Spring/Summer 2026 Newsletter

You are the reason Beyond Toxics can show up for Oregon communities every day. Your support strengthens our ability to respond when families have questions about chemicals near their homes, when neighborhoods face new environmental threats, and when frontline communities need a partner who will stand with them.

Since joining the organization nine months ago, I have had the privilege of speaking with a wide range of supporters, from long-time donors who have stood with this mission for many years to those who joined our work more recently. What I hear in the voice of everyone I have spoken to is Beyond Toxics’ greatest strength and resource: trust.

Trust that your contributions fuel research and facts that shape policy. Trust that your giving keeps our staff rooted in the communities we serve. Trust that someone calling with a concern about a chemical or toxin near their home or workplace will receive clear, empathetic guidance to turn their concern into action.

In this summer newsletter, you will find updates on our involvement with the Eugene Clean Energy Fund as it moves toward the fall ballot, the latest progress on the West Eugene Clean Energy Project, and the ongoing fight against the proposed Coffin Butte Landfill expansion. You will also read about the growth of our youth leadership program Rise as Leaders. Additionally, we are preparing for the next phase of our Resilience Markets work, building on the success of past summer markets that brought neighbors together to share resources, strengthen community ties, and support local solutions.

I am also proud to share that Beyond Toxics staff have unionized and we have our first collective bargaining agreement! Your generosity and support helps us move into this new chapter with stability and care for our team which will allow us to continue to show up for our communities who need us most.

Thank you for your time, your advocacy, and your contributions that sustain and grow our mission.

In partnership,

Tony Arnell,
Director of Development

Ways you can support our work:

• Give a meaningful summer donation

• Donate monthly

• Give appreciated stock

• Contribute through your IRA (for those 70 1/2 or older)

This past April, the Beyond Toxics team participated in a two-day staff retreat focused on strategic planning goals for 2027 through 2030. Over the course of the retreat, we explored our organizational goals and values and performed an internal analysis of our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT).

We also partnered with a University of Oregon Planning, Public Policy and Management class to help with this strategic planning process. The students interviewed a number of people with a connection to Beyond Toxics, including current and former board members, donors, and community partners, and presented their insights and draft plan in June. The staff and board will continue to move through our larger strategic planning process over the next several months and aim to finalize this plan by the end of the year.

“This is an exciting time to engage our community, staff and board to help evaluate our current efforts and community needs, and to examine opportunities to be more strategic in the future,” said Executive Director Jen Davis. “We look forward to building upon the 25-year legacy of Beyond Toxics and ensure that our foundation is solid as we look toward the future.”

As we see the weather become more extreme and federal environmental regulations rolled back, we are often left wondering what more we can do locally to protect ourselves from climate change. Beyond Toxics has joined forces with Breach Collective, Oregon Just Transition Alliance, and the Oregon Sierra Club to bring the Eugene Clean Energy Fund to voters this November.

The Eugene Clean Energy Fund (ECEF) is a ballot initiative that would require billion-dollar retailers operating in Eugene to pay a 2% fee on their gross profits into a fund for local climate resilience projects. This fee only applies to businesses making $500,000 locally and $1 billion or more nationally. ECEF was modeled after the Portland Clean Energy Fund, which passed in 2018 earning 65% of the vote. PCEF has been incredibly successful: in 2025, it awarded $64.4 million in grant to 60 different community-led projects. It has already allocated $1.7 billion for climate justice efforts through 2029.

If passed, ECEF is projected to bring in $15 million per year, which would be reinvested directly into our community. This would fund renewable energy projects, clean energy jobs training, carbon sequestration programs, and future innovation while supporting Eugene in achieving its climate goals.

Funding from ECEF would allow organizations like Beyond Toxics to expand on climate work already underway. For example, our West Eugene Clean Energy Program could directly support more households each year. We would be able to host more weatherization workshops where renters and homeowners can learn how to make their homes more energy efficient at low costs. And who knows what else – we could dream up many possibilities.

Our goal is to collect 15,000 signatures ahead of the July 27 deadline. Dozens of volunteers and staff have been diligently campaigning to bring this initiative to Eugene voters, and have already collected more than 9,000 signatures at the time of publication. ECEF needs 8,726 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

Learn more at eugenecleanenergyfund.org and follow @eugenecleanenergyfund on social media for updates!

In May, Beyond Toxics distributed more than 50 air conditioners and air purifiers to families living in West Eugene. This project, funded by the Oregon Health Authority, is a continuation of we’ve done in the past. The original Bethel Clean Energy Project, which began in 2023, was an effort to inform and inspire people to make home energy upgrades by utilizing rebates and incentives. The same year, we distributed more than 200 air conditioners and air purifiers to those most at risk of heat-related illnesses, with a goal to support the community directly impacted by industrial pollution.

This year, we were able to continue the program to provide energy efficient portable air conditioners and air purifiers to eligible households, ensuring vulnerable populations stay cool, healthy, and safe in the summer heat and wildfire smoke. “Since I have plugged in the air purifier, I have not woken up once with coughing fits or the inability to breathe a regular breath,” said Karmen Sauers, a West Eugene resident who received both units. “I know with this program, Beyond Toxics can help our community to be able to breathe easier and stay cooler in the summer months!”

Each year, Beyond Toxics and partner organizations host Weatherization Workshops as part of our Just Transition efforts. These workshops provide information and free resources to community members to “Beat the Heat” during extreme heat and smoke events. Participants learn about the health risks of heat and poor air quality, and learn to create their own DIY air purifier. As the climate continues to change and weather becomes more unpredictable, clean energy home upgrades and low-cost weatherization projects will help home owners and renters alike. Partner organizations include Fossil Free Eugene, UO Climate Justice League, Springfield Eugene Tenant Association, Cascadia Wildlands, 350 Eugene, and Toolbox Project.