A nearby neighbor who has a house on the shores of Triangle Lake heard the loudspeaker from the Chemical Witness Rally, and wandered over to see what was going on. What she found was an open microphone at the lakeshore park, a place and time for people to speak to their personal experience about being harmed by pesticides.
Exposures to Air Pollution in Medford, Oregon
Executive Director Lisa Arkin and I made the three hour drive to Medford, Oregon to give an Asthma Care Workshop. A long trip for us, but well worth it. Last summer, UNETE, a farmworkers’ advocacy organization, invited us to collaborate with them in doing a workshop (see our pictures from the workshop) for the people they serve.
Hide and Seek: What is the forest industry trying to hide?
As a result of an Register-Guard guest editorial last month, I sparked a firestorm of controversy proposing something simple and obvious: we should speak up if our government tries to convince the public not to worry about finding dangerous pesticides in the bodies of children who live in rural Oregon.
Generational Shift and Environmental Justice: Madres para la Salud
To be honest, I felt like an outsider when we first formed the Mothers for Health groups. After about five meetings I now really feel like one of the women of the Madres para la Salud community. It quickly dawned on me that relating to them was easier than I thought, since they reminded me of my own mother.
The Human Tongue As An Air Monitoring Station
It sure is lucky for the owners of Seneca Biomass that our tongue can’t collect toxic emission data admissible in a court of law. If there was a monitor as sensitive as the human tongue--or as sensitive as the lungs of an asthmatic child, we wouldn’t have any trouble proving the case that their biomass plant in West Eugene is fouling our air.
Take Action on Pesticide Reform now!
The Oregon Pesticide Action Workgroup, a project led by Beyond Toxics, has put out a Statement of Principles: The Pesticide Reform Guiding Principles. The statement reflects many experienced grassroots voices and years of experience drawing public attention to the dangers of pesticides in our environment and in our bodies.
OTA is now...Beyond Toxics!
An organization that decides to change its name undertakes an exploration of their intentions, desires and aspirations. That is why I am thrilled by the name chosen by our Board of Directors, staff and members : Beyond Toxics!
Healthy Home Tip of the Month - October 2011
House dust and other allergens can cause asthma symptoms as well as nasal irritation, sneezing, and itching of the eyes, nose, throat and skin. Even if you’re not allergic, one in three visitors to your home probably is!
Children may be especially sensitive. There are ways to minimize your misery by making your house as allergy free as possible.
“Living Downstream” in Deadwood, OR
In late August our organization hosted an event in Deadwood, OR at their community center where we showed the film “Living Dowstream”, a documentary based on the book written by Sandra Steingraber, a biologist and author, whom you may recall came to Eugene earlier this year to speak about environmental health, pesticides, and human rights.
Has the government sprayed poisons on your route home today?
When you drive home today, will you be putting your health at risk?
That is the question Beyond Toxics put to the Director of Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) yesterday in a one-on-one meeting.
