Eugene sees green building business boom


What began as a loosely knit gang of idealistic carpenters, designers and architects working in relative obscurity in Eugene has become a multi­million dollar niche market. But the local green construction market is still seeing mixed success.

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For many of Eugene’s environmentally minded builders, being green has rarely been easy.

What began as a loosely knit gang of idealistic carpenters, designers and architects working in relative obscurity has become a multi­million dollar niche market. But despite growing support from the city of Eugene and builders groups, the local green construction market is still seeing mixed success.

Some green builders have been left reeling by the recent economic downtown, forced to adapt to a market where customers are less likely to splurge on materials such as solar panels, high performance insulation and renewable lumber. But others are seeing unchecked success.

James McDonald is the owner of Ecobuilding Collaborative of Oregon, a Eugene-based green construction company with nine employees working on projects across Lane County. He has seen steady profits in recent years, he said, as well as a growing interest in green building from his customer base — mostly local homeowners.

“Nowadays, the clients are coming, and I don’t have to sell it at all. They want it,” he said. “I continue to find an interested clientele.”

 

Read more in today’s Register-Guard.