9 results for tag: collaboration

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 ...

Restoring Hamilton Creek: The Soltaus’ Story

As early spring blooms pop open and a great blue heron takes off across the water, Glen Soltau walks the trails on his property along Hamilton Creek outside of Lebanon, Ore. When Glen and his wife, Leslie, bought the property in 1992, Hamilton Creek was overrun with invasive blackberries, some growing as tall as 10-12 feet high, and cows walked in the streambed disrupting fish habitat and eroding the banks. Now rows of native willow, dogwood and elderberry have replaced the blackberries. Indian plum provides an early season nectar source for hummingbirds. Beavers build seasonal dams that increase the area for Glen and Leslie to paddle their kayaks. ...

From Paris, France to Prineville, OR: Collaboration Matters

This weekend, nearly all the nations in the world agreed to actions to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change. We in Oregon believe we should do our fair share to reduce emissions. That's why we've had an historic agreement to work with neighboring states to amp up our clean energy economy, create a clean fuels corridor, and limit and price climate pollution. We want Oregon to be the early bird that catches the worm--acting quickly helps us set the curve and reap enormous benefits--cleaner air, more economic opportunities for Oregon workers and businesses, and a stable climate for our natural resource-based state. We've worked with ...

A Clean Future Starts Here

Every day in Oregon, polluters dump waste into our air and water at no cost to their bottom line. If they are going to use the resources we all share - our air, our livable climate and plentiful water, the Oregon Environmental Council thinks these polluters should at least pay the true cost. We already see the damaging effects of climate change posing a risk to our natural areas and Oregon industries like shellfish, agriculture, and snow-based tourism. Asthma rates are increasing as air pollution stagnates in the hot air and our most vulnerable populations are at risk. Delaying action to address the root causes of climate change just compounds ...

The Clean Green Lobby Machine painted the Capitol green on Tuesday!

What happens when a piece of coal and a wind farmer play tug-of-war? At the feet of the Capitol’s tall granite walls, solar panels and wind turbines challenged Big Coal to a game of tug-o-war. One hundred and eighty clean energy advocates stood on the Capitol’s steps, wearing green and yellow t-shirts or dressed as wind turbine operators. The sun was shining, chants rang in the air and, in the end, clean energy won the battle—sending Big Coal to its dusty grave! This good-natured scene followed an inspiring address from Treasurer Ted Wheeler on Oregon’s sustainable investments at this week’s Lobby Day for the Environment: The Clean ...

Stronger Together: The 2015 carbon-busting agenda

To get a handle on climate disruption, we need everyone’s participation and we need to tackle carbon pollution from every source. OEC is promoting and supporting state policies that: Make our homes and other buildings more efficient Make our cars and trucks more efficient Transition Oregon away from dirty energy, like coal and oil, toward clean, renewable energy sources Provide people with more transportation options Hold big polluters accountable for the true cost of their carbon pollution Early in the 2015 legislative session, OEC worked with partners to lift the sunset on the Oregon Clean Fuels Program. SB 324 requires oil ...

One Victory for Clean Fuels and Working for Many More!

the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held a public hearing on SB324, which if passed, will reauthorize the Clean Fuels Program and cut carbon pollution across our state. OEC was there, along with proponents from the business community, health sector, consumer and environmental groups. Together, we filled the room to give testimony in support of this important program. “I don’t ever remember this many people showing up to a hearing,” noted Senator Chuck Thomsen (R-Hood River), as we sat patiently to express their views. The energy in the room was palatable. While we remained respectfully quiet during proceedings, the ...

Climate Change is Real – So Is the Movement for Progress

NASA just released a report confirming 2014 as the hottest year on Earth since 1880. The US Senate (with a Republican majority nonetheless) agreed that climate change is real, “not a hoax.” Mainstream media regularly reports on the subject. “Climate change” is no longer considered an environmentalist’s phrase – it’s part of our everyday lexicon. Locally, we see and feel its effects. Mt. Hood’s snowpack is at an all-time low – in fact, 20 sites around western Oregon have reported record low snowpack for the end of January. Less snow means less snowmelt runoff for our rivers and streams, a drier Oregon summer, and a longer wildfire ...

It’s Your Oregon member profile: Ken Bailey

This member spotlight is on Ken Bailey. Ken is a third generation cherry farmer in The Dalles, OR, who is committed to sustainable practices.