The Portland Rose Festival is committed now more than ever to sustainability.
- Consistently ranked "Cleanest & Greenest" Festival in America by the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) for 12 years running -- more than a full decade!
- Partnered with SOLV, PGE, City of Portland's Maintenance Bureau, several private sanitation companies, and hundreds of volunteers more than a decade ago to build a groundbreaking parade clean-up model, setting an industry standard.
- Annually provide restorative funds to the Portland Parks Department to restore Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park to its natural state.
- Waterfront Village recycles over 7 tons of trash annually.
Longtime partner, Portland General Electric, has stepped up to make the parade that carries its name -- the Starlight Parade -- carbon-neutral by purchasing carbon offsets from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to offset the carbon emissions from this year's parade entries. An estimated 240 pounds of carbon dioxide is emitted by the cars, floats and motorcycles in the parade - even the garbage trucks and street cleaners contribute to the carbon. PGE also purchased enough to cover the 14-day run of the Waterfront Village, the Rose Festival's largest event, so the estimated 106,000-kilowatt hours of power used by the rides and the vendors could be offset by investments in wind power and other renewable energy sources.
In 2010, the festival will highlight Portland's alternative transportation options in the 'Northwest Spirit' section of the KeyBank Grand Floral Parade. This section showcases the first-ever bicycle-powered float, sponsored by The Oregonian. Portland's Mayor, Sam Adams, will ride a bike in the section, which will also feature velomobiles, segways and recumbent bikes. The Portland General Electric float will depict electric cars at a charging station. Leading off the section will be a group of avant-garde style performers, the Green Men and a Little Lady; this green-clad, acrobatic dancing group will have an environmental message as they showcase the pink 'blossom' depicted by the Little Lady.
