Winter 2020 Envision, 2020 by Envision Magazine

ENVISION | 2020 EDITION

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2020 may have been one of the most eventful beginnings to a new decade and will go down in history as a year no one will forget. The world lost millions to a global pandemic, the United States witnessed a monumental election, people fought for real change on important social issues, and wildfires worsened by climate change raged across multiple countries. It is our hope that the 2020 edition of Envision can help encapsulate the eventful year, specifically taking a deeper look into its effects on the environment and sustainability. Though it is impossible to touch on every issue and event that took place, our writers, illustrators, designers, and photographers addressed stories important to them and we have faith their work reflects these passions.

C ili Ce

Letter e ill

the

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p. 12-15

p. 6-9

Rethinking your carbon footprint: Pandemic Style

O T

C N EN TS

Opinion: We Need to Talk About Climate Accountability

Pollution Rollbacks and Environmental Racism in 2020

p. 16-19

Fleeing the Flames

p. 38-39

Comic: Devouring Inferno

p. 10-11

Comic: Just a Cheeseburger

p. 20-27 The Year of the Megafire

p. 28-33 4

p. 34-37

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Artifacts of Covid

p. 40-45

Get Outside

p. 46-47

Staff List

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Rethinking Your Carbon Footprint:

Pandemic Style

Written by Lauren Schenker Illustration by Daisy Jones Photography by Bailee Balboa

It’s no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has changed our daily routines. Looking at the past nine months from a college student’s point of view, it is clear that the coronavirus pandemic impacted young adults in a variety of ways. From most schools shifting to an online format and restrictions regarding social gatherings, many students were left with a much simpler daily routine. Other young adults used this time to “go back to the basics”, and explore their state via car.

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Vegetables sold at the Eugene Farmers Market.

Although how people spend their time in quarantine is unique to them, one thing is clear, global CO2 emissions are at an all-time low. Corinne Le Quéré, a climate scientist at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, and her team gathered information regarding global CO2 emissions and found that “the cumulative global emissions for 2020 could drop by anything from 4-7%, which would represent the largest drop since World War II” (Tollefson). These numbers show that humans have the ability to reverse one of the leading causes of climate changethe burning of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. As the world mourns the millions of lives lost from the COVID-19 virus, Mother Nature has shown us what a drastic change in our daily routine can do for the environment. As a result of the stay-at-home order in states like California, there were much fewer cars on the road. It was reported that the Interstate 405 freeway was more vacant than ever before. Some of the most populated cities in the world have reported the lowest levels of air pollution in decades. The University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems reported that transportation is responsible for 27% of carbon emissions in the United States alone. When many non-essential jobs shifted to work from home, hundreds of thousands of Americans lost the need to use their car every day. Riley Chan, a third-year student at the University of Oregon spent the majority of quarantine in Eugene, Oregon. As a double major in Planning, Public Policy and Management, and Environmental Studies, Chan is much more aware of his energy consumption compared to the average college student. “As someone with a strong background in the environment, I always find reasons to relate my actions to the environment. For me, being eco-friendly is about incorporating the environment into all the decisions that I make. Everything that I do has an impact on the environment and being eco-friendly (in my opinion), is about minimizing those impacts. Whether it be from watching my water source/electric usage to walking to avoid driving. I aim to lessen the negative effects that I make.” Similar to many other young adults his age, Chan rarely used a car throughout quarantine. As someone who relies on public transportation like the EMX while in Eugene, Chan was grateful that he was able to continue to utilize it during quarantine.

One source of CO2 emissions that can be easily managed by students is the food they eat. Eating a vegetarian diet is one of the many ways that you can greatly reduce your carbon footprint. Shea Hendricks, a student at the University of Maine, shares her perspective on mindful consumption during quarantine, “It’s so hard because I feel like even as someone who tries to be as environmentally conscious as I can be, there are still so many things that I feel like I can do better. I do eat all plant-based which has a great environmental impact.” She continued, “Because there was so much downtime (in lockdown), I was able to keep up my vegan diet and educate myself on how to live a healthier plant-based lifestyle,” said Hendricks. From supporting local farmers by shopping at the farmer’s market to trying new plant-based recipes, Hendricks dedicated her time to work on herself. There are many ways in which you can lower your carbon footprint and help the planet. One way to ensure the continued decrease in our carbon footprints is to continue practicing eco-friendly habits that you learned in quarantine. Continue being a mindful consumer by supporting locally owned businesses. Coordinate bi-weekly trips to the grocery store with your roommates. Use your bike to travel a short distance instead of your car. Whether or not you have increased or decreased your energy consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that we have all learned from this. We have proven that by simplifying our daily routine, the world can decrease carbon emissions and help reverse climate change.

