Do you think the Oregon Constitution gives you the right to a safe and healthy environment? If so, think again. As an Oregonian, you do not. Even though the constitutions of more than three quarters of the countries on earth have explicit reference to environmental rights or responsibilities, in the United States, only if you live in Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, Pennsylvania, or Rhode Island, is your right to a healthy environment constitutionally protected.
The Oregon Coalition for an Environmental Rights (OCERA) Amendment seeks to remedy this oversight. Melissa Martin, Coordinator of the educational and ballot initiative efforts of OCERA will be visiting the Rogue Valley from March 31 through April 2 to offer a series of programs during which she will explore ‘Why an Environmental Rights Amendment’ and invite area residents to offer personal stories, testimonies, and feedback regarding local and regional environmental harms we have experienced from government action, or perhaps inaction.
Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN) is hosting a discussion on this issue at its March General Meeting with a guest speaker from Oregon Coalition for an
Environmental Rights Amendment (OCERA). The meeting is a free, public gathering. The meeting will be structured as a listening session focused on the Oregon Environmental Rights Amendment and its relevance to climate action. https://www.oceraunited.org/
Rather than a traditional lecture, this gathering will center community voices, questions, and concerns about what environmental rights mean in practice and how constitutional protections could shape climate policy, accountability, and long-term stewardship. The session is designed to inform future advocacy while ensuring community perspectives help guide the conversation. Email SOCAN with questions about this general meeting.
Additional OCERA programs will be offered throughout the region:
• 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, at Mountain Meadows, Ashland
• 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, in the Science Theater at SOU
• 5 p.m. Thursday, April 2, at Troon Vineyard and Farm, 1475 Kubli Rd, Grants Pass. Co-sponsored by Troon Vineyard and Farm.
