Hilary Boudet Corvallis Jul 27, 2015 16:19 pm

The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition, an extensive network of organizations and individual volunteers in Corvallis, provides grassroots leadership and encourages cooperation in order to create a more sustainable community. The Coalition contracted Oregon State Universitys Applied Research Methods class to provide advice on meeting Goal 2 of the Economic Vitality section of its 2013 Revised Sustainability Action Plan, which states that by 2020, 90% of businesses will use sustainable practices.

The primary purpose of this study is to identify the incentives and criteria that will support the Coalition's goal of fostering sustainable practices in the local business community. The study also examines barriers to implementation and the sustainable practices currently employed by Corvallis businesses. To accomplish these goals, we conducted case studies of sustainable business programs in similar communities and completed surveys and interviews
with local Corvallis businesses.

This report provides background and justification for our selected methodologies, discusses our results and findings, and presents recommendations.

Hilary Boudet
Assistant Professor
Oregon State University
United States