The OCEH's goal is to help reduce and eliminate the use and disposal of toxic waste by promoting closed-loop technologies, watch-dogging state agencies, supporting right-to-know legislation and policies at the local and state levels, participating in national campaigns to phase out toxic substances, and working at the grassroots level to help affected communities reduce and eliminate exposures and advocate for safer alternatives. OCEH undertake their mission through grassroots organizing, education, advocacy, litigation and strategic partnerships working together to empower citizens to shift the balance of power away from polluting industries in favor of institutions, practices and laws that are protective of public health and the environment.

Recent Accomplishments:

OCEH's Environment Watch program responds to grassroots community concerns as they arise - whether it is a call from a family struggling with an issue such as aerial spraying, or a resident in low-income housing experiencing contaminated drinking water, to a company evading its responsibilities as in the case of the new Owens Corning manufacturing facility in Gresham.  It is through this program that they were able to successfully sue Owens Corning in 2006 to stop the company from building an insulation plant in Gresham that would have emitted 250 tons of the ozone-depleting greenhouse gas.  In 2007, the company reformulated its processes and now proposes to less toxic chemicals that will ultimately be less costly and more protective of human health and the environment.

The award winning Health Care Without Harm program has been successful in implementing a wide range of pollution prevention and sustainability initiatives for over 25 Oregon hospitals including: virtually eliminating mercury in the hospital setting by promoting safer alternatives, developing recycling programs for urban and rural Oregon hospitals, and replacing chlorinated plastic medical devices with safer alternatives. Their latest health care sector effort is focused on sustainable food procurement. As places of healing, hospitals have a natural incentive to provide food that’s healthy for people and the environment. The conventional food system creates a number of environmental health problems including nutrition-related disease, human antibiotic resistance, air and water pollution, and toxic pesticide exposure. Healthcare can have a dramatic impact on the food system through their purchasing practices. OCEH was recently honored with Oregon Tilth’s Visionary of the Year award for bringing together ten of the state’s largest healthcare systems to work collaboratively on purchasing fresh, local, sustainably produced foods.