A biker rides past Autzen Stadium.

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artwork by Shalom Yemane 10

artwork by Shalom Yemane ENVISION | 2020 EDITION

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We Need to Opinion

Talk About

Climate Accountability Written by Alex Har | Illustrated by Ia Balbuena

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It’s time to have a hard, honest conversation. For one second let’s forget every social, racial, or political issue except climate change, pretending as if climate change is the singular issue at hand. We know our climate is becoming warmer and with more extreme weather patterns because of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. So who is stopping measures to combat climate change? In the United States, one group of people has been particularly vocal about their beliefs and has directed an uncompromising opposition to a plethora of climate change mitigation efforts. Journalists steer clear of challenging these beliefs or even attempting to hold these people accountable for fear of being branded as bias and because the idea that “both sides” are responsible is a convenient way of avoiding hard truths. But the hard truth is climate change as an issue has been weaponized by the Grand Old Party otherwise known as the Republican Party. In the eyes of the GOP and Republican voters supporting climate change mitigation measures is a no-no. No political science degree is necessary to understand Republican’s stance on the climate but having a Twitter might help. Republicans backtrack on climate science insisting there is some uncertainty or lack of scientific consensus surrounding climate change. According to Business Insider, in 2019, 130 Republican members of Congress had denied or doubted climate change. Look no further than to the highest office in government to find climate change denial. President Trump who claimed on Twitter that climate change is a Chinese hoax, tweets and otherwise makes statements undermining the reality of climate change. He even went as far as to say he didn’t believe his own administration’s 2018 climate assessment. Looking back a decade to 2010, former Representative Bob Inglis of South Carolina 4th Congressional District was electorally annihilated for his belief in climate change and support of a carbon tax. Inglis at the time had an A rating from the NRA, a 92% rating from the American Conservative Union, and was running in a deeply conservative district as an incumbent. Yet, he only received less than 30% of the vote in the primary runoff, practically unheard of in the world of electoral politics.

Inglis believes his belief in climate change and advocacy of a carbon tax led to his electoral defeat which he describes as a “spectacular face plant.” Before visiting Antarctica in 2006 as a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Inglis himself was an example of primitive GOP group thinking and party polarization. According to an NBC article, “Inglis didn’t put a lot of thought into global warming. ‘It was pretty easy to decide. If Al [Gore] is for it, I’m against it,’ he told students at the College of Charleston. ‘I admit that’s sort of ignorant, all right. But that’s who I was for six years.’” More recently, prominent Republicans have balked at supporting climate measures such as the Green New Deal (GND) branding the resolution as some plot to enact socialism in the US. The GND obviously does not do that, but what the GND does do is acknowledges the extent of our climate crisis and prescribes solving this colossal issue by creating millions of jobs and ensuring communities most impacted by climate change are prioritized. Here is a direct excerpt and summary of what the GND would do: “(1) to create millions of good, high-wage jobs in the United States; (2) to provide unprecedented levels of prosperity and economic security for all people of the United States; and (3) to counteract systemic injustices” The intended policy objective is to achieve “net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers” by investing in public infrastructure and energy needs. None of the enumerated objectives outlined in the Green New Deal are extreme or radical and are based on things humans need fundamentally to survive. The bill itself supports massive job creation and a mission of a fair transition for the communities most vulnerable to climate change. However, yet again, Republican leaders rallied against the resolution claiming that it would ban everything from cows to air travel. Far from even seriously considering the resolution, Republican leaders and voters do not want to acknowledge reality of the encroaching threat of climate change. ENVISION | 2020the EDITION

Climate change is happening now, and its effects are happening now too. From the raging wildfires that threaten western states’ urban centers to Pacific Islands such as Kiribati flooding due to rising sea levels, things are getting worse. The whole world is living in the reality of climate change. As the wealthiest nation in the world, our actions matter.

