Jennah Stillman, a University of Oregon student, joined 30 other volunteers for our Lobby Day event in Salem. We spoke with 40 Senators and Representatives about the issue of pesticides and the benefits of the Safe Public Places Act.
This is a great time to be engaged in protecting the environment ... WE'RE WINNING!
Your membership and donations make it possible for us to engage the public for the protection of communities and their environmental health. We cannot do it without your help! Please join us and DONATE TODAY or renew your membership, to help us in our work towards an equitable, protected Oregon.
This Spring, there are MANY reasons to be hopeful! Protecting what you cherish is possible. And Beyond Toxics remains your vigilant advocate.
Please know that your gift of $50, $100, or the amount that is right for you, will make a tangible difference in our 2013 projects:
1. Passing a new state law that establishes “pesticides as a last resort” when dealing with weeds and pests on public property. --> DONE!
2. Challenging industrial polluters whose toxic emissions harm the health of Oregon communities.
3. Working with the City of Eugene to expand the number of Pesticide-free City parks.
4. Exploring new initiatives for providing healthy gardens in under served communities in West Eugene.
4. Dramatically reducing the threat of pesticides to our cherished bees.
What is your part in this important work? We look to you, our members, donors and supporters, to join us in our next steps to remain ever vigilant for your health and the environment you cherish.
Like you, we want a healthy and balanced ecosystem. Like you, we care about our children’s health. And like you, we want a future free from the threat of toxic pollutants.
Lisa Arkin, Executive Director
Whether you read our blog, join us on an Environmental Justice Bus Tour, come to one of our events, sign our petition for healthy bees, volunteer or make an annual donation, with your help, I know that we can build the momentum to succeed in this vitally important vision: an Oregon beyond toxics!
Please check out our many recent accomplishments and projects below. Your donation makes these environmental health victories possible.
In gratitude for your support and in harmony with your vision,
Lisa Arkin, Executive Director
Beyond Toxics is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all contributions are fully tax-deductible. Please consider giving a gift of a Beyond Toxics membership to a friend or family member!
Fighting for public spaces that are free of dangerous pesticides. In keeping with Oregon’s existing policies and programs to reduce threats to Oregon’s natural resources, HB 3364, the bill we wrote and guided through the halls of the Capitol, won passage in the Senate on May 28th and was signed into law by Governor Kitzhaber on June 4th!
The outcome of HB 3364 will be a coordinated and collaborative approach to implement IPM for pest management-related issues using the latest methods and approaches to IPM. The bill also requires state agencies to prioritize safety and protections for children, the elderly, fish, wildlife and water quality from the use of pesticides.
"The passage of the bill shows strong bi-partisan support for better management of both pests and pest control strategies, as well as tracking and measuring the effectiveness of pesticides on public land,” said Lisa Arkin, Executive Director of Beyond Toxics. “IPM programs consistently reduce pesticides while simultaneously solving pest problems.” (See the bill's endorsers)
Coal and Your Health. When Big Coal proposed to haul sooty, hazardous train cars loaded with coal through Oregon, Beyond Toxics responded with a Public Records Request to the Port of Coos Bay to bring to light the secret negotiations to build an export terminal.
We made the first local speech against coal at the Eugene City Club, and organized the first protest rallies. Citizens gathered at the Eugene Rail Yard, paraded in the Eugene Celebration, and rallied at the downtown library to make their will known. Those actions helped convince the City Council to oppose coal trains and now, thanks to your support and a year of active organizing, the threat of coal trains in Lane County has vanished!
Pesticides and Innovative Research. When a federal investigation revealed that residents of West Lane County—including young children—had dangerous pesticides in their bodies, Beyond Toxics immediately published editorials, organized the successful Triangle Lake No Spray highway project, held rallies, and met with government officials to get an action plan in place. One of the many results of those efforts is a first-of-its-kind GIS mapping project that will display the impact of forestry pesticides on streams where salmon live. Combining concrete action with careful environmental research is how we are changing policy at the highest levels of State government.
