Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portland has once again topped a national ranking of sustainable cities.

SustainLane is a sustainable living web site. It has ranked Portland as number one out of the United State's fifty most populous cities.

Kenneth Ott is the Director of City Rankings for the site. He says Portland continues to have clean air, green buildings and a commitment to a highly effective urban growth boundary.

Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman oversees the city's Office of Sustainable Development.  He says Portland is truly a green city for many reasons.

Dan Saltzman: "I think a balanced transportation system, a strong commitment to green buildings, green architecture, renewable energy and promoting things like farmers' markets so people can support local agriculture. People have choices and people have choices in the quality of life and Portland provides a very good one."

Saltzman also says that green ratings give a favorable impression of Portland to other communities and businesses. He says though Portland is a role model for aspiring green cities, there is always more work to be done.

This is the second year in a row Portland has topped SustainLane website's list.