The whole world is living in the reality of climate change. As the wealthiest nation in the world, our actions matter. Many of the coming disasters and extreme weather events could have been prevented or mitigated had action been taken earlier. To continue to separate people’s decisions and actions from that individual would be irresponsible. People make decisions. Decisions have consequences. Likewise, voting is a decision, and voting has consequences, particularly on the environment. Republican voters and leaders are responsible for holding back measures combating climate change in the United States. They must accept or be forced to recognize their beliefs are what put humanity in these circumstances and that refusal to change means worsening storms, flooding, wildfires, epidemics, housing crises, crop yields, and other global disruptions. Accountability matters, but only if other people hold others responsible for their actions. Republicans, these are yours.

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Fleeing the A recap on Oregon’s intense 2020 fire season

Flames

As I hunkered down in my apartment amidst the COVID-19 outbreak in early September, fires began to rage across the entire state of Oregon. Smoke filled every inch of the air, turning it from clear and crisp to a thick, sickly yellow color. The world around Eugene, Oregon, was on fire. Nobody from Washington to California could escape the smoke-a constant reminder that climate change and extreme weather lie just in our backyard. In 2019, 29.4 million visitors bustled into the state, likely looking for the picturesque mountain ranges and endless rain that the Pacific Northwest is known for. But in late summer of 2020, the idyllic and pristine Oregon that’s known and loved by many took a much more apocalyptic form. The blanket of smoke surrounding Oregon affected the tourism industry that supports a considerable amount of the state’s economy-- one of eight jobs in Oregon is tied directly to tourism or travel, according to Oregon’s Office of Economics. Fireaffected areas like Ashland, which has a strong economic focus on the arts and performance, was already struggling this year economically from the coronavirus pandemic. Ashland is located in Jackson County, which was one of the most impacted counties in the Almeda fire.

During this intense fire season, hotels and resources usually occupied by tourists were allocated to locals suffering from the blazes’ impacts. The American Red Cross reported that 2,195 Oregonian evacuees rented 68 hotels across the state. Differing from seasons prior, the fires that scorched the state of Oregon burned nearly four thousand homes this year; only two were lost in 2019. The difference in damage within one year is staggering. These fires primarily occurred in the Wildland Urban Interface, where residential communities meet with forest land. Over ten human lives were lost in their wakes during the 2020 fire season. While some speculate about the cause of some of these fires, former University of Oregon Environmental Studies professor Alan Dickman said that in some regards, the sparks that started the fires are irrelevant due to the perfect dry conditions in most parts of Oregon. “In some ways, it doesn’t matter [what started the fire] because the conditions were there,” said Dickman. Oregon’s diverse ecosystems react differently to forest fires, and some tend to be more susceptible to damage than others, according to Dickman.

Written by Anna Mattson | Illustrated by Daisy Jones

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“Smoke filled every inch of the air, turning it from clear and crisp to a thick, sickly yellow color.”

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Parts of the Western Cascades would behave in another way than parts of Eastern Oregon with an abundance of Ponderosa pines. According to Oregon State University, some of the drier parts of the state, like Eastern Oregon, have shorter burn intervals, which are the average periods between fires based on pattern, frequency, and intensity. The forests and people there have adapted to the dry and regular burn cycles and even start them purposefully. Wildland fires can be a natural process and are integral to healthy fire ecology. National Geographic reported that wildland fires benefit the wild plants and animals that live in the area by clearing out old growth and releasing nutrients that would otherwise be concealed. The wet and coastal areas, unlike Eastern Oregon, have longer burn intervals. They also tend to build an abundance of debris in their dense forested areas, making the burns more dramatic and less frequent. However, Dickman said that regardless of the ecosystem, each forest’s environment is generally capable of rebuilding itself. “There were intense fires 500 years ago, and so how the forest comes back differs on the kind of forest and the kind of fire it was,” said Dickman. “But we know that these forests have burned in the past. And we know that they will come back again.”

