By MITCH LIES

Capital Press

PORTLAND -- The Oregon Association of Nurseries and the Oregon Environmental Council last week launched a Climate Friendly Nurseries project supporters say will provide environmental and economic benefits.

U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., who spoke at the launch, said the project could help growers reduce costs, increase profits and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

"This is emblematic of how Oregon approaches problems," he said. "To me this is a win, win, win."

Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Katy Coba, who also spoke, said the nursery industry long has been an environmental leader in the agriculture community.

"They have been green for a long, long time, and green beyond the color of their plants," Coba said.

Seven Oregon nurseries have signed up for the Climate Friendly Nurseries project. The industry hopes to attract three more nurseries before the end of the year.

The seven participating nurseries, which include Monrovia, J. Frank Schmidt and Son and other large nurseries, represent 14 percent of the state's nursery production, industry leaders said.

The project involves tracking energy use at participating nurseries, analyzing how the nurseries can reduce energy use and implementing energy-reduction programs.

The project is funded in large part through state and federal grants.

"By the end of this project, we'll know what types of things our growers are already doing that constitute sustainable practices and what sorts of things we can do to improve our current practices," said OAN Executive Director John Aguirre.

The hope, Aguirre said, is the three-year project becomes a model other nurseries can follow to reduce their carbon footprint and improve profits.

Ecos Consulting, a Portland firm that helps clients reduce energy use, is working with Oregon State University to help identify methods nurseries can adopt to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Staff writer Mitch Lies is based in Salem. E-mail: mlies@capitalpress.com.