PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – While the world will celebrate Earth Day on April 22, one could argue that every day is Earth Day in Portland based on the city’s strong support for sustainability, its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and its love of recycling.
The City of Roses is known as one of the best cities for cycling in the U.S. and its parks per capita rank among the highest in the country. If one thing’s for certain, this city loves going green.
Portlanders also put their money where their mind is when it comes to supporting the environment. The city is filled with businesses and organizations that focus on sustainability, reducing waste, and renewing energy.
For anyone hoping to go green on Earth Day, or any other day of the year, here are 11 eco-friendly Portland businesses to support.
The Ream Refillery
This business is relatively new to Portland, but it’s already making people rethink the way they buy groceries. The specialty store sells package-free products. Customers can purchase everything from toilet cleaner to dried blueberries. They can bring their own containers to fill or use glass jars and paper bags at the store to fill and take home. Almost all the products are sold in bulk.
- 2310 NE Broadway Portland, OR
Mama & Hapa’s
Similar to the Ream Refillery, Mama & Hapa’s also offers a variety of package-free products. However, Mama & Hapa’s does not sell food products. Instead, it markets things like an all-purpose cleaner, body wash, lotion and dry shampoo. Customers can bring in an empty container of laundry detergent or dish soap and refill it rather than tossing the container out.
- 1389 SE Stark St. Portland, OR
- 3806 N Mississippi Ave. Portland, OR
ReBuilding Center
As the old saying goes, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” That’s often the case at the ReBuilding Center in North Portland. The climate justice organization is on a mission to reduce waste by recycling materials used for home repairs. The organization accepts donated building materials and returns them to the community, giving new life and purpose to used items. Since launching in 1997, the ReBuilding Center says it has diverted more than 35,000 tons of reusable building materials from the waste stream.
- 3625 N Mississippi Ave. Portland, OR
Habitat for Humanity ReStores
Like the ReBuilding Center, the Portland-area Habitat for Humanity ReStores are home improvement stores and donation centers where the public can shop for new and gently used building materials, furniture, home decor and appliances. The funds generated from sales at the ReStores support Habitat for Humanity Portland Region’s homebuilding and home repair programs.
- 10445 SE Cherry Blossom Dr. Portland, OR
- 610 NE 181st Ave. Gresham, OR
- 13475 SW Millikan Way Beaverton, OR
SCRAP Creative Reuse
This Portland nonprofit aims to inspire creative ways to reuse craft material. The organization accepts and sells donated materials for arts and crafts, along with materials for school, office and party supplies. Since it was founded in 1998 by a group of teachers who wanted to find a home for their leftover classroom materials, SCRAP Creative Reuse has diverted hundreds of tons of materials from the waste stream.
- 1736 SW Alder St. Portland, OR
Fernweh Food Company
Ashley Lance, the owner and founder of Fernweh Food Company, wants her company to be as earth-conscious as it can be. Her passion for sustainability is spurred for her love of adventuring outdoors. What breaks her heart is seeing trash littered in the backcountry or overflowing from cans at trailheads. To avoid being part of the problem, Lance instead packages her company’s dehydrated meals in packaging that is 100% compostable and lessens the company’s carbon footprint even more by only making plant-based meals.
- Sold at a variety of locations
EcoVibe
What started as a sustainable apparel boutique has evolved into a lifestyle brand that still has the same eco-friendly goals in mind. EcoVibe sells houseplants, pottery, kitchenware, home decor and gifts. Owners Len and Dre Allen are mindful of the environmental, ethical and social impact of every product they sell and they donate a portion of every sale to local environmental and social nonprofits.
- 1906 NE Alberta St Portland, OR
- 2380 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR
Way of Being
Low waste, plastic-free, intentional ingredients, ethically made – these are all products Way of Being prides itself in selling. The company sells products that are “as plastic-free as can be” and is committed to reducing waste. It sources up-cycled materials that are made to last and also promotes Black-owned, Latinx-owned, Indigenous-owned and LGBTQ+-owned companies. It also sources 12% of its products from Oregon and 32% from the West Coast. Many of the company’s vendors are B-corp certified. The Portland-based company sells its products online.
Portland Disposal & Recycling
OK, OK, so Portland Disposal & Recycling might not be the most glamorous eco-friendly business, but we have to give a round of applause for this company. This family-run business is responsible for picking up Portlanders’ recycling and compost every week. They recycle everything from newspapers to plastic containers to motor oil.
- 7202 NE 42nd Ave. Portland, OR
Green Hammer
Green Hammer has a vision of a future where all buildings support the health of communities and a thriving natural world. That’s why the company is building net-zero homes, homes that have the capacity to produce as much or more energy than they consume in a year. These homes use less energy than those built to standard building practices in the U.S., the company says, and use renewable energy – typically rooftop solar panels.
- 226 SE Madison Street Suite 180 Portland, OR
SunCatcher Farms
Shopping for groceries grown locally is one way Portlanders can be more sustainable. SunCatcher Farms is a vegetable farm that operates in a backyard in Southwest Portland. The business’ produce is certified naturally grown and Portlanders can purchase it by signing up for a CSA – community-supported agriculture. With a CSA, customers will receive a weekly or bi-weekly box of produce from May-October. Everything grown inside the box comes from SunCatcher Farms.
- Because Suncatcher Farms is located at a private home, its address is not publicly available.