Green Dividend Is A Big Payback

Published: Oct 24, 2007

Time was when a societal reference to "green" mainly meant hard-core, environmental activism. It conjured up the Sierra Club, pricey solar panels and visceral opposition to the pave-over-paradise crowd. And it connoted trade-offs: What's the economic downside to tree-hugging naivete?

That time has long passed, says Portland, Ore., economist Joe Cortright. He's the author of "Portland's Green Dividend," a study that extols the benefits of smart transportation and land-planning policies.

In a telephone interview before his recent smart-growth planning address to a Tampa business luncheon, Cortright gave green a more contemporary context.

"The rhetoric around green has been one of 'noble self-sacrifice,'" Cortright said. "Noble, but not economic. People forgoing consumption and giving up stuff to better the environment.

"But we've come to realize that green wasn't just a good idea. It was also good business."

And Portland could be Exhibit A. To paraphrase Gordon Gecko: "Green is good in Portland."

"We haven't achieved Nirvana, but a base-level of agreement on priorities," Cortright said. In effect, the combination of mass transit and antisprawl land-planning have saved Portland money and fashioned its progressive identity.

According to Cortright, Portlanders are experiencing more than $2.5 billion annually in green dividends, which is money that gets re-invested in the local economy. These savings derive from a steady reduction in vehicle miles traveled per person. In the Portland region, the cost averages $20 a person a day; $24 is the national average. Houston, for example, is $40. The Tampa Bay region is $28. And with oil ratcheting toward $100 a barrel, the dividends should grow commensurately.

Cortright's message to locals is encouraging - and blunt.

Tampa Bay, he acknowledged, is not Portland and reflects newer housing patterns and more sprawl. Having said that, Cortright underscored that making major inroads in smart growth is "definitely doable."

"There is stuff you can do short-term," he said, "such as where you choose to live and how you encourage mixed-use development and afford opportunities for people to live closer to where they work.

"Employers can encourage telecommuting. And in the longer term, there's transit. All of this moves you in the right direction."

On the other hand, what if politics and parochialism continue their short-sighted impact and the Tampa Bay region never gets the religion of smart transportation and land-planning policies?

"Well, you'll pay the price," Cortright warned.

A Street Car Named TECO

Recently, the TECO Line Streetcar System celebrated its fifth anniversary. It was an occasion to reflect on more than the record ridership that exceeded 437,000.

It also was an opportunity to ponder the role of the streetcar, an easy, controversial target of criticism for pundits and politicians.

The point is this, and it's worth reiterating: The streetcar is a key economic development tool. Ask Tampa Bay & Co. Ask the developers and merchants in the Channel District. And, yes, it is a mass-transit starter set. And, yes, that's good for Tampa.

Ask Joe Cortright.

Treasures For Tampa

Attention all nonprofit organizations that have specific needs - and who among you doesn't? Well, some of those needs could be met by the Junior League of Tampa.

One of the organization's annual projects is the Treasures for Tampa. It is merchandise, from new to "gently used," that has been requested by organizations in need.

But applications for the free service are down this year - and the group would like to hear from those in need. An application is available at www.jltampa.org. Information is available at (813) 254-1734.

Food For Thought Served

Maybe you had had this experience. My wife, Laraine, and I certainly have.

You make dinner-for-two plans. It's special. It's special because the company is still special.

And the occasion still mandates all the traditional touches. A favorite restaurant, where the view, interior ambience and menu are perfect complements. Where country club-casual attire looks - and feels - just right. Where a good merlot matters.

And then the 20-something waiter (oops, "server") welcomes you on your special date: "Good evening, my name is Justin. What can I start YOU GUYS with?"

Call it the rhetorical equivalent of fingernails on a blackboard. My knee-jerk, mental rejoinder is: "This just in, Justin. I am not with a buddy or a partner or a lodge brother. I'm with my wife, who looks like a million bucks tonight. We plan to linger long and even order dessert. You can start us off with a more appropriate introduction."

Oh, yeah, that off-putting intro was followed by: "Are YOU GUYS ready to order?" And "How YOU GUYS doing?" And "Can I get YOU GUYS anything else?" And "Was it YOU GUYS who ordered the Bud Lights?" (OK, I made up that last one.)

So, get it right, Justin & Co. You guys make the accommodation, not the customers you serve. You're, alas, part of the dining-out experience. And if this seems unduly constraining, please look for a sports bar that's short-handed.

And another thing, Justin; the correct response to "thank you" is "you're welcome." Not "no problem" - unless it truly is problematic to do your job.

Thank you.

Joe O'Neill is a South Tampa writer who can be contacted at www.OpinionsToGoOnLine.com.