Listen Now

The holiday season may leave you with more food than you know what to do with, but don’t despair. Lauren and Dylan are here to help you prevent food waste while making all those leftovers disappear. Elaine Blatt, DEQ senior policy and program analyst, and Katie Romano, DEQ communication and outreach specialist, offer expert advice about food waste prevention.

Lauren and Dylan talk with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Oregon Health Authority staff involved in a recent mercury spill in Bend that resulted in damage to the home, cars, furniture and $100,000 in cleanup costs for the homeowners. They help us understand how to respond if mercury does spill in your home to minimize the impact, and then DEQ staff tell us how to safely dispose of any items we own that we know contain mercury.

Last month we asked DEQ staff: how do you ensure facilities follow environmental laws? We learned a lot about how complaints get processed, when DEQ goes out to inspect facilities and how that can lead to enforcement and fines. This month, we're talking about that enforcement process. Lauren and Dylan talk with DEQ enforcement staff, EPA enforcement staff and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center to learn about DEQ enforcement actions. We discuss how DEQ figures out what amount to fine violators, how DEQ and EPA enforcement work together and the ways NEDC advocates for environmental issues through litigation.

People often ask DEQ: how do you ensure facilities follow environmental laws? There are a lot of answers, but key parts are complaints, inspections and enforcement. This is the first of a two-part series that dives into the complaints and inspections process. Lauren talks with the manager of the complaints system, a complaints inspector and two facility inspectors about how they receive complaints, find the source of pollution complaints, keep tabs on facilities that DEQ regulates and what happens when there is a violation.

Of the many things important to people in Oregon, a major one is water. DEQ plays a major role in protecting water quality of lakes, rivers and streams to ensure they can support aquatic plants and animals. Lauren and Dylan talk to DEQ's Water Quality Administrator about the state of Oregon's water as well as the staff working on improving it.

When out exploring waterways around Oregon you might encounter thick, colorful water – so thick and bright that it looks like green, blue or brown paint. These cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms, or cyanoHABs, can pose a public health risk. So Lauren and Dylan talk with water experts from the DEQ lab and Oregon Health Authority to learn more, including how to protect yourself.

Prescribed burning and wildfire can send smoke into communities around Oregon, which may impact public health. So, DEQ has been working with communities around Oregon to develop community smoke response plans. Lauren and Dylan talk with Smokewise Ashland, a local collaborative working group ground in Southern Oregon, which has been operating a community smoke response plan for years. Voices include a longtime Ashland resident who has utilized the program to better prepare for smoke. Show notes:

It's Air Quality Awareness Week and National Wildfire Awareness Month, so... we've got a really cool episode. We're talking with Richard Deng, a freshman in high school, who after experiencing a series of smoky summers decided to dedicate his time to making an air quality prediction tool that has now won multiple science fair awards. Lauren and Dylan talk with Richard about what exactly inspired him to make this tool, how he did it, what it can accomplish and where he'll be taking it next. Show notes: https://deqblog.com/2022/05/04/ep11-youthinnovation/

To celebrate Earth Day/Week/Month, Lauren and Dylan are talking about environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion - not just in general, but how this conversation is evolving at DEQ specifically. Show notes: https://deqblog.com/2022/04/14/environmental-justice/

Lauren went out to test drive an electric vehicle and find out more about the EV buying experience. She also asks questions to an EV rep at a car dealer, such as how much are the EVs, where do you get your charger and what about the federal tax incentive? Dylan and Lauren talk about her test drive and Dylan asks her the question you may be wondering – will Lauren buy an EV? Show notes: https://deqblog.com/2022/03/29/ep9-evtestdrive/

Thinking about electrifying your ride? Electric vehicles are becoming more popular and more widely available. DEQ and other state agencies are making them more accessible by providing rebates and supporting the expansion of charging infrastructure. Lauren and Dylan talk to lead staff in DEQ's EV rebate program and ODOT's Transportation Electrification Program Manager. Show notes: https://deqblog.com/2022/02/24/ep8-evs/

DEQ's Climate Protection Program sets enforceable and declining limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels used throughout Oregon. Lauren and Dylan talk to DEQ's Director, Climate Program staff and Oregon Business for Climate about what this means for Oregonians. Show notes: https://deqblog.com/2022/01/26/ep7-cpp/

Lauren and Dylan talk about DEQ’s Emergency Response program. DEQ staff work with their local, state and federal agency, as well as Tribal partners, to support spill contingency plans. These plans are essential to protecting Oregon’s natural and cultural resources in the event of an oil spill. Show notes: http://deqblog.com/2021/12/15/ep6-emergency/

Learn more about your hosts, Lauren and Dylan, and about their comms team at Oregon DEQ. Who's on the comms team? What do they do? How is the comms team working to help you? That's what we cover in episode 5 — well, that and who at DEQ has biked from Boulder, Colorado, to Eugene. Show notes: http://deqblog.com/2021/11/17/ep5-confusion-to-clarity/

The Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act will overhaul Oregon’s outdated recycling system and put Oregon at the forefront of recycling innovation once again. Lauren and Dylan talk to DEQ staff who are figuring out how to make this a recycling transformation a reality, as well as folks from Metro, Washington County, Rogue Waste and New Seasons Market to hear their perspectives on what this new law will mean for Oregonians. Show notes: http://deqblog.com/2021/10/28/ep4-recycling/

In researching wildfire smoke and air quality for the Where There's Smoke series Lauren and Dylan heard a number of weather terms linked to fires, such as pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus. Learn what these big words mean and how the huge fire clouds form over a blaze. Plus, a weather expert talks about firenados (not an official term). Show notes: https://deqblog.com/2021/09/29/bonus-pods/

The third and final part of the Where There's Smoke series is dedicated to the future of air quality and wildfire smoke in Oregon. Air quality issues from wildfire smoke are not going away, but DEQ and its partner agencies are all hard at work determining ways to mitigate smoke and its health impacts, and provide more resources for Oregonians. In part 3, Lauren and Dylan focus on this work and what Oregonians can expect to see in the future. Show notes: http://deqblog.com/2021/08/16/ep1-smoke/

The second part of the "Where There’s Smoke" series is dedicated to the present – namely the September 2020 wildfires in Oregon. What led to those devastating wildfires, how bad was the air quality, what did it mean to also have COVID going on, and what resources are available to protect your air? Show notes: http://deqblog.com/2021/08/16/ep1-smoke/

In the inaugural podcast episode for Oregon DEQ, Lauren and Dylan talk with experts about the history of air quality in Oregon – what it was like, how DEQ monitoring began, and how regulations evolved over time. Show notes: http://deqblog.com/2021/08/16/ep1-smoke/