Contact your Senator or Representative urging them to schedule SB 576!

June 7 - After passing the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee unanimously, our HIgh Performance Buildings Bill has been waylaid in the joint Ways and Means Committee. As a supporter of sustainable design you know how important this legislation is to the economic and environmental future of Oregon. Time is short - the State Legislature plans to adjourn by the end of June - but with enough support SB 576 stands an excellent chance of passage.

PLEASE contact the members of the joint Ways and Means Committee below and ask that SB 576 be scheduled for a hearing in their committee. Your support was instrumental to SB 576's passage in the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee in April, and it can be just as instrumental now. Thank you for your help!

Joint Ways and Means Committee Members:
Senator Kurt Schrader
Representative Mary Nolan
Senator Peter Courtney
Senator Brad Avakian
Representative Jackie Dingfelder


A great day to be an architect in Oregon
by Tom Pene, AIA
AIA Oregon President

To those of you from all over the state who made the substantial effort to come to Salem to be a part of Leadership by Design and to support AIA Oregon's effort to pass sustainable design legislation, a heartfelt thank you!

April 12 was a great day to be an architect in Oregon. On that day, a coalition of 135 architects, landscape architects, engineers, building owners, sustainable business owners, sustainble design consultants, students and professors from throughout the state travelled to Salem to support the passage of Senate Bill 576 proposed by AIA Oregon.

Read more...


Taming of the Timber Shrew
by Cindy Robert
AIA Oregon Lobbyist

As of this writing, our high performance building legislation (SB 576) is about to be voted on in the state Senate after passing the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee unanimously.

But the bill is different from what we brought to the committee. Some say it is a compromise, some say it is politics, and some (including AIA members) say it is better policy all around.

Why the change? Timber.

Read more...

Download updated text of Senate Bill 576 (Word document, 36 KB)


Thank you to everyone who participated in Leadership by Design to support sustainable design in Oregon!!

Allen Alley, Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Ted Kulongoski, Addresses Leadership by Design Participants	Senator Jason Atkinson Speaking to Attendees
Green Building Projects on Display in the State Capitol	AIAO Lobbyist Cindy Robert Demystifying the legislative process

"Oregon should find ways to translate its reputation for sustainability into a key competitive advantage.
A policy and regulatory framework that is both pro-business and pro-sustainability would be epic."
Dr. Michale Porter –from the Oregon Business Plan