SeeingGreen ™

For someone who prefers walking, biking or taking mass transit to driving, I sure like to look at cars. I probably owe this predisposition to genetics, since you can’t walk half a block with my dad before he’ll pause to check out the rear end of a four-wheeled hottie. However, given my inclination to save the planet, the cars I like to ogle are not the biggie sized urban assault vehicles that many in our country still seem to favor. Instead, I find myself intrigued by the new and sometimes unusual looking, fuel sipping, land skipping and smile invoking people movers.

Even if you are not going to buy a car for years to come, you may
enjoy a trip to a new dealership in town that sells earth friendly new
and pre-owned vehicles. Located in a tastefully adapted car showroom
on NE Sandy, Eco-motion is Portland’s first and probably only “Green
Car Emporium.” Featuring the latest in electric, hybrid and ultra
efficient automobiles from around the world, Eco-motion is an
annotated dictionary of the next wave of transportation.

The atmosphere in Eco-motion is more art gallery than car mall. The
sunlit showroom features wildly colored electric mopeds,
scooters and three wheeled anomalies that invite you to pause to take a closer look. My favorite of the day was the “Myers Motors NmG,” an electrically powered cartoon nose on three wheels that like its acronym suggests, uses “No miles per Gallon.” Equally unusual were the Zap-brand electric pick-ups, a 3/4 sized (not ton) work truck with a diminutive bed that is more than capable of hauling plants from the nursery, plywood from the lumber yard and your friend’s couch on moving day. To complete the arty feeling, the showroom also houses a café that serves, gasp, organic coffee and treats.

Eco-motion also offers more recognizable cars, most of them pre-owned
hybrids and EPA-certified ultra low emission vehicles. Although
Eco-motion carries many of the usual suspects (Honda Civics, etc.),
I’ll admit that I was surprised to see a few American models on the
floor, including Chrysler’s PT Cruiser and the Ford Focus.

So which one would I take home if I were in the position of buying a
car? Unfortunately for this fledgling business, not a one. The most eco motion I can make right now, starts with my own two legs.

Eco-motion
1625 NE Sandy Blvd.