[Climate & Environmental Justice]
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By Daniel Hiestand
Lane County Waste Reduction Outreach Coordinator
In this article:
- Electronics Recycling Competition in full swing
- Businesses: earn $1,000 for energy efficiency upgrades
- Holiday Leftover Recipe contest winners
In her Waste Wise Tip video this month, Lane County Master Recycler Program Coordinator Kelly Bell examined the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on our most vulnerable community members: the unhoused. Much of her video was based on an article written by the Texas Homeless Network.
The article relayed three vital points to address the issue, namely:
- The need to create more affordable and stable housing.
- The need to advocate for policies and leaders prioritizing stable housing as a primary solution to homelessness.
- The need to support local shelters through donations and volunteering.
An article written by the National Alliance to End Homelessness amplified this messaging: "Extreme weather conditions such as winter storms or severe heat have an obvious impact on unsheltered homelessness: for people already living outdoors, extreme weather can mean life or death."
I would ask you to imagine being unhoused during a Lane County heat wave, during freezing weather, or when wildfires create some of the most unhealthy conditions on Planet Earth.
So, who makes up the unhoused population?
Per a separate article by the National Alliance to End Homelessness: "Most minority groups, especially African Americans and Indigenous people, experience homelessness at higher rates than Whites, largely due to long-standing historical and structural racism."
Other historically marginalized groups, such as the LGBTQIA+ community, also make up an overrepresented portion of the unhoused population.
Sadly, Oregon has some of the highest rates of homelessness in the country, and the problem has gotten dramatically worse in recent years here in Lane County.
In other words, we've got work to do—but we've also got some transformative groups (like our featured author, St. Vincent de Paul) doing some pretty innovative stuff in the space.
We owe it to all community members, particularly the most vulnerable, to ensure we are all prepared for a changing climate. That population will be hit the hardest.
And a big part of that concept—climate justice—comes from the choices we make as consumers and companies, including the businesses we support and where we put our finances.
Why are these consumption choices important? Because these funds often turn into lobbying monies that transform into on-the-ground policy and the officials we put into office.
Not everyone has the luxury of choosing where to shop or bank, but for those who do, a real difference can be made.
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Electronics Recycling Competition kicks off
Microwaves, TVs, printers, cords, cables, cell phones, computers, computer accessories (monitors, keyboards, mice, computer speakers, etc., whether in working condition or not), tablets, old or broken game consoles, remotes, and AV equipment (i.e., stereos, speakers, DVD players, etc.).
Do you have unwanted, unused, or broken electronics like the ones listed but don’t know what to do with them? Donate them to your student’s school to help it win the 2025 Electronics Recycling Competition!
Don't have a student? No problem. The competition is open to all residents and businesses, even if you don’t have a student in a participating school. Coordinate with a participating family or donate e-waste directly at the NextStep Donation Center (245 Jackson Street, Eugene) during the competition. Just let staff know which school you are supporting.
Learn more at the Electronics Recycling Competition landing page.
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For a limited time, get up to $1,000 to help with energy efficiency upgrades at your business
BRING’s Rethink Business program has partnered with the Green Business National Network (GBENN) and Intuit, maker of Quickbooks, to provide rebates up to $1,000 for energy efficiency and electrification upgrades so that your business can reduce utility costs and emissions! 
Approximately 45 small businesses in Oregon will benefit from this limited-time program, helping them implement projects such as LED lighting upgrades, EV charging stations, HVAC maintenance, and more to reduce energy consumption and emissions. You could be one of them!
This rebate program can help your business reduce utility costs, upgrade equipment, and be recognized for your environmental actions.
To qualify for a rebate, your business must:
- Be located in Lane County
- Employ 100 or fewer staff members
- Complete BRING’s Rethink Business program Ambassador tier
- Complete your energy efficiency project by May 30, 2025
- Agree to have your impact story shared nationally
To access these rebates, complete the application detailing the efficiency project you’d like to complete. Applications close on February 28, 2025.
Learn more about the program and how to get your project funded here.
Questions? Email [email protected]
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Simplify the Holiday winners
We are excited to announce the four winners of our Simplify the Holidays Leftover Recipe Contest. We had nearly 50 percent more entries this year than in the first year. We look forward to growing this number even more next year.
Thank you to all our participants and our contest sponsors!
Name: Megan Long, Eugene
Recipe: "From Scratch Turkey Noodle Soup"
Prize: $25 BRING gift certificate
Name: Natalie Standerfer, Springfield
Recipe: "Prime rib hash with horseradish cream"
Prize: Main Street Market gift basket of sustainable products
Name: Barbara Calderon, Eugene
Recipe: "Turkey À La King"
Prize: A gift certificate for enrollment in two (2) Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Master Food Preserver workshops in 2024 + OSU Extension handouts on dehydrating and making flavored vinegars.
Name: Jessica Thompson, Eugene
Recipe: "Stuffed Squash"
Prize: $100 gift card to Lion & Owl in Eugene
We are in the process of creating a "Simplify the Holidays Leftovers Recipe Contest Cookbook" that will feature all our entries during the first two years of the contest, so if you want to know how to make these recipes and more, we'll make sure to make this available before the contest later this year.
Are you enjoying the newsletter? Are there topics you wish we would cover? Please share your thoughts with us at [email protected]. Thanks for reading.
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