Earth Month 2017 with the Corporate Sustainability Collaborative brought different companies’ staffers together to learn, to volunteer, to have fun and make connections with each other.

Here are a few of the highlights:

Our forum on Equity and the Environment packed the room at Northwest Health Foundation, and brought business, nonprofit, and government leaders together to learn how to elevate equity in the business and sustainability realms.  Check out panel moderator Sam Baraso’s superb list of resources from that event.

Staff members from companies including NW Natural, Airbnb, EarthShare Oregon, Keen Footwear, and others joined Willamette Riverkeeper on a canoe and volunteer trip to Ross Island.  This land, which is owned and managed by the City of Portland, needs volunteers to help remove invasive plants and nurture native vegetation on the island.   The day turned out wonderfully, with the sun even peeking out from behind clouds on occasion.

A week after our volunteer project, a group visited OHSU’s Collaborative Life Sciences Building for a tour of the building led by the property manager.  The inquisitive attendees got all the details on the certified-LEED-Platinum building’s energy efficiency measures and cutting-edge medical research and learning facilities.

We didn’t just learn and volunteer, we closed out the month with a little fun!  Portland’s bike share system, BIKETOWN, generously offered free day passes to anyone who joined our Bike To Brews low-carbon happy hour.  The group happily pedaled to share a pint at Rogue Eastside Pub and Pilot Brewery in southeast Portland, even with the threatening skies.

It’s only 11 more months to the NEXT Earth Month — if you would like your company to join sustainability events like this next year, sign up for a free membership in the Corporate Sustainability Collaborative!

Thanks to our event and prize sponsors for Earth Month: