Dr. Robert Doyle Bullard Award
Robