Author Archives: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

$28 Million in Food Waste Recovery Grants Launching in Oregon 2026

DEQ to host webinar Aug. 12 Oregon DEQ will launch a major grant opportunity on Sept. 23, 2026, to reduce landfill methane emissions and increase food waste recovery through composting. Join us on Aug. 12 at 11 a.m. PST for an informational webinar session on Zoom Funding comes through the federal Climate Equity and Resilience Through Action initiatives. ItContinue reading “$28 Million in Food Waste Recovery Grants Launching in Oregon 2026”

Every Drop Counts

DEQ’s Water Reuse Program aims to create a more resilient water future for the state by providing information and education on how reusing water helps tackle the challenges of drought, water scarcity and groundwater depletion. By reusing water from domestic, industrial, and small scale (home and businesses), both groundwater and freshwater resources are conserved.

Road to Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine Grant

Housed within DEQ’s Materials Management Program, the Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine grant program has been funding community projects since the early 90’s. With a dedicated funding area for each grant cycle, the 2026 cycle will select projects that reduce the harmful environmental and human-health impacts of toxic substances found in building materials. A total of $2Continue reading “Road to Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine Grant”

Oregon DEQ now offers rebates for new, zero-emissions medium- and heavy-duty trucks

Calling all diesel medium- and heavy-duty individual and fleet owners! The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is now offering a new way to help fund your transition to a zero-emissions future. The Zero-Emission Rebates for Oregon Fleets Program, also known as the ZERO Fleet Rebate Program, provides money back to Oregon businesses, non-profits and governmentContinue reading “Oregon DEQ now offers rebates for new, zero-emissions medium- and heavy-duty trucks”

DEQ Youth Climate Art Contest: Calling all Oregon students in grades 1-12! 

Share your passion for art and climate awareness by submitting your original artwork to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Your artwork will help us highlight the impacts of climate change on Oregon’s youth during policy discussions. It may appear in DEQ’s Climate Action Plans, on the agency’s website, in presentations, and on social media platforms —reaching audiences statewide.   The contest theme is: From Pollution to Solution – the Earth WeContinue reading “DEQ Youth Climate Art Contest: Calling all Oregon students in grades 1-12! “

Apply Now: Funding Opportunities for Community Climate Investments in Oregon 

Investments will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon communities.  “We’ve seen this firsthand in the Rogue Valley, where communities affected by the 2020 Alameda Fire are still struggling to rebuild. This is why today, more than ever, all Oregonians need programs like the community climate investments to reduce the after-effects of pollution and other toxic greenhouse gases for our vulnerable populations.” —Metzin Rodriguez, Unite Oregon  AsContinue reading “Apply Now: Funding Opportunities for Community Climate Investments in Oregon “

Built Environment Specialist, Rita Haberman, receives Women of Vision award

Photo (left to right): Sanne Stienstra, Joan Grimm (former DEQ staffer), Rita Haberman, Amanda Ingmire, Anne Gire (Oregon Building Codes Division) Rita Haberman, a Built Environment Specialist in the Materials Management Program, was recently awarded the Women of Vision Award from the Daily Journal of Commerce. The Women of Vision award recognizes women in the regionContinue reading “Built Environment Specialist, Rita Haberman, receives Women of Vision award”

Carbon and Culture: Indigenous land stewardship and carbon management

This fall, DEQ staff joined over 70 others in a multi-day Carbon and Culture Symposium, hosted by the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) First Foods Policy Program. After two years in the making, their idea of a gathering focused on Indigenous land stewardship and carbon management came to fruition in the beautiful settingContinue reading “Carbon and Culture: Indigenous land stewardship and carbon management”

Making Waves: attending my first water quality conference

I had the pleasure of attending DEQ’s water quality conference, Making Waves: Collaborating for Clean Water in September. As a someone still relatively new to the agency, this conference sounded like the perfect environment for me to learn more about DEQ’s work statewide in protecting water quality, meet the many people who champion that mission,Continue reading “Making Waves: attending my first water quality conference”