We envision a society where everyone has equitable access to healthy food and clean air and water, and underserved communities are included in decision making processes that affect them.
Together, we move beyond the damaging environmental practices of the past and collectively work to support and maintain ecological resilience and balance.
Every single Oregon child deserves to be protected from pesticide exposure when attending school. Help us pass SB 426A: Toxic Free Schools!
This session, lawmakers have the power to move us toward that reality. By passing the Toxics Free Schools bill, SB 426A, lawmakers can end a 14-year unfunded mandate that has prevented school districts from reducing pesticides. The Toxics Free Schools bill can improve school staff training to deal effectively with pest problems, while also protecting students and teachers.
In the coming days, the state’s top budget writers will decide whether or not to invest in toxics free schools. We need to make sure lawmakers hear us loud and clear. Can we count on you to contact lawmakers today and tell them that we can’t wait any longer for action?
SB 426A is part of a three bill suite of environmental health bills lined up to protect children's health from exposure to toxic chemicals. The goal is to improve transparency around pesticide use in Oregon schools and provide funding to support schools integrated pest management planning. When Oregon's School Integrated Pest Management law was enacted in 2009, it did not allocate funding to the Department of Education or school districts to implement the law.
Use our FAST Response form to message your legislators in Salem! You will have a chance to add a brief, personalized comment of your own.
Take action for two other bills we support!
SB 488A: Medical Waste Incineration
STATUS UPDATE: SB 488A has passed out of the Joint Ways and Means Committee!
The passage of Oregon's Medical Waste Incineration Act, SB 488A is critical to achieving clean air for the people of Oregon, particularly those living in the mid-Willamette Valley. The large amounts of air toxics emitted from Covanta Marion’s waste incinerator stack has impacted human and environmental health around Marion county for over 30 years.
Medical Waste Incineration Act (SB 488A) 2-page Overview (PDF)
Use our FAST Response form that will message State Senators in Salem! You will have a chance to add a brief, personalized comment of your own.
SB 530 - Natural Climate Solutions
STATUS UPDATE: SB 530 passed out of the Senate Committee On Natural Resources with a "do-pass" recommendation and is now headed to the Joint Ways and Means Committee.
We are working with a statewide coalition to put forward the Natural Climate Solutions bill, SB 530. This could be a game-changer for climate action in Oregon! SB 530 is a comprehensive bill that will help the state achieve its climate goals, support Oregon’s environmental justice communities and small landowners, improve equitable outcomes in the face of climate change, and protect our state’s vital natural resources. Learn more about SB 530.
Use our FAST Response form that will message your legislators in Salem! You will have a chance to add a brief, personalized comment of your own.
(R) Arjorie Arberry-Baribeault, West Eugene Community Organizer and her daughter, Zion (L).
Creating Safe Spaces: The Fight for Environmental Justice in West Eugene
A blog by Arjorie Arberry-Baribeault, Beyond Toxics West Eugene Community Organizer
Working as the West Eugene Community Organizer, I have heard heartbreaking stories. Residents express their fear of being the next victim of chronic illness in a polluted neighborhood, and I, too, live in constant fear of cancer. When my family moved to West Eugene, we trusted the laws to protect us, only to discover that the Bethel community has long suffered from environmental racism. | Read more
Photo courtesy of Collin Bell
Read the Beyond Toxics Report: "Seeing is Believing: Visualizing Indoor Air Pollution from Gas Stoves" (PDF)
Learn more about the issue | Read: "Beyond Toxics releases report on potential environmental and health impacts of gas stoves" by Miranda Cyr, Register-Guard
FOR THE PRESS:
Read the April 17th Press Release (PDF) | See the video recording of the press Conference
Get your tickets for the 9th Annual Bee Jazzy Celebration: June 22nd!
Want to volunteer at this year's Bee Jazzy? Sign-up today!
All volunteers will receive free entry into the event, one drink ticket and a Bee Jazzy T-Shirt.
Read our 2023 Legislative Agenda page for more information
about the 3 bills we are supporting and how you can help us pass them!
ALSO: See the bills we support in the 2023 legislative session
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