Based on that knowledge, Dickman said it could be challenging to determine whether climate change is a prevailing factor in a single wildfire. But what can be determined is that climate change has had a significant impact on the magnitude and recurrence of these fires. According to Dickman, the warmer summers, intense storms, drier winds and droughts are directly related to unusually extreme weather caused by a warming planet. “It’s all consistent that climate change plays a role in all these fires. It’s what we would have expected to see,” he said. “It’s not to say that we didn’t have big fires in the past, but seeing more fires more often at this intensity is probably because of climate change.” The Center for Climate and Solutions (CCS) predicts that there will undoubtedly be an increase in forest fires in the West looking forward. The fire season is also expected to be more prolonged and more intense. Between 1984 and 2015, the number of large fires has doubled due to the drier climate conditions, indicating that the temperature plight could worsen significantly. The CCS urges communities to invest in education to prepare for extreme weather and wildfires. The 2020 fire season was unlike any other in Oregon’s history, with horrible air quality in Eugene reaching a 500 AQI, a level exceeding hazardous in air pollution. People from all over Oregon felt the intense anxiety and fear of fires headed towards towns they love most. Communities worldwide will need to take a deep breath and hold on for the long run because being prepared for extreme weather can only benefit our homes and families in the future.

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the year of the

megafire

Written by Ceili Cornelius | Photographed by Will Dyer & Holiday Farm Fire Officials

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This past summer Oregon was ravaged by some of the worst wildfires seen in its history. At one time, there were over five megafires all burning at the same time. The U.S. Interagency Fire Center defines a megafire by its size: It is a wildfire that burns more than 40,500 hectares (100,000 acres) of land. This summer, just in Oregon, over 1,000,000 acres have been destroyed and the blazes have killed at least 10 people (BBC). The way that these fires were burning at such an intense level at such a fast rate is due to the climate which surrounds them. Dry, timber-filled land, driven by wind and low humidity is the perfect recipe for these megafires. Not only have these fires had a significant impact on the landscape of the state, but also on the people that live near and around where the fires burned. The Holiday Farm Fire which started overnight by a forceful wind storm that blew through the McKenzie River corridor on September 7th, was one of those fires that ravaged the homes of people who live in the rural communities between the Cascade Mountains of Central Oregon, and the Willamette Valley. The communities of McKenzie Bridge, Blue River, Vida, Nimrod and more small rural communities in that area were greatly affected by this fire ravaging through homes and destroying people’s livelihoods. The fire left about 503 homes burned and infrastructure badly damaged. The megafire grew to 173,000 acres through the McKenzie River corridor along highway 126. Will Dyer, senior at the University of Oregon, spent his second summer as a wildland firefighter responding to a number of the large fires affecting Oregon, including the Holiday Farm Fire. Dyer is based out of McKenzie Bridge Ranger Station. For Dyer, firefighting, particularly wildland firefighting, gives him a sense of responsibility in a career. “When I started it was last summer, I was working at Subway and hating my job. My dad had been a wildland firefighter and I decided I would go for it and start contract work for

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summers,” said Dyer. “I felt after my first season and now, a sense of responsibility and duty and pride in my job,” he said. The Holiday Farm Fire which began on the night of September 7th during a massive windstorm, was one of the largest fires the western side of the Cascades had seen in many years. One of the aspects that made the Holiday Farm Fire so difficult to fight, was it exploded overnight and was driven by powerful and warm winds. Resources by this time were already spread thin due to the raging Lionshead and Beachie Creek fires burning in Northern Central Oregon and the upper valley, both caused by lightning strikes and dry conditions. “There were only 81 firefighters to respond to this [Holiday Farm Fire] due to lack of resources,” said Dyer. Dyer’s main role in fighting the Holiday Farm fire was to go in and create hand lines by digging with shovels and creating a line in the dirt and treeline that the fire couldn’t get across. “Our main priority was highly populated structures and the first solution was to get water on the ground around homes,” he said. The Holiday Farm fire burned fast and hot through the dense forested areas of the McKenzie Bridge and Blue River area. The main fire line that Dyer contributed to maintaining was the line from highway 126 to the McKenzie River. “We knew the fire couldn’t cross the line and go any further,” he said. The homes that were destroyed in the area of these small rural towns were in the direct path of the heart of the fire where crews couldn’t access immediately. Dyer also assisted in evacuating people who were stranded on the forest service roads trying to escape the flames. He would often pick people up and bring them to safety at evacuation camps. “This fire was different because on others, we feel like we are in control, but with this one, we were just trying to survive. We knew we couldn’t save everyone and that took its toll,” said Dyer.

