A rendering of the Mercy Corps building in Portland

Projects pursuing the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) dominated the list of recipients of Portland's 2008 Green Investment Fund grants. The City of Portland and the Energy Trust of Oregon in April awarded seven green building projects with a combined total of $425,000.

The recipients included: One Waterfront Place, a 270,000-square-foot building and garage built on a former brownfield that is aiming for a LEED Platinum rating; 12W, a mixed-use project that incorporates onsite renewable energy generation, innovative stormwater management, energy-efficient systems and use of recycled and reclaimed materials; East Portland Community Center Aquatics Addition, which is aiming for LEED Platinum and will include solar panels; and the new Mercy Corps Headquarters slated for Old Town.

The Green Investment Fund is a five-year, $2.5 million grant fund created to spur innovation in green building technologies and practices in Portland. The fund is a competitive grant program that awards projects that excel at energy efficiency, onsite storwmwater management, water efficiency and waste prevention. It's is a partnership between the City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development (OSD), Water Bureau, Bureau of Environmental Services and Energy Trust of Oregon.