Nike’s world headquarters is the first corporate campus to earn 'Salmon Safe certification,' a designation that means the company is significantly improving the environmental health of its 175-acre property.

The announcement was made at the Oregon Natural Step meeting of environmentally-innovative businesses and is expected to lead other corporate landowners committing to the rigorous Salmon-Safe standards that help clean up waterways so that salmon can spawn and thrive.
Companies working towards Salmon-Safe certification include Toyota Logistical Services and Kettle Foods, as well as Portland State University.

“These are proactive organizations who are taking innovative and forward thinking action to protect our region’s environment and long-term economic viability,” said Lee Jimerson, Salmon-Safe vice chair and marketing manager of Collins Companies.

Based on Salmon-Safe’s independent certification process, an operation is considered Salmon-Safe when both its impact upon aquatic ecosystems is assessed and any negative impacts on water quality and fish habitat are minimized.

Salmon-Safe certification includes extensive on-site inspection by qualified inspectors to ensure that growers are meeting the standards which have been set.
As part of its Salmon-Safe certification, Nike builds on its longtime and pioneering program to minimize stormwater runoff from buildings and parking lots by developing a long-term plan to continue to restore the Cedar Mill Stream on its campus, developing policies to further shift away from chemical pesticides, and increasing water conservation. These are all proactive steps that exceed current regulations and are among the changed management practices of the company’s new Salmon-Safe management plan.

“Nike is committed to integrating sustainable practices throughout its headquarters facilities,” said Lonny Knabe, Sustainability Coordinator for Nike WHQ Facilities. “Adopting Salmon Safe certification principles was the natural next step, and we are excited for the challenge to enhance our current water quality and conservation efforts.”

Nike becomes the first West Coast corporate campus landowner to sign on to the rigorous Salmon-Safe standards, which were established in 1996 to encourage agricultural landowners to go above and beyond regulations to improve habitat so that salmon can return to native streams and spawn and thrive. The company’s progress will be reviewed annually.

Since 1996, Salmon Safe has certified more than 40,000 acres of West Coast farmland, representing such agricultural products as hazelnuts, fruits and vegetables, herbal medicinals, bison meat, grass seed, and cut flowers.
Salmon-Safe has made its biggest impact in the wine industry, with the certification of 75 individual vineyards representing one-third of Oregon’s total vineyard acreage.

In 2004, Salmon-Safe expanded beyond agricultural lands to certify Portland Parks & Recreation, completing a three-year process by the city of Portland to adopt better management across its 10,000 acre system of parks and natural areas.

To build further momentum for Salmon-Safe certification in the business community, Salmon-Safe, Oregon Natural Step Network, and Nike will host an informational event for corporate facilities managers and the public at Nike on November 15, 2005. The afternoon-long event will include informational seminars from Salmon-Safe and its partners, a tour of fish-friendly features of the Nike campus, as well as a celebratory Salmon-Safe wine tasting.