Advertise on podcast: GreenState DEQ podcast

With only a small fraction of Earth’s water available for human use, reusing water helps conserve limited freshwater and groundwater resources. This is even more important amid ongoing drought around Oregon. Co-hosts Dylan Darling and Harry Esteve talk with DEQ water reuse experts Pat Heins and Grace Cannon about the Water Reuse Program. And Delen Kitchen, executive director of the Oregon Garden, shares how the garden near Silverton grows plants with recycled water.

Oregon DEQ's Materials Management program offers Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine Grants. Dylan and Carisma talk with Haley Miller, RRR grants coordinator. And they all visit Garten Services’ Hawthorne facility in Salem to see how a previous grant helped upgrade the nonprofit's electronics refurbishing lab. The 2026 annual funding area is Built for Well-Being: Reducing Exposure to Toxic Substances in Building Materials. DEQ will accept applications from March 23, 2026, through the end of April. https://ordeq.org/RRRgrants

Warm water from wastewater treatment plants can cause pollution problems downstream. Enter water quality trading, an innovative approach to improving water quality by restoring streambank vegetation around Oregon. Brian, an alternative compliance specialist at DEQ, joins Dylan for the first of two episodes about water quality trading. You'll hear some of Brian's appearance on the Clean Water Pod, "Water Quality Trading in Oregon's Tualatin River." Find the Clean Water Pod wherever you get your podcasts.

Dylan and Whitney discuss the Climate Protection Program, which Oregon DEQ revised and the Oregon Environmental Commission adopted in late 2024. Program Manager Nicole Singh joins them to explain how the program sets enforceable and declining limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels used throughout the state. The program will reduce emissions in Oregon by 50% by 2035 and 90% by 2050.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made adjustments to the Air Quality Index, or AQI. So Dylan and Jennifer Horton discuss how to use the tool during wildfire smoke season in Oregon. And DEQ air monitoring expert Matt Shrensel goes deeper into what the changes to the AQI mean and why they were made.

Susan and Dylan talk with DEQ's Oregon Clean Vehicle Program Coordinator Erica Timm to discuss all things electric vehicle rebates. DEQ reopened the popular rebate program, which offers two rebates, for certain EVs purchased by Oregon residents from April 3 to June 3, 2024. Eligible applicants - which may also include Oregon businesses, nonprofit organizations, or government agencies - can take up to $7,500 off the cost of a new or used EV purchased in the two-month window.

Handyman Bob joins Hillarie and Dylan so we can all learn more about asbestos. Bob Strong was a radio personality as a host of a home improvement show from 2008 to 2017 in Portland. Nowadays he co-owns a company that conducts asbestos surveys for other contractors and homeowners. He has some stories to tell about what he has seen in the field. This episode complements Ep. 28 All About Asbestos, when Hillarie and Dylan talked with two asbestos inspectors at DEQ.

Homeowners, potential homebuyers, and renters, if you plan on renovating or demolishing a home in Oregon you need to think about asbestos – a natural mineral that might be in your building materials. Hillarie and Dylan help make asbestos regulations relatable by talking with two inspectors from DEQ, and an Oregon Health Authority toxicologist explains why asbestos is a health concern in the first place.

Dylan and Katie visit a mattress recycling facility in Eugene run by the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County. DEQ's new Mattress Stewardship Program is set to ramp up in 2024, so such facilities will soon be more common around Oregon. Learn all about the program from the agency's mattress stewardship expert and hear perspective from St. Vinnie's emeritus director.

Dylan and Katie catch up with two DEQ food waste prevention experts to learn how to better plan and shop ahead of holiday meals. The advice is good year round and taking on food waste is an easy way to help protect the environment.

New DEQ Director Leah Feldon joins Harry and Dylan for a conversation, which includes Feldon’s thoughts on the direction of the agency, and how she wants to prioritize antiracism and environmental justice in its mission to protect and enhance Oregon’s environment and public health. This episode was recorded at the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication podcast studio.

For more than 20 years a pair of DEQ hydrologists have been sharing their knowledge of surface water and groundwater with outdoor school students in Eastern Oregon. Laura Gleim, DEQ's Eastern Region public affairs specialist, visited outdoor school to learn along with the kids. Laura then catches up with Dylan to talk about her trip into the field. Be ready for some camp songs.

May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and recent summery weather in Oregon has us thinking about wildfire season. So, Susan and Dylan talk about air monitoring and air quality advisories. They learn what's new with the Air Quality Index (AQI) from Hillarie Sales, who does outreach for the DEQ lab, and talk with KGW Meteorologist Chris McGinness about how the media uses the AQI and advisories.

Food waste is the second leading cause of greenhouse gases — a key ingredient of climate change — so prevention is crucial. Katie and Dylan learn about Food Waste Prevention Week, which occurs in early April, and talk with the co-chairs of its planning committee. One chair is from Oregon, and works at DEQ, and the other chair is in Florida. They're working together to spread the event around the country. You'll hear some great, practical tips on how not to waste food, including an interesting trick with an egg.

DEQ generates volumes of public records as a science-based state agency in Oregon. A team of two officials guides record storage and response to public records requests. Dylan and Susan talk with them about how and why DEQ stores public records, and the experts offer advice on how to best find what you need. (Note, Lauren is filling in as a manager at DEQ, so she's taking a break from GreenState.)