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Holiday Farm Fire Of fi cials

Holiday Farm Fire Officials

“This fire was different because, on others, we feel like we are in control, but with this one, we were just trying to survive. We knew we couldn’t save everyone, and that took its toll.” ENVISION | 2020 EDITION

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The Holiday Farm Fire was only one of many megafires that were ravaging across Oregon during the late summer months. The Beachie Creek and Lionshead fires caused a great deal of destruction of homes through the corridor between the Cascade Mountains and the Willamette Valley. A total of 4,000 homes were destroyed as a result of these wildfires across the state. Over 1.2 million acres of the state burned in devastating wildfires. Dyer described this fire season as different than what he has seen before due to the lack of resources to fight them, the extreme level of heat, and the fact that these fires were encroaching on what is known as the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). The WUI is where the forested areas meets homes and communities. The WUI in Oregon is large due to the number of people that live in the woods and forested communities. Due to the connection of housing and the deep forest, the Holiday Farm fire was devastating to those communities in the McKenzie River corridor. During the fire fight, Dyer worked 36-hour shifts and everyone slept in 3 hour intervals, but sleeping was difficult when facing the unknown with this fire. His coworkers and friends were in harm’s way everyday. “Fires like the Holiday Farm feels hopeless and scary and you think about the lives of your coworkers,” said Dyer. The Holiday Farm Fire for Dyer was an experience he will never forget- one of the types of fires that shapes the landscape where it burned, as well as changes the lives of the people whose homes were lost. The level of these extreme wildfires is only going to get worse with climate change and the increase in extreme weather events. The scars of the Holiday Farm fire will remain for years to come, both on the landscape and on people’s homes and hearts.

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Holiday Farm Fire Officials

Above - Will Dyer, wildland firefighter with McKenzie Bridge Fire District, digs a handline with a Pulaski on the McKenzie River Fire in 2019. (photo provided)

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artifacts

covid of

19 Photographed by Isabel Lemus Kristensen & Alissa Richbourg

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An abandoned styrofoam to-go cup lies in the bushes behind a residential area in San Antonio, Texas. According to an article published by the National Institute of Health, the onset of COVID-19 has caused an increase in the amount of to-go products, leading to greater amounts of discarded trash in places such as neighborhoods and roadways. - Alissa Richbourg

If soap and water are not readily available, the CDC recommends people use an alcoholbased hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol - the most effective at killing germs - to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Isabel Lemus Kristensen

A reusable face mask is left among the fall leaves outside of the Knight Library on the University of Oregon’s main campus. - Alissa Richbourg 30

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Isabel Lemus Kristensen

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, most states, including Oregon, are requiring people to wear face coverings in public spaces to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Reusable face masks have become a cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative for disposable face masks .

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A plastic water bottle is left to slowly decompose and collect algae in a residential neighborhood pond in San Antonio, Texas. - Alissa Richbourg

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pollution

& environmental rollbacks

racism

2020

written by Oscar Bernat artwork by Chloe Montague

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2020 has brought us a pandemic, exceptional governmental actions, and an acknowledgment of the impacts racism still has in America. One story that combines multiple threads of the year happened this past March. In March, during the early days of the pandemic, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) made an unprecedented move by allowing major polluters in fossil fuel industries to stop recording how many greenhouse gasses they were emitting into the air, by saying that they were no longer required to report their emission levels. The EPA justified these changes through the economic hardships that COVID-19 presented to the fossil fuel industry, but by many accounts, this was still a step too far. University of Oregon’s Dr. Craig Kauffman, an academic expert in environmental politics with a focus on climate change policy, helps to unpack this change. This move came just five days after the American Petroleum Association had asked for relief due to economic lockdown amidst the global pandemic. According to Kauffman, it directly aids those industries: “the main beneficiaries of this are the oil refiners and fracking - the extraction industries” The deal does not give a “free-pass” for oil companies to pollute, but only by the most technical terms. They are still expected to uphold pollution thresholds and regulations. However, it does mean that the EPA is “no longer requiring companies to tell [them] whether they’re polluting or not,” said Kauffman. While there is a class of ‘super polluters’

