The 31-year-old took the reins of Coho Construction , a company founded in 2002 to focus solely on sustainable home building and remodeling.

Coho was one of the area’s first builders certified by Earth Advantage, an independent non-profit started by Portland General Electric to promote energy-efficient construction.

As soon as Pushkas joined Coho in early 2008, he began running parts of the business. Then came the offer to take the firm over. “I had owned my own construction business in Budapest for years, so it seemed like a natural fit.”

Bringing their work home
For the entire Coho team, sustainability isn’t merely a profession, but a lifestyle and a hobby. “We all have a passion for energy-efficiency and for reducing the negative effects of construction — and living — on the environment,” he says.

You’ll find employees biking to work and volunteering with groups like Friends of Trees . One lead carpenter has a farm and grows most of his family’s food. “We all spend our free time researching green building technologies,” he says. “We’re energy conservation nerds.”

Sharing the wealth… of knowledge
That focus means Coho has pioneered or improved technologies that are now common practices in sustainable building circles, such as using rigid foam on a home’s exterior to reduce heat loss.

They get a lot of calls from contractors who are just delving into green building and looking for guidance, Pushkas says. He’s free with advice for potential competitors. Like many in the green building community, he’s intent on making more homes more earth-friendly and efficient.

“It’s not about making all the money and dominating the market,” he says. “You have to make a living, of course. But ultimately it’s about doing quality work and having a positive impact on the world.”