Zero Waste Oregon has the potential to make Oregon the leading state in achieving sustainability ways that support the economy and generate new companies and new jobs. Oregon businesses have already demonstrated successful zero waste outcomes. For example, Nike recently released a new Corporate Responsibility report, noting that sustainability is the key to growth and innovation. Part of Nike’s vision is “reaching a closed-loop business model where the goal is to achieve zero waste in the supply chain and have products and materials that can continuously reused – no pre or post consumer waste.” Recently Nike manufactured shirts for nine World Cup teams out of recycled plastic bottles, diverting millions of plastic bottles from landfill and using a third less energy, one example of the positive impact zero waste approaches can have on the economy and the environment.

Zero Waste Oregon could be structured with a lead NGO to create the framework, invite participation, manage projects, and provide infrastructure and administrative support. Part of the funds could be used to support a collaborative effort among NGOs and other stakeholders to invite those already engaged in zero waste efforts to participate;to identify new initiatives; to provide public education and awareness about zero waste approaches; and to provide training to stakeholders from all sectors. Part of the funds could be used to create an Oregon Zero Waste Fund, which could be guided by the lead NGO and/or the collaborative group, to provide incentives and direct support through small grants. A version of this approach has been successfully piloted in New Zealand, the first country to set a national zero waste goal, where small grants were made to cities that passed a Zero Waste plan and goal. Zero Waste Oregon has the potential to meaningfully engage Oregonians in effectively addressing the most pressing problems of our time and helping to achieve a more sustainable society.

Beyond investing in more programs to advance sustainability in Oregon, MMT could help position Oregon as the global sustainability leader. What if Oregon hosts a month-long, annual Global Sustainability Symposium? It could be comparable to World Water Week held annually in Stockholm where scientists, environmentalists, researchers, and other come together. MMT could help convene a range of local to international private, public, and non-profit organizations to help sponsor and support the Symposium, which could include in-person and virtual symposiums (to global audiences in multiple languages), conferences, workshops, and other events to entice people to visit Oregon to learn more about “Triple Net” sustainability (environmental, ethical, economical), especially energy efficiency and renewable energy best practices from Oregon and global thought leaders. Additionally, Oregonians from all walks of life would be involved in many aspects of the Symposium (pre-, during, and post-) to ensure that Oregonians ‘talk the talk and walk the walk’. Greg Hansen

The lower Malheur and Willow Creek drainages are an area of intensive agricultural production in eastern Oregon. This proposal will not address the entire drainage, but will focus on the 35,000 acres adjacent to Willow Creek and the Malheur River. Most of the agricultural activity occurs here, and it is where the water quality concerns exist. The focus of the landowners and the Vale Irrigation District has been to pipe irrigation laterals in the Willow Creek and Malheur River basin. Piping these laterals creates several benefits.

Economic Advantages Gained:
*35 jobs created.
*$162,000 per year in fuel costs saved.
*$229,000 in electrical pumping costs saved annually.
*At least 23 Oregon businesses involved.
*$1.8 million generated for the local economies of Ontario and Vale.

Environmental Benefits Achieved:
*800,000 lbs CO2 emissions eliminated annually.
*72,000 lbs of phosphorus annually prevented from leaving the field.
*240,000 tons of annual soil loss will cease.
*183.5 billion colonies of E.coli bacteria per acre prevented from leaving the field as runoff.
*Virtually all evaporation and seepage eliminated.

Energy Conservation Realized:
*4.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity saved annually.
*54,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year conserved.

Threatened & Endangered Species Supported:
*A minimum pool could be established in Beulah Reservoir for overwintering endangered Bull trout.
*Vale Oregon Irrigation District will consider water marketing of unneeded irrigation water.

