection. The event features many more local leaders, listed here.

According to the GoGreen website and presspacket, the conference, created and organized by B Corporation Social Enterprises, features regionally targeted content and recognized leaders from the community. GoGreen works across industry silos to foster peer-to-peer learning and collaborative solutions. Sustainability in the business setting is a powerful and indispensable tool for navigating the tumultuous waters of today’s global economy and solving our climate woes. GoGreen’s mission is to empower attendees with the strategies, tools and connections to green their organizations with profitability in mind.

Get Empowered. Get Inspired. Get Connected.

Last year’s conference included over 350 attendees and 60 speakers — business leaders and pioneering thinkers from regional public sector agencies, nonprofits, and educational institutions — with a focus on a diverse array of private sector companies from fields especially strong in Oregon. Attendees discussed new ideas and tackled the big issues facing sustainability efforts locally and globally. In workshop and lab sessions, attendees were exposed to hands-on strategies for improving employee engagement, increasing commitment to climate action and best practices for closing the waste loop, growing equity and maximizing social investment capital. Regional leaders shared their innovative approaches, challenges and accomplishments of their progress with their peers to move us towards a more sustainable future.

We hope to see you there!