Portland leads cities with green buildings act.(Brief Article)

Portland City Council has approved a resolution to incorporate "green" building principles into all city facilities. Even more far-reaching is the resolution's aim to engage Portland's private developers--those who truly shape the cityscape.

The initiative was lauded as timely, as soaring energy prices and electricity shortages raise questions about resource management and energy efficiency in the Western United States.

The city's new building standards are tied to national standards engineered by the U.S. Green Building Council. While other burgs such as Seattle, San Francisco and Austin, Texas, have pulled from the national standards for local building goals, Portland's resolution will also seek third-party certification from USGBC.

"The resolution will really force the city to understand its own process," said Eddie Campbell, assistant to City Commissioner Dan Saltzman. "It will …