The Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) is an environmental advocacy group based in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1968.[1]
Oregon Environmental Council Inc. | |
| Formation | 1968 |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit |
| 93-0578714 | |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon |
Executive Director | Jana Gastellum |
| Bruce Abernethy; Debra Dunn; JJ Green; Michael Jung; Heidi Khokhar; Peter Koehler; Antonio Lara; David Lohman; Makely Lyon; Karen Moynahan; Doris Penwell; Elizabeth Silberg; Jean Wilson; Philip Wu | |
| Website | https://oeconline.org/ |
History
editThe Oregon Environmental Council was founded in 1968 by a group of "ordinary citizens", including PTA and garden club members, outdoor enthusiasts, conservationists and other individuals who "had an interest in protecting the environmental legacy of Oregon".[2]
Current work
editCurrent program work of the OEC includes public policy, addressing global warming, preventing toxic exposure, improving the quality of Oregon's rivers, sustainable economic issues, and food and farms.[1] Andrea Durbin has been the group's executive director since 2006.[3]
Activities
editActivities of the Oregon Environmental Council include:
- 1968 - Passed Mount Jefferson Wilderness Bill[citation needed]
- 1971 - Led citizen support that passed the Oregon Bottle Bill, the first bottle bill in the nation[4]
- 1973 - Helped pass Oregon Senate Bills 100 and 101, Oregon's land use planning law[5]
- 1975 - Secured National Recreation Area protection for Hells Canyon[6][7]
- 1977 - Secured nation's first ban on certain ozone-depleting chemicals[2]
- 1987 - Created Oregon Superfund Program and the Governor's Watershed Enhancement Board (now known as Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board)[2]
- 1991 - Secured the nation's first law requiring state agencies to minimize pesticide use
- 1999 - Passed a Pesticide Right to Know Law guaranteeing public access to data about all commercial pesticide use in Oregon [2]
- 2003 - Passed a first-of-its-kind tax incentive for insurance companies to offer Pay-as-You-Drive auto insurance[8]
- 2006 - Won United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Children's Environmental Health Excellence Award for their Eco-Healthy Child Care and Tiny Footprints programs that help parents and caregivers reduce children's exposure to toxic chemicals[9][10]
- 2007 - Passed Climate Change Integration Act, setting greenhouse gas reduction goals for Oregon into statute and established statewide Global Warming Commission[2][11]
- 2007 - Launched the Carbon Neutral Challenge for Oregon wineries, with dozens of Oregon wineries participating to reduce their carbon footprints[12]
- 2008 - Released landmark "Pollution in People" report, which tested the bodies of 10 Oregon men and women for chemicals, followed by the "Price of Pollution" report, the state's first-ever economic assessment of the true costs of environmentally triggered disease in Oregon[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Oregon Environmental Council. "OEC's Strategic Plan". Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ a b c d e Oregonian Editorial Board (September 8, 2008). "A Landmark for Grassroots Activism". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ "Environmental council names new leader". Portland Business Journal. June 20, 2006. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ United Press International (November 13, 1972). "Bottle bill causing little upset in the state". The Register-Guard. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ "Land bill may drop disputed section". The Register-Guard. February 15, 1973. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ Preusch, Matthew (September 2, 2009). "Pete Seeger singing in Hells Canyon: Part of Oregon conservation lore". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ Forrester, Steve (October 21, 2008). "This is the century of environmentalism". Daily Astorian. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ Jacklet, Ben. (January 10, 2003). "'Pay as you drive' policies get boost". The Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ "2006 Children's Environmental Health Excellence Award Winners". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ "Eco-Healthy Child Care". Oregon Environmental Council. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ Tucker, Libby (May 4, 2007). "Q&A with Sallie Schullinger-Krause, global warming program director for Oregon Environmental Council". Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ Leeper, Kate (July 22, 2008). "Keep close to home with eco-friendly wines from Oregon". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
- ^ Ketler, Bill (November 13, 2007). "Study: Pollutants show no prejudice". Mail Tribune. Medford, Oregon. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