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with a criminal history that are exempt from this change — including companies like ExxonMobil and PSEG, according to the Center for Public Integrity — the rest of the companies are not under supervision from the EPA, so accountability has essentially been taken out of the picture. Furthermore, there was not a pressing need to structure this move as they did. While COVID-19 is certainly unprecedented, the EPA does not traditionally operate by making such drastic changes. As Dr. Kauffman explains it: “What a lot of former EPA administrators are saying is that: look, the EPA always has discretion, on a case-by-case basis, so they didn’t need to create this rules change.” The EPA [they could have simply] said ‘look, we understand COVID is an unprecedented time, and we’ll try to work things out on a case-by-case basis,’ without just creating this blanket rule that absolves everyone from having to monitor and report,” said Kauffman. Instead, they preemptively gave free rein to polluters without even putting up a fight. What only adds insult to injury with this move is that it feeds into a long-standing cycle of environmental racism that COVID-19 has made explicitly known, as Kauffman explains: “COVID attacks the lungs, and we know that people who have pre-existing respiratory problems are at much higher risk of severe and fatal consequences of COVID… Those respiratory problems are going to be made worse among populations that live downstream and close to these polluters, which tend to be people of color.” This is because communities of color are often located around chemical factories and oil refineries. This isn’t a coincidence, but rather the result of precise zoning choices that make the color of one’s skin a stronger predictor of whether they will suffer from polluted air than even their economic status.

So why haven’t traditional environmental reforms been able to address these racial discrepancies in pollution? It comes down to the difference between simply reducing carbon dioxide outputs and reducing the outputs of the other chemicals that harm human health. Under current systems of cap-and-trade, companies are encouraged to pay for carbon offsets in other parts of the world, by buying trees or paying for filtration systems on new refineries built elsewhere in the world. While such actions do help to prevent climate change, they do nothing for the communities around existing polluters in the US. As Kauffman says, “It’s a concern about health vs. a concern about the atmosphere.” Such actions can actually result in more pollution, as companies are vindicated by their offsets. “You get all these offset credits, and then you’re like ‘okay, now we can pollute a bunch right here,” said Kauffman. So this policy adds more air pollution to these communities, further worsening lung health and making them more susceptible to the virus. Essentially, it exacerbates the effects of a virus that it was supposed to help provide relief from. In November of 2020, US voters elected a new president. Will Biden be able to reverse these changes? “Absolutely, and almost guaranteed,” says Kauffman. Because the EPA is part of the executive branch, administrators will likely be switched out with the new administration, and pollution prescriptions can easily be reversed. Yet of the damage that’s been done under this order, Kauffman simply put: “We don’t know, and we may never know.”

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artwork by Shalom Yemane 38

artwork by Shalom Yemane ENVISION | 2020 EDITION

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Mt. Hood peeks through the cloud cover over Portland.