Water Conservation Benefits:
*Approximately 12,000 acre feet of irrigation water could be saved annually.

how about using funds to finance an Oregon Office of Conservation
Easement Land Trust.

locally, some of us in the Crow-Lorane-Foxhollow valley(coast range
foothills) have been discussing this and trying to figure out how to
do it for a few years already. we think that once we had start-up
help, we could manage with our own funds and our own volunteers. we
have already identified some local resources, but we definitely need
more assistance and financing to start.

in general, land-owners wanting to organize or join a land trust would
need personnel and volunteer training, legal assistance, technical
assistance such as setting-up a user-friendly website and educational
material and other clerical systems for operating the trust. we know
the information is "out-there". we have been to seminars, spoken with
attorneys and other land trust organizations, but still feel
unqualified to organize properly.

perhaps this assistance could be provided through OSU and OSU
Extension Service. furthermore, once the program has been established,
it could be applied all over the state in all the varieties of
Oregon's ecosystems for whatever purposes each trust member decides
appropriate, and eventually this service could also become member
supported.

in our own area this has become a great community building exercise.

Many farmers are struggling to maintain viable livelihoods at the same time they recognize that investing in improved farming practices and technology could immediately improve their sustainability. Financing for these improvements that broaden farm revenues and reduce costs is a major barrier. Meyer Memorial Trust could provide seed capital for “Oregon Low Carbon Farms and Ranches” to increase adoption of proven low carbon management practices that reduce methane emissions, increase soil carbon, or reduce emissions associated with nutrient management. The seed capital can be matched with various sources including carbon financing, tax incentives, grants, and program or mission related investment funding. Establishing a streamlined financing structure will simplify farmer and rancher access to performance-based financing tied to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Funding for these new agriculture business models broadens the revenue streams for Oregon farms that can provide renewable energy and carbon credits in addition to sustainable local produce. The Climate Trust is actively pursuing this concept in the Pacific Northwest.

Since PGE is already researching torrefaction as a biomass source for its Boardman coal fired plant, a further step that has the potential for bringing atmospheric carbon down to pre-industrial levels could be biochar. Biochar is the burying of charcoal in agricultural soil to sequester it. Since the charcoal is produced from plants the effect is carbon negative.

The torrefaction process can also create feedstock products for transportation fuels. The co products of the process can also be recycled into the process to generate heat for the process.

Any agricultural waste product can be torrefied to create biochar. This includes wheat straw, corn stover and tree thinning, logging slash and dairy and chicken waste. Also municipal waste and yard debris is also another source for biochar.

Most biochar can augment soils to increase crop production. This must be done by "charging" the biochar with dairy waste. The char will hold the natural fertilizer and moisture from the "charging" in the soil preventing leaching of nutrients.

Enable Oregon farmers to increase crop yields with less water, especially where water allotments limit crop production, as in the Klamath River basin. Provide Oregon farmers with a unique starch-based biodegradable soil amendment, developed from 30+ years of research by the USDA and later private industry here in Oregon. Zeba™ granules offer a way to grow more with less water. When added to the soil around the root of a plant, Zeba granules store 500 times their mass in water, and then release it to the plant during dry periods, over and over for a year or more, stretching scarce water resources, while it degrades feeding the microorganisms in the soil
The key organizations are aligned to demonstrate viability: Abundance Farming, an Oregon non-profit provides this unique water harvesting technology to smallholder farmers internationally and is offering this product and our technical support to the Klamath Water Users Association, an Oregon nonprofit who would provide it to the farmers in their region. The developer and manufacturer of Zeba, Absorbent Technologies Inc, also an Oregon company, supports this program and would provide the product and technical advice.
Fresh water is ~3% of all water on Earth, most of this is ice and only 1% is available to be shared. Of this liquid 1%, most is used for agriculture. Any effort to conserve water must address this critical use, by supporting farmers to grow more food with less water. Our current and future food security depends on supporting farmers to grow more food. Competing uses for limited water require new solutions for food production and this is a unique one.
This is an ideal model for funding and technology from the Portland area, providing direct support to rural Oregon farmers, while benefiting all of Oregon.
Abundance Farming Project impact: Growing Food, Conserving Water, Stabilizing Economies. www.abundancefarming.org

It seems with the shrinking glaciers that we are going to have to move our paper mills off the shrinking rivers to the bays and ocean sometime soon. Because with less water the rivers will not be able to sustain the mixing of the mill's polution and toxins as they have done in the past. But instead of just building the same old style polluting mills on the coast and pollute there, I think we should build new **** pollutant paper mills at the coast, maybe using hemp and bio-fuels for energy. I'm into researching and looking at the past for a cleaner and more efficient future, future primitive is worth a million and then some.