Two young people hold a hand-drawn sign that reads "Injustice anywhere is a treat to Justice everywhere."

Two women sort plastic forks and spoons into containers on a blue blanket

A group of young people stand in an outdoor garden plot

A group of people stand in front of a truck with graphics that read "Organic Food on a Mission." A sign on the ground reads "Beyond Toxics Event"

A group of people stand together in a courtroom.

A group of people are gathered in an outdoor space and holding signs that display climate change slogans.

Beyond Toxics

Eugene, OR

In 2021, Climate Nexus launched an Energy Equity Regranting Project to help resource organizations, tribes, and community leaders on the frontlines of climate change and the impactful work they are doing to fight the gas industry. The energy equity transition grants prioritize grassroots groups with an annual budget of $1 million or less to boost their efforts in racially, ethnically, gender, and culturally diverse communities across the United States and at the intersections of public health and energy justice.

In our first year running the program, nine organizations received grants ranging from $20,000 to $40,000, including Beyond Toxics, whose work is detailed below.

Overview

Some climate risks Lane County faces include loss of snowpack and water storage, more significant extreme storms and flooding, more enormous wildfires, increasing incidence of heat waves, disease outbreaks, and dramatic declines of fish, wildlife, and plant species. Fossil-Free Lane County is working to rebut the fracked gas industry (the fastest growing regional greenhouse gas emissions source), educate the public on climate and fossil fuels science with an emphasis on the public health impacts of GHG and co-pollutant emissions, and advocate for building electrification and renewable energy projects within the Just Transition framework.

Activities

Over the past few months, Beyond Toxics has worked with GIS specialists to map methane gas station locations, aerial pesticide applications, and more. They have mapped out air pollution data in Lane County using two data sets from Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA). LRAPA requires certain facilities to report their greenhouse gas (GHCs) emissions and hazardous pollutants. Combining the two data sets in one display helps to see where the most toxic polluters regularly emit the most GHGs contributing to climate change.

On the map, you can differentiate the two data sets by size and color. First, the symbol’s color shows human health risks from cancer and other serious diseases (red and purple being the most toxic and yellow and orange being the least toxic).

The total risk is the probability per million people that a person will develop a chronic health condition, such as asthma, or an acute health condition, such as a heart attack. Second, the circle size shows how much a GHG facility emits. The large number of triangle shapes indicates industrial polluters are not required to report their GHG emissions. The map shows that the biggest emitters of air toxins are also some of the biggest contributors to CHGs.

Visualizing the relationship between toxic polluters and GHG sources provides critical insight into the meaning of a “sacrifice zone.” Beyond Toxic’s mapping project reinforced their advocacy efforts that Oregon needs stronger policies that monitor air toxins and GHGs. In particular, the need for data to close the data by requiring all polluters to report GHG emissions.

Lessons Learned

Beyond Toxics has found it challenging to get impacted communities to engage because of everything happening in the world competing for their attention (e.g. COVID, gun violence, racial equity, etc.) They are committed to keeping the fight going, with the understanding that people have to prioritize these crises, and meeting them where they are.

Future and Sustainability

Beyond Toxics plans to continue its work at the state level. They are on the steering committee of the Oregon Just Transition Alliance, and there are several training workshops and retreats in the pipeline designed to bring more young people into the advocacy efforts. As an organization, they are also pursuing a Green New Deal approach to climate and economic equity in the state, which has everything to do with how energy is delivered.

In addition, Beyond Toxics introduced a bill during the last session of the Oregon State Legislature to require the inclusion of climate in all of the state’s land use laws. Oregon is unique because it has a set of land use laws that has enabled the state to stay beautiful and preserve farmland and forest lands from sprawl. But now, there is an excellent opportunity to continue maintaining Oregon’s wild places and use those natural resource lands for carbon sequestration.

Finally, Beyond Toxics is exploring the issue of water justice. The organization believes that not far into the future, there will be water wars because of drought; with the need for electrification, which currently in Oregon is primarily hydroelectric, how is the state going to prepare when there’s not enough water to run the dams that run the turbines? What are they going to do? How will they defend getting off fossil fuels if the state can’t even run a turbine? So, they want to move toward water justice to ensure low-income BIPOC families have access to clean water.

A group of people stand in front of parked semi-tractor trailers

Learn More

Filter Grantees by Year:

Great Plains Action Society

Great Plains Action Society addresses the trauma that Indigenous Peoples and the Earth face from colonial capitalism and works to prevent further violence.
Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania

Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania has spent the past decade educating Pennsylvanians on the health dangers of the gas industry.
7 Directions of Service

7 Directions of Service is fighting to cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Southgate Extension and to advance Rights of Nature laws.
North Carolina Climate Justice Collective

NCCJC uses an intersectional approach to address environmental issues that directly impact North Carolinians living on the frontlines of extractive industries.
South Carolina Interfaith Power and Light

SCIPL develops programming and resources around food insecurity, high energy bills, electric vehicle infrastructure, and resilience hubs.
The People’s Justice Council

The People’s Justice Council is led by pastors, community organizers, and working professionals to create an equitable, sustainable, and just world.
Better Brazoria: Clean Air & Water

Better Brazoria: Clean Air & Water supports residents of Brazoria County by watchdogging petrochemical companies trying to export liquid “natural” gas.
Society of Native Nations

SSN works to recognize the existence of Native peoples in Texas, and contest the petrochemical buildout from the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast.
Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas

The Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe travels throughout Texas, monitoring pipelines, disposal wells, ongoing border wall construction, and fracking/flaring violations.
Rio Grande International Study Center

RGISC conducts independent research and community education to steward the environmental preservation and restoration of the Rio Grande Basin.
People’s Justice Council (PJC)

PJC organizes not-for-profit electric co-ops around Montgomery to avoid monopolized utility and grow constituency around energy and environmental justice.
Oregon Just Transition Alliance (OJTA)

Oregon Just Transition Alliance had three significant policy gains over the second half of 2022 due to strategic and tactical grassroots advocacy efforts.