W hen COV ID-19 hit t he US i n ea rly 2020 ma ny states i mplemented ma ndator y lockdow ns. Mont hs later, isolat ion, qua ra nt i ne, a nd socia l d ista nci ng have become com mon prac t ice. But what ma ny hoped wou ld on ly be a few week s, has d ragged on w it h no g ua ra nteed end date causi ng st ress levels to spi ke. How a re people ma nag i ng du ri ng t hese cha l leng i ng t i mes? T he a nswer va ries, but what ca n genera l ly be ag reed upon is reg u la r exercise a nd get t i ng outside is one of t he best ways to help restore menta l wel l-bei ng. T he Internat iona l Jou rna l of Env ironmenta l Resea rch a nd Public Hea lt h publishes a nu mber of st ud ies a rou nd t he hea li ng powers of t he nat u ra l env ironment. One st udy done i n Japa n showed access to forested env ironments, for as lit t le as 20 mi nutes, i mproves overa l l wel l-bei ng. T he body’s sy mpat het ic ner ve system, t he one poised for ad rena li ne, beg i ns to slow, whi le t he pa rasy mpat het ic system, t he one t hat restores ca l m, k ick s i nto hig h gea r to bri ng peace to t he mi nd. For ma ny Oregonia ns, t he benef its of t he outdoors a re com mon k nowledge. T hey speci f ica l ly chose to live a nd work here because of t he forested terra i n a nd plet hora of pa rk s. W hat has cha nged recent ly for ma ny is t he appreciat ion of t hose nat u ra l env ironments. E x per ts repor t t hat t he

get

COV ID-19 v ir us is pri ma ri ly t ra nsferred t hroug h t he a ir, ma k i ng t he open a ir of t he outdoors a fa r less t ra nsmissible env ironment. In a sense t he outdoors a ren’t just a place to recreate, but for ma ny, it ’s a n escape. MJ Jack son, a Universit y of Oregon Graduate St udent a nd li fe-long outdoor ent husiast sha res t hat sent i ment. She moved f rom L os A ngeles to Por t la nd i n 2019 to pu rsue her Master’s Deg ree i n St rateg ic Com mu nicat ion. Jack son has a long-held passion for u rba n g reen space a nd work s to i ncrease its accessibi lit y as t he Com mu nicat ions a nd Development Coord i nator for t he Hoy t A rboret u m i n dow ntow n Por t la nd. W hen t he COV ID-19 lockdow n hit i n Ma rch 2020, Jack son was g ratef u l for t he public spaces ava i lable. “ T he proli f ic pa rk s a nd g reen spaces i n t he cit y beca me my escape” she states. Her work at t he A rboret u m felt even more i mpor ta nt when she saw t he sa me need for ref uge for t hose i n her com mu nit y. She has worked to f i nd new i nnovat ive ways to keep people connec ted to t he pa rk ’s prog ra ms despite va rious closu res a nd rest ric t ions. For her role, t his i ncludes a mont h ly e-newslet ter, qua r terly pri nt newslet ter, socia l med ia, a nd new website elements to keep people i nformed a nd k nowledgeable about how to sa fely get outside.

OUTSIDE written by Alyson Morris | photographed by Hailey Ashcraft

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“What’s become clear over the past few months is that the outdoors is an absolute priority for people’s well-being.” 42

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Friends and families gather at socially distanced tables to enjoy the view of Portland from the Pittock Mansion.

Ca i li n O’Brien-Feeney, t he d irec tor of t he Oregon Of f ice of Outdoor Recreat ion recog nizes t he i mpor ta nce of access stat i ng, “W hat ’s become clea r over t he past few mont hs is t hat t he outdoors is a n absolute priorit y for people’s wel l-bei ng.” Pa rk s a l l across t he cou nt r y have lau nched com mu nicat ions ca mpa ig ns to adv ise t he public how to recreate sa fely. People who a re not feeli ng wel l a re asked to stay home a nd si x feet of physica l d ista nci ng f rom ot her pa rk-goers is hig h ly recom mended. Sig ns a nd d ista nce ma rkers i n ma ny pa rk s help remi nd people to protec t t hemselves a nd ot hers by fol low i ng t hese a nd ot her hea lt h g u ideli nes prov ided by t he CDC . Pa rk s, li ke Hoy t A rboret u m, have even prov ided a d ista nci ng cha r t t hat rates a l l it ’s t ra i ls f rom 1-3, 1 (color-coded g reen) bei ng t he w idest, a l low i ng for 6 feet of d ista nce for passi ng hi kers to 3 (colorcoded red), which a re na rrower t ra i ls w it h lit t le to no passi ng room. As socia l bei ngs isolat ion is i ncred ibly cha l leng i ng to nav igate. But t he opena ir prov ides oppor t u nit y. Not on ly is t he nat u ra l env ironment hea li ng on its ow n but it has a l lowed t he faci litat ion of some socia l i nterac t ions i n a t i me when ma ny feel a lone. It may not be sa fe to have f riends over for d i nner, but w it h open-a ir, mask s a nd d ista nci ng, people ca n get toget her w it h f riends a nd fa mi ly to sha re compa ny a nd t he enjoy ment of t he outdoors.

