Climate Spotlight: Recycle your mattress for the environment
Climate Spotlight: Recology now offers a new service to residents of Jackson County — mattress recycling. The program is the first in the region.
Go to > Home » Columnists » Climate Spotlight
Climate Spotlight: Recology now offers a new service to residents of Jackson County — mattress recycling. The program is the first in the region.
Climate Spotlight: It’s possible to avoid volatile gas prices while still keeping your home cozy. Heat pump heating-and-cooling systems run on electricity rather than methane — and thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, these appliances are increasingly affordable.
New local survey data is available for policymakers on how residents think about household energy and climate change. The bottom line: Residents support equitable policies to implement energy efficiency measures, expand solar options, and reduce our use of “natural” gas.
Barbara Cervone: “Reports of our inadequate response to the climate emergency roll in as regularly as the tides. The latest came from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), telling us that the crisis is getting worse even faster than we’d imagined. It’s hard to envision a louder alarm, and yet we seem able to sleep through it.”
Alan Journet: “If global warming and its climate change consequences continue unchecked, they are likely to destroy our natural ecosystem (forests, woodlands, grasslands, deserts, etc.) by the end of the century, along with our agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. It’s difficult to imagine how the economic impact of this could be overestimated or ignored.”
Climate Spotlight: “Using ‘natural’ gas is one of the biggest sources of emissions in Ashland. The city needs a concrete plan to phase it out — and so do all the rest of us.”
“It’s mostly methane. It’s bad for our health. It warms the planet way more than carbon dioxide. And it’s flowing into a kitchen near you. Electrification is the best solution.”
Oregon House Rep. Pam Marsh sits in a good spot to drive state-level climate action in Salem. She provided a climate action recap for Ashland.news readers from the just-inked 2022 session.
“Electric school buses mean cleaner air and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Ashlanders should support the Ashland School District in applying for federal funding for its first electric school bus.”
“If we think of climate change as strictly an environmental problem, we may feel that we don’t have the right skills or knowledge to take action. Yet we all have experience as humans, community members, family members and caretakers.”
The Ashland Independent Film Festival will spotlight homegrown talent Saturday, Feb. 21, during its revived Local Lens Spotlight at the Varsity Theatre. The one-night program features 13 short films by filmmakers from Jackson and Siskiyou counties, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and crew.
Evan Frost, ecologist and conservationist, passed away Dec. 12, 2025.
Ashland concertgoers have a chance to encounter a rare musical treat. Klezmer violinist Zoë Aqua and her Transylvanian String Band will play a house concert of klezmer music Wednesday, Feb. 25, as part of the group’s 12-show tour of the Western United States.
The city fire marshal closed Ashland City Hall after a building code inspection found significant structural concerns. Staff will work remotely pending an engineer’s review.
The Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association will bring some of the countries and customs of Asia together for the Lunar New Year celebration. Residents will have the opportunity to learn more about those cultures while kicking off the Year of the Fire Horse throughout downtown Jacksonville.
Ashland Outdoor School Ashland teacher and local fiddle instructor Robin Bliss-Wagner, critically injured Monday, is in a coma in the intensive care unit of a hospital as of publication time Wednesday. Area residents are working to raise up to $45,000 for his care, as well as to help with ICU and other expenses for his wife, Ruth, and their three sons.
(It’s free)