13 results for tag: air quality

Summer Heat, OR OSHA’s Heat and Smoke Rules, and the Right to Refuse Dangerous Work

OEC is advocating for the strong rollout of Oregon’s new Right to Refuse Dangerous Work law which was signed by the Governor in May of 2023.

The Right to Refuse Dangerous Work: Another Victory for Worker Safety in a Warming Climate

As advocates for farmworkers, who endure intense manual labor in hazardous conditions such as pesticides, extreme heat, and smoke, PCUN recognizes SB 907 as a crucial stride towards safeguarding their well-being.

Love Your Lungs: Take the Wood Smoke Pledge

Not burning wood this winter is one simple action you can take to safeguard clean, healthy air in your home and beyond.

Climate-Friendly Communities Don’t Magically Appear

Oregon Environmental Council and 1000 Friends of Oregon have a long history of partnership, especially working together to advance compact community design with a myriad of reliable alternatives to driving. When people live close to their daily destinations and have lots of transportation options, we can significantly curb climate pollution from everyday travel. And the good news is that climate-friendly communities have lots of other benefits: the air is cleaner, the costs of getting around are lower, it’s easier to get exercise by walking and biking, they are cheaper to build and maintain, and--because they use less space--precious farm and ...

Something big on climate will happen in 2020

Oregon Environmental Council, through a coalition of organizations, has filed ballot proposals for the 2020 general election that will place our state on a path toward a 100% Clean Economy and 100% Clean Electricity for everyone. Tomorrow, we formally launch our campaign. Be the first to follow 100% Ready for Clean Air: FACEBOOK | TWITTER Oregon is ready to transition off fossil fuels and build a 100% clean economy. Oregon must do our part as a leader to protect the natural heritage of clean air and clean water we’re so proud of. Seven of 10 Oregonians continue supporting a cap-and-trade policy, yet we can’t guarantee the state Legisla...

Oregonians feel climate disruption, unfinished business

Climate disruption, along with unchecked air and water pollution from dirty energy sources, is harming Oregonians, and for too long, our leaders have put off addressing climate change in a comprehensive way.

Air Pollution Facts & Tips

As a resource for communities around the state, Oregon Environmental Council has developed a fact sheet that describes how air pollution affects Oregonians’ health, the major sources of air pollution in Oregon, and steps you can take to protect yourself and your family. This fact sheet is available in English, Chinese-simplified, Chinese-traditional, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Oregon Environmental Council has been a long-time champion for health-first clean air solutions. We promote protective public policies, including the 2019 diesel clean-up bill; provide tips on how to reduce personal exposure to air pollution as well as how to ...

Wildfire, climate change impacts amplify urgency for bold action

Summertime is when we in the Pacific Northwest are likely to feel climate impacts the most. Every year that we delay action, the costs mount--both at home and abroad. As global temperatures rise, climate instability results in more drought, wildfires, hurricanes and floods at the cost of our global food supplies and natural-resource economies. At home, 2.3 million Oregonians already live in areas of drought, which damages crops, pastures, streams, reservoirs, water wells and more, according to recent data from the National Drought Mitigation Center. Another 1 million people live in “abnormally dry” areas of the state, which include negative ...

New report: Oregon fails on diesel

This month, Oregon’s cross-agency team of experts made it very clear: None of our current efforts to reduce diesel pollution have worked, or will work, to meet our state’s goals for protecting human and environmental health. "Diesel emissions impacts to human health and the environment are not being adequately addressed by the DEQ [Department of Environmental Quality] or through Toxics Reduction Strategy planning.” This matter-of-fact statement, and details about Oregon’s diesel problem, are part of a newly updated toxics reduction strategy presented to the Environmental Quality Commission in January 2019. The strategy is designed to work ...

Wildfires and our water resources

As we face a future with more wildfires, it's time to start looking beyond the burn. Even after flames die down, our watersheds are still at increased risk.