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III. SBI REC(JMMENDATiC)NS <br />TIII?, l2Ii;C:O1-9vIENDA'I'IU~S obtained from <br />the roundtables, community meetings and <br />surveys (summarized in Appendix D) and the <br />collective wisdom of Task Force. members <br />led the SBI to the following vision and <br />recommendations for retaining, growing, <br />and creating sustainable businesses and jobs <br />in Eugene. <br />Because both the public and private sectors <br />must be involved to make Eugene a center of <br />excellence in the field, the recommendations <br />are organized around those 'intended for: a) <br />the City of Eugene; b) the private sector; <br />and c) other local governments and <br />educational institutions. <br />Although many of the recommendations can <br />be implemented on their own, the first three <br />(l. publicly commit to sustainable practices <br />and to businesses that produce sustainable <br />products and services; 2.. establish an office <br />of sustainable development, and; 3. establish <br />a sustainability commission) are initially the <br />most'important because they provide the <br />institutional mechanisms needed to establish <br />and sustain the process over time. <br />The following recommendations do not . <br />include all of the ideas obtained from- <br />practitioners and residents during roundtables <br />and community meetings. A complete list <br />of the suggestions for growing sustainable <br />businesses and jobs can be found in the <br />appendix. We encourage readers to review the <br />complete lists and act on those that they feel <br />might prove beneficial. <br />A. SBI TASK FORCE VISION OF A <br />SUSTAINABLE EUGENE <br />In 2020, the Willamette River is the symbol <br />of the renaissance of Eugene, a renaissance <br />that started with the City Council's <br />acceptance of the recommendations of the <br />Mayor's Sustainable Business Initiative in <br />2006. That pivotal decision by the Council <br />propelled Eugene businesses and community <br />members on the path to Triple Bottom Line <br />sustainability. While the crystalline waters of <br />the Willamette are the result of cooperative <br />agreements between all of the localities . <br />bordering the river, tourists who've come to <br />Eugene see. it as the centerpiece of one of the <br />most sustainable mid-sized cities in America. <br />Spurred on by concerns about global climate <br />change, Eugene adopted a climate action plan <br />and in 2020 became carbon neutral, with the <br />community's net carbon emissions reduced to <br />zero. The action plan triggered the creation <br />of many types of new low-carbon business and . <br />job opportunities. Businesses have become so <br />efficient in their use of energy and generating <br />their own renewable energy that many are <br />net energy producers that sell surplus power <br />back to local utilities for redistribution to other <br />citizens. Incentives encourage businesses <br />and residents to use mass transit and other <br />low carbon-impact forms of transportation. <br />Decisions by community members result <br />in reduced vehicle miles traveled, reduced <br />energy consumption, and reduced reliance on <br />fossil fuels. <br />Sustainable business clusters are highly <br />developed and the center of our economic <br />base. Businesses from across the country are <br /> <br />