Latina mother voices her concern about the health of her children and the connection to pollution in the Bethel neighborhood
Industrial Air Pollution and Our Community. When mothers complained about foul air hurting their children’s lungs in West Eugene, Beyond Toxics brought elected officials, the EPA, and state agencies into the neighborhoods to hear directly from parents and witness the problems first hand. As a result, Union Pacific Railroad agreed to carry out hazardous waste clean-up, and local government reversed plans to put new housing and schools across the street from heavy industrial polluters. These are real results that improve health in our communities.
Our Accomplishments
Working together in 2012 and 2013, we have accomplished so much!
- Feb. 11, 2012: Helped organize and support rural citizens in Josephine and Lane counties to hold coordinated rallies, demanding an end to aerial pesticide spray.
- March: University of Oregon ELAW Conference presentations on environmental justice and pesticide reform.
- April 13: Environmental Justice bus tour of West Eugene; 2 affiliated community forums.
- April 21: Healthy Women Workshop on Clean Air and Green Cleaning.
- April 27: Lisa Arkin is feaured speaker at EPA Northwest Regional Air Quality workshop.
- May: Opened significant connections with PCUN, Oregon's Farmworker Union.
- June: Began local public education campaign ("Save Oregon’s Bees") to raise awareness about connection between pesticide use and collapse of honey bee populations.
- July: Stop Coal in Oregon campaign begins: Eugene City Club presentation,
anti-coal train rally. - August: Week of events to mark "National Honey Bee Day" on Aug. 18th.
- Aug. 25: Organized a No Coal entry in Eugene Celebration Parade.
- Sept. 1: Clean-up of creosote-soaked logs in Maxwell pond begins, as a direct result of April's EJ Toxics Bus Tour.
- Sept. 5: Beyond Toxics, in affliliation with CREDOmobile, delivered more than 1200 signatures against coal trains to Rep. DeFazio in Eugene.
- Sept. 11-14: Beyond Toxics Exec. Director, Lisa Arkin, met with state legislators to gather support for our Safe Public Places bill in the 2013 legislative session. This will establish new standards for public use of pesticides by state and county governments in Oregon.
- Oct. 3: Along with a broad coalition, BT sponsors public lecture by PCUN (Oregon's Farmworker Union) about wage justice issues in Oregon.
- Oct. 8: Beyond Toxics organizes march and rally to key City Council work session on resolution to oppose coal trains through Eugene.
- Oct. 12: Beyond Toxics staff, Lisa Arkin and Alison Guzman, receive community appreciation award from Centro LatinoAmericano.
- Oct. 23: Eugene City Council votes (5-3) in favor of Councilor Zelenka's anti-coal train resolution.
- November 2012: key IPM case studies released for Safe Public Places project.
- April 2, 2013: Project Mainstay abandoned by the Port of Coos Bay, as the final business partner, a California company, let the deadline for commitment to a coal export facility lapse.
- April 16: HB 3364 passes unanimously out of the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources.
- April 25: HB 3364 passes on an overwhelming 51-9 vote on the floor of the House!
- May 20: HB 3364 passes out of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on a 5-0 vote!
- May 28: HB 3364 passes on a 24-6 vote on the floor of the Senate.
- June 4: Signed into law by Governor John Kitzhaber
- July 5: Started an online petition campaign to demand a permanent ban on bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides in Oregon (reached 10,000 signatures in mid-Aug.)
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BEAUTIFUL organic cotton tote bags now available for new members or membership renewals!
If you sign up for a new membership or to renew your membership at the $60 level before the end of May, you'll get a FREE durable organic cotton tote bag (Made in USA!)*
Interested in our Safe Public Places project? Designate your donation for that great program when you join! From the "Program Designation" option near the top of the page, simply choose the "Safe Public Places" by clicking on the down arrow.
- How your money will be used (read about our innovative and dynamic campaigns)
- Gathering support and making our voice heard (2013 flyer of media coverage, testimonials, business support)
- Tips for reducing single-use bags and reusing what you do have (PDF)
(*For the first 50 people who sign up for membership online.)
EarthShare
We are now proud members of EarthShare! With EarthShare, you can donate at work with simple payroll deduction contributions. Your employer may even match your gift, increasing the impact of your investment. For more information, check with your Human Resources manager. If you do not have a giving campaign at work, please contact them, and we can meet with decision-makers at your company.
Beyond Toxics is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all contributions are fully tax-deductible. Please consider giving a gift of a Beyond Toxics membership to a friend or family member!
