8 results for tag: integrated environmental health

Tell McDonald’s: Time to Take off the Toxic Gloves

With great market power comes great responsibility for customers' health. This summer Oregon Environmental Council helped gather samples for a research report that finds that some vinyl, or PVC, food service gloves contain toxic chemicals called phthalates (THAL-eights) that can leach into food—and some gloves from McDonald’s tested positive for these harmful chemicals. We’re joining with our partner groups across the nation in calling on McDonald’s, the top restaurant in the U.S., to be a market leader and switch away from using PVC gloves—the only way to ensure that food service gloves won’t contaminate diners’ meals with toxic ...

Safe Drinking Water

Where Do You Get Your Water? More than 70% of Oregonians get some of their drinking water from wells, and 23% of Oregonians rely on privately owned wells as their primary source of water. Yet in many parts of the state, this water is polluted. Thousands of Oregonians may be unknowingly drinking water that could lead to cancer, miscarriage and other serious health risks. The most common contaminants in well water are nitrate, bacteria, arsenic and pesticides. This contamination can come from failing septic tanks, fertilizers, livestock waste, and poorly constructed or maintained wells on a homeowner’s property or property nearby. Well ...

A shoppertunity to be green

Earth friendly. Biocompatible. 99% natural. 100% Eco-conscious. The frustrating reality for shoppers today is that these labels don't mean anything. At least that's what the Federal Trade Commission determined when setting green label guidelines in 2012. So what’s a shopper to do? OEC put together a list of best practices for shoppers to help reduce, re-use, recycle—and to reward good environmental stewards. If you're not already doing everything on this list, October is a great time to start! Get in on the Northwest Earth Institute's Eco-Challenge. Green Shopper's Checklist Download a copy here. Reduce Avoid PVC plastic ...

Local Energy Challenge Motivates for a Cooler Oregon

What if communities across the country banded together, in the spirit of friendly competition, to raise the bar on energy efficiency? Such a move would help create a cooler Oregon (both in the literal and proverbial sense), as we work to do our part to slow global warming, and help Oregon embrace long-term livability practices. It is with in spirit that the Georgetown University Energy Prize came about. A multi-year, $5 million prize challenge, the Georgetown University Energy Prize asks communities to develop sustainable energy-saving innovations in collaboration with local governments and utilities, working together to reduce local energy ...

Press Release: Clean Fuels Program Drives On

The bill to lift the sunset on the Clean Fuels Program, SB 324, was approved by the Oregon Senate today by a vote of 17-13. The program is key for Oregon to meet its climate goals and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels by 10% over ten years.

How to buy a new couch

For the first time in decades, shoppers can now walk into some major retail stores and buy a couch made without toxic flame retardants. As the Sunday Chicago Tribune on January 23rd this health hazard hidden in our furniture may be on its way out. Look for a furniture tag that reads: “the upholstery materials in this product contain NO added flame retardant chemicals.” In 2012, the State of California acknowledged that safe furniture is practical and possible without added chemicals. As more consumers including Kaiser Permanente demanded safer alternatives, manufacturers have started stepping up to meet the demand. That’s the power of green ...

Expanding Oregon’s Advantage

Inspired Innovation: Expanding Oregon’s Advantage in Sustainable Chemistry and Materials Research indicates that the global market for chemicals and materials designed and manufactured using sustainable chemistry, also known as green chemistry, will continue to grow. It’s estimated that the market will expand from about $3 billion in 2011, to almost $100 billion by 2020.A Oregon is poised to become a national leader in the development and commercialization of the next generation of affordable, high performance chemicals and materials. Materials are at the heart of the global economy. The availability and performance of chemicals and ...

Climate Risk and Health Care Forum

Climate Risk: What it means for Oregon's private and public health care sectors  World Trade Center, Portland, OR 
Advance Registration required. Space is limited.
Tickets: $20/$15 OEC Members Friday, November 21st, 8:00 am - 11:30 am This forum for professionals in all reaches of health care will cover a question essential to the future of the industry: How can we understand, reduce and mitigate the risks that a changing climate poses to health and health care delivery in Oregon? Featured speakers include Jon Utech, Environmental Sustainability Director at Cleveland Clinic; Lillian Shirley, Oregon Public Health Division Director; and ...