The Greener Guide to Seeing Portland More Sustainably
Vegetarian restaurants, tranquil Japanese gardens and beauty stores where Mother Nature might go to stock up – all in a day’s work for this eco-minded Oregon city.
Plastered on bumper stickers and shining out from murals, the city slogan “Keep Portland Weird” does a lot to capture its particular brand of indie charm. Each neighborhood feels like a village with its own distinct crowd, from hippie Hawthorne to the well-heeled Pearl District. Given that Portland is directly at risk from climate change – hugged by two rivers, draining into the rising Pacific Ocean – it’s hardly surprising that it’s tackling things head-on. Urban growth boundaries declared in 1979 protect the glorious countryside around it and encourage innovation within the city, and it’s also on a mission to run exclusively on renewable energy by 2050.
1. Harlow
Cafe, Restaurant, Healthy
The best weekend mornings start with brunch at Harlow, a homey vegetarian restaurant. Pull up a mismatched chair at one of its upcycled wooden tables and tuck into the tofu scramble, vegan biscuits with gravy, home-made granola, or comforting bowl food. There’s also a large fresh juice menu, perfect for savoring while you watch the artsy types in Hawthorne pop in and out of thrift shops from the window.
2. The Nines
Hotel
In a building dating back to 1909, with a lobby papered in silver and houndstooth wallpaper, this hotel exudes refined glamour. Rooms feature billowy drapes and leather headboards, as well as sweet-smelling, ecofriendly BeeKind toiletries. Other green initiatives include energy-efficient lifts, beehives on the roof and donating leftovers from the restaurant to local charities.
4. Heathman Hotel
Hotel
5. Portland Japanese Garden
Botanical Garden
6. Kimpton RiverPlace
Boutique Hotel
This riverside hotel has the feel of a luxury mountain lodge thanks to burlap wallpaper and wood-burning stoves in bigger rooms. However, fun touches, such as tiger-stripe lapels on robes and regular craft-beer-themed events, stop things from feeling stuffy. Kimpton was the first hotel brand to achieve Green Key sustainability ratings across its entire portfolio, too.
7. Blendily
Store
If Mother Nature had bathroom cabinets, chances are they would be full of Blendily creams, soaps and herbal remedies. Every product is made by hand in the shop, using plants grown in the organic Blendily gardens or foraged in the Pacific Northwest forests. With products for your face, hair and body, consider it a one-stop shop for a green glow-up.
8. Noble Rot
Bar, Restaurant, American
Soak up the bright lights of Portland from the top floor of an environmentally pioneering LEED Platinum building while sipping a sensational selection of natural wines. This wine bar and restaurant is practically an ecosystem, drawing water from an 8,000-year-old aquifer under the building and harvesting many vegetables from a 3,000sqft (279ha) rooftop garden. Menus change almost daily but are always fresh, flavorful and beautifully presented.
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.
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