Oh planning+design, architecture (OHPD) has been awarded Gold by City of Portland’s Sustainability at Work program, reaffirming a continued commitment towards helping make Portland one of the most sustainable cities in the country. OHPD was first certified through Sustainability at Works precursor, Blue Works in 2011. To earn this honor, Oh completed numerous actions to benefit our local economy, our community and our environment; actions which were verified with a Sustainability at Work Advisor.

Sustainability at Work offers comprehensive, free resources and expertise for Portland organizations seeking to create a more sustainable workplace. These services are tailored to help each business conserve resources, improve efficiency, save money and provide a healthy and quality workspace for employees. To recognize and promote the work of businesses that have taken comprehensive and concrete actions to reduce carbon emissions, Sustainability at Work provides certification that is valid for three years and offices are shared in the Green Business Directory.

In early March, as a response to Covid19, OHPD adopted a remote work policy and closed the office just before our verification visit was scheduled to take place. Genevieve Joplin, our advisor with the program, has helped us through multiple certifications and was able to accommodate the situation. She had visited our office in 2018, to verify recycling arrangements, energy-efficient appliances and office lay-out. With this prior experience in our office, she was able to conduct the verification "visit" remotely. Instead of re-verifying what the office is already doing, our certification conversation focused more on OHPD's future sustainability goals. Genevieve offered suggestions on how to estimate and offset our approximate energy use. We also discussed ways to make our purchasing policies more inclusive of local business owned by women and people of color. The last thing we discussed was collaborative options for working with other sustainable Portland offices.

About Sustainability at Work

Sustainability at Work provides free tools and expertise to help businesses in Portland, Oregon achieve their goals. Businesses work with a Sustainability Advisor who helps them create a customized plan, and get connected to the free tools and resources available from program partners, which include the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Water Bureau, Bureau of Transportation, Bureau of Environmental Services, Energy Trust of Oregon, Metro and Pacific Power. To learn more, visit our Sustainability at Work resource page.