7 results for author: Sam Pape

New Staff Q&A: Kristopher Fortin Grijalva

OEC is excited to introduce our new Transportation Program Director, Kristopher Fortin Grijalva!  Hailing from Southern California, Kristopher grew up connected to his community by transportation, walking, biking, and bussing his way around town from elementary school through college. This experience – coupled with a deep love for writing – led him to a 13-year career in journalism and transportation advocacy in the Greater Los Angeles area. His background spent fighting for clean, equitable transportation options made him the perfect person for the role. To learn all about Kristopher – from his love of local corner stores, to career ...

New Staff Q&A: Tatiana Cardoza

OEC is excited to introduce our Communications and Marketing Script intern, Tatiana Cardoza! From her start in early June, Tatiana is already helping OEC elevate our environmental work. Tatiana recently graduated from Portland State University, where she double majored in Business Marketing and Business Analytics. With this background and expertise, she joined OEC’s Communications team to help us parse data, explore trends and develop strategies to enhance our environmental impact. Her fresh outlook and ability to organize complex information into actually digestible reports has been a highly welcomed addition to our team. We’re beyond ...

Member Q&A: Lesley Atlansky

How we choose to fight for the future of our planet is a deeply personal decision. Beyond the obvious actions – giving public comment, reducing our own carbon footprints, or supporting organizations like Oregon Environmental Council – there are any number of other ways to make a difference. You can make art that beautifully portrays the splendor of the natural world, promote literature on climate and environmental issues to your community…  Or, if you’re Lesley Atlansky, you can do both! Lesley is an artist and longtime OEC member based in Portland, OR. She works as a comic colorist for publications big and small, and creates stunning, ...

Greetings from a Recovering Climate Pessimist

Dear fellow friends of Oregon, My name is Sam Pape. Nice to meet you! I’m the new Communications and Marketing Coordinator at OEC. I started in an interim role back in February, and was thrilled to recently accept a permanent, full-time position. In other words: I’m here to stay! I’ve called Oregon my home my whole life. Growing up, I spent my summers camping around the state with family and friends, getting to know the boundless beauty of the beaches, mountains, and sky.  After high school, I skipped out on the traditional college experience to travel the U.S. playing music. I spent the better part of my twenties doing just that, ...

Celebrate Earth Week with BottleDrop Give!

Happy Earth Week! Obviously, this is our favorite time of year at OEC. It’s an opportunity to go on a favorite hike, connect with your community, and reflect on the beauty and bounty of our one and only planet. However, this holiday isn’t just about celebration: it’s also about looking ahead, and standing up for the future of our home. It’s no secret that we’re feeling the effects of climate change and environmental crises now more than ever before. But that doesn’t mean we should wallow in the doom and gloom of it all: it means now is the time to act. There is genuine reason to be optimistic when we’re all working together. Earth ...

Ara Vickers: Meet the New ELB!

Hello friends, People are more receptive to tackling climate change when they are given actionable, positive climate news, rather than through threats of inaction. If you’re like me, and are entrenched in climate change research, then framing climate change and other environmental disasters in an optimistic context sounds at best challenging and at worst absurd. After all, the earth is on fire and we need to act! Yet, most people respond defensively when they receive negative climate change information. Of course, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t share critical climate change information or be complicit climate optimists. Rather, it highlights ...

Elizabeth Silberg: Commit Your Kicker!

What do you think of when you think of Oregon? The Painted Hills or the Gorge? Earthy Pinot Noirs or hoppy IPAs? Pickathon or the Country Fair? From January 29 to April 17, it might be something else that comes to mind… something perhaps not as flashy as our state’s signature natural wonders, drinks, or events, but nonetheless just as uniquely Oregon: the kicker! If you’re new to Oregon taxes, here’s a brief primer. Every two years, when lawmakers build the budget, state economists sit down and predict how high personal income taxes will be. When their predictions are off by 2% or more, the excess is refunded back to taxpayers as the ...