[50th] People
People Category for OEC’s 50th landing page
Allison Hensey
Allison Hensey believes in the power of collaboration to effect real environmental change. Here in Oregon, she’s built an impactful career in conservation, including 9 years as a staff member at Oregon Environmental Council from 2006 - 2015.
At Oregon Environmental Council, Allison focused on strengthening ties with the agricultural community and bridging the divide between urban and rural constituents. She holds a deep respect for farmers in Oregon, who helped inform her approach to agricultural and water policy.
“We can talk theoretically about what can happen, ...
Chris Hagerbaumer
A steadfast force, Chris Hagerbaumer has been pushing for solutions that create a cleaner, more livable Oregon for more than 22 years. She joined the staff of Oregon Environmental Council back in 1996, as the Transportation Program Director. Since 2006, she led many crucial policy and strategic planning efforts as Deputy Director
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve known intrinsically that if we don’t treat our environment right, we end up harming our own health and wellbeing. Oregon Environmental Council’s approach matches mine: think holistically, be collabo...
Curbside Recycling: Four Love Stories and a Kitchen Table
by Kevin Kasowski
The idea for one of the rituals at the heart of being an Oregonian – taking the recycling bin out to the curb each week – was conceived at a kitchen table, and born thanks to a little “pillow talk.”
If you’re over 40, you may remember hauling tied up bundles of newspaper to a local recycling depot back in the day. For most other household “leftovers” there was nowhere else to go, except the garbage can and then the landfill.
Our Bottle Bill, enacted in 1971, with Oregon Environmental Council’s (OEC) help, began to change ...
Embrace a cooperative spirit to protect Oregon’s future
Board member Kristin Luck shares why working together is key to a healthier future for Oregon's water, air and land and all who live here.
What’s good for the environment is also good for business
Two former board members of Oregon Environmental Council, Tom Kelly and Bill Edmonds, share their views on why strong collaboration with business is what makes smart solutions for Oregon's environment.
Read the full guest column published in the Portland Business Journal - Sep 5, 2018
Here's an excerpt...
Here’s a common misconception: pro-environment and pro-business policies are irreconcilably opposed to one another. In truth, what’s good for the environment is good for business. Without a livable environment, of what value is a successful business? The ...
Corinne Handelman
Corrine first started working with Oregon Environmental Council back in 2012, collecting signatures for the Toxic Free Kids Act. More recently, she served on the Emerging Leaders Board...
Rob Nathan
To Rob, Oregon represents home—a place where he is committed to advancing social and environmental equity. Originally from Chicago, Rob grew up in the "'hood," where the streets were muddied by industry and trash.
“I saw how people of color were disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation. I recognized the paradigm that I was living—that resource scarcity is tied to poverty, environmental racism, and conservation."
Rob played an important part in supporting the development of a stronger social equity lens at Oregon Environmental Council as a member ...
Nate Wallace
Nate Wallace joined the Emerging Leaders Board in 2018. He is excited to help Oregon Environmetal Council protect the land he loves. Nate grew up in Portland and developed a reverence for nature on family camping trips and excursions.
“Oregon is unbelievably beautiful and varied. It’s really important to try to preserve it. We need to be put policies in place that are protecting the Environment, which is one of the things that drew me to Oregon Environmental Council."
Nate now works as a fisheries biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and ...
Barbara Boyer
Barbara sets the pace for civic engagement in her local McMinnville community. As a hay farmer, she knows how to make a farm ecologically and financially sustainable. But she also pours her knowledge back into the community. As a volunteer and elected official, she chairs the Oregon Board of Agriculture, and the boards for the Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District and the Soil and Water Conservation Commission. She also started the McMinnville farmer’s market, and houses many different volunteers through the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms progra...
The art of collaboration: working together for conservation
It seems so rare now, Democrats and Republicans working together towards shared conservation goals. But in the 1970s, Oregon was an epicenter of bipartisan cooperation that established important, groundbreaking environmental policy that has shaped our state to this day.
