I spent a week in the San Francisco Bay Area as the Camp Fire was destroying Paradise, leaving many dead. The smoke blanketing the Bay Area was caustic. Schools closed, and our lungs and throats burned as we wore masks and tried to stay inside.
I was delighted to return to Eugene. Then I felt that familiar burning again — and found the Air Quality Index at 84! Home-heating wood smoke creates fine particles that are very detrimental for everyone — not just children, the sensitive and the elderly. These people are our neighbors.
Ironically, most of us never even feel an impact — it is almost an invisible threat. A simple internet search can show you how harmful breathing smoke is. In a time when there is not a lot of positive leadership from “above,” we have to remember that life is much more lateral than it is top-down.
As citizens and community members, we can take direct steps to improve our air shed and world. Cleaner woodstove technology exists here and now. Research “rocket stove” online. Smoke is simply unburned fuel, just like low-grade diesel “smoke” — it is very harmful.
Why wait for someone to ban it? We live in a big air shed together — regardless of who gets elected. Before we light that next heating fire, we should ask: “What can we do to stay warm and improve the air quality for our community?”
Mark Heitchue
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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