2 results for tag: smoke


Summer isn’t the only time to worry about woodsmoke

As we roll into fall, many people start cleaning out their wood-burning stoves and fireplaces to start heating their homes, or just to get that cozy ambiance. What many people don’t realize is that, when a lot of people are burning wood in their homes, the cumulative effect on air quality can be similar to a wildfire. OEC has been advocating to reduce harmful air pollution from urban wood fires and to provide healthier options for those that rely on woodburning as a primary heat source.   Specifically, OEC has been working closely with Woodsmoke Free Portland and the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners over the past six months on the Multno...

Wildfire smoke and my fireplace.

What does it feel like to be vulnerable to air pollution? Let me tell you my story... One Friday a while back, I couldn't seem to get a deep breath. I thought it was due to over-exerting myself (I'm six months pregnant so I get tired pretty easily). I didn't realize that a steady stream of smoke from wildfires across the Pacific Northwest was slowly rolling into the Portland metro area, impacting the air quality all around me. It was a warm summer night, and I'm a typical Oregonian without air conditioning, so my husband and I slept with the screen door to our bedroom open that night, breathing the outside air as it got worse and worse. I slept ...