12 results for tag: living green
Life hack: save money and the planet at the same time
If you've lived in Oregon for the last couple years, you are well aware of the urgent threat climate change poses to our communities, public health, and way of life. We have all seen and experienced first hand the devastating and deadly climate-fueled wildfires and temperature extremes that have ravaged our state in recent seasons.
Two recent reports from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underscore Oregon’s climate experience, documenting the impacts of climate change and the danger of inaction, and laying out key policy solutions to limit warming and avoid catastrophic climate impacts. The IPCC Climate ...
Sustainable Fashion and OEC’s Newest Impact Partner
As Oregon emerges from 16 months of shut downs and people begin to return to stores and restaurants with a sense of safety, we at OEC want to bring some more good news for the Summer. We are thrilled to have been chosen as the Impact Partner for the next 6 months with a local Portland, OR boutique called Foundation: Fashion and Philanthropy. Foundation’s business model is centered around donating 100% of their profits to an organization that aligns with their mission.
Foundation works like any other business, paying expenses like salaries and suppliers first. But then the rest of the revenue from the clothing they sell goes to a nonprofit of ...
Buying a car? Go electric!
Are you considering buying a car? This is a great time to consider your electric options!
Before we even get started, though, we have to ask you a tough question. Depending on where you live, do you really need a car? At Oregon Environmental Council we know that we won’t reach our climate and equity goals if we don’t reduce the number of cars on the road or how many miles they are driving, so we will always encourage you to take the time to think about whether you can meet at least some of your transportation needs without a car. (Hint: electric bikes can make a terrific car substitute!) If you really need a car, read on!
Why buy (or ...
Lead at home? Yes, even in 2021!
Preventing exposure to toxics is core to OEC’s living green (and healthy) philosophy. This spring, protect your family with these lead tips.
Gas Stoves Are Creating Unsafe Levels of Indoor Air Pollution
According to a growing body of research, tens of millions of Americans are exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution in their homes. The culprit? Your gas stove. A study released by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) last month concluded that carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), emissions from gas cooking can exceed the national levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency, and can seriously pollute your indoor air.
Gas stoves emit a number of pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), formaldehyde (HCHO), and particulate pollution, each of which can exacerbate various respiratory illnesses- ...
Reducing Your Impact on Oregon’s Waterways from Home
World Water Day is this Sunday, March 22, and even as we're adapting to a new normal of social distancing and working from home, there are lots of ways that you can do your part to protect our air, land and water.
A Modern Take on Trick or Treating
Guest post by blogger Tillia Griffin
Halloween has come again, bringing with it ghosts, goblins, superheroes, and of course, candy! Unfortunately, that also means buckets and pillowcases full of plastic. There’s nothing sweeter than grabbing a handful of Snickers, Reeses Cups, and my favorite, Twix. But after all the chocolate, caramel and nougat are gone, you’re left with piles of plastic wrappers that will inevitably end up in a landfill.
To protect the environment many of us are changing the ways we buy, eat and live, extending to the ways we celebrate holidays. So -- speaking of Halloween -- what can we do to balance protection of the ...
Let’s talk about microplastics
Your closet and dresser drawers are full of plastic - and not the kind from packaging, straws and shopping bags. Some of our favorite fabrics, whether it’s techy workout gear or your fleece winter pullover, can release upwards of 730,000 synthetic particles per wash. When these synthetic fibers end up in our waterways they become a form of microplastic pollution.
Microplastics are exactly what they sound like: tiny pieces of plastic that result from the inevitable breakdown of the plastic products around us. As they get smaller and smaller, microplastics become harder to catch, clean up or keep out of our rivers, oceans and marine food webs. ...
Protecting clean water at home
The choices you make in your yard can make a big difference to the health of local streams, wildlife and our drinking water. Before you think about spraying weed killer or reseeding your lawn this fall, consider these tips for a low-maintenance landscape.