ENVISION | 2020 EDITION

Public hea lt h of f icia ls st ress t he i mpor ta nce of usi ng public g reen spaces close to home. Reduci ng t ravel helps reduce spread. But what t he pa ndemic has broug ht to lig ht a re t he i nequ it ies of public space d ist ribut ion i n u rba n A merica. Hig h ly popu lated u rba n a reas have less g reen space w it hi n wa l k i ng d ista nce. Jack son rema rk s, “one sav i ng g race for t hose i n cit ies is t he i mplementat ion of slow roads”. T hese slow roads posit ion ba rriers a nd sig nage to d iver t t rad it iona l t ra f f ic to a l low pedest ria ns a nd c yclists to have g reater use of a roadway, si mu lat i ng pa rk s to some deg ree. T he i nnovat ive solut ion is ga i ni ng popu la rit y i n cit ies across t he cou nt r y as a way to si mu late a public g reen space i n a reas t hat may not have ava i lable access to pa rk s or g reenways. Por t la nd is one of t he cit ies spea rhead i ng t his adaptat ion w it h t he lau nch of t heir 10 0 -mi le ‘Slow St reets Sa fe St reets’ i nit iat ive. Wit h Mu lt noma h cou nt y bei ng t he most congested, t he st reet rest ric t ions w i l l a l low more space for cit y dwel lers to get outside whi le stay i ng close to home. A statement released by t he Por t la nd Bu reau

of Tra nspor tat ion states, “t he new st rateg y w i l l repu r pose st reets, i nclud i ng closi ng t hem to ca r t ra f f ic, to ma ke it easier a nd sa fer for Por t la nders to prac t ice physica l d ista nci ng as t he cit y recovers.” If t he pa ndemic concerns weren’t enoug h for Oregonia ns i n 2020, t he mu lt iple devastat i ng mega f ires t hat ripped t hroug h t he state t his su m mer added a not her level of worr y. Por t la nd ’s worst day du ri ng t he f ires saw a n A ir Qua lit y i ndex over 50 0 a nd rema i ned i n t he ‘u n hea lt hy; a nd ‘ ha z a rdous’ levels for a week, accord i ng to T he Washi ng ton Post. Ever yone was adv ised to stay i ndoors, i n add it ion to stay i ng isolated. “ T hat was t he worst week of my li fe,” com ments Jack son. “I rea lized i n t hat week just how i mpor ta nt get t i ng outside was for my wel l-bei ng.” T he a rriva l of t he ra i ny season helped tack le major f ire t hreats. But it ’s now t he t i me of yea r when t he days a re shor ter, t he sk ies da rker a nd t he pa ndemic is st i l l on t he rise. Now it ’s more i mpor ta nt t ha n ever to rema i n v ig i la nt w it h outdoor excu rsions. Daw n t hat hea r t y PN W ra i ncoat a nd get outside!

ENVISION | 2020 EDITION

th e

cover artwork: Shalome Yemane, Chloe Montague, Daisy Jones, Ia Balbuena

the

ves i t u ec x e

Mya Miller Ceili Cornelius Alec Kamburov Isabel Lemus Kristensen John Ritchie Susannah Turley

editor in chief managing editor multimedia editor photo editor communications director design director

envision

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wr ite ph ot o

Alex Har Alyson Morris Anna Mattson Lauren Schenker Oscar Bernat

Chloe Montague Daisy Jones Ia Balbuena Shalom Yemane

rs he p a gr

Alissa Richbourg Bailee Balboa Hailey Ashcraft

staff

ign des

illu strat o rs ENVISION | 2020 EDITION

thank you for reading. ENVISION | 2020 EDITION

artwork by Shalom Yemane

here’s to a brighter year ahead. 48

ENVISION | 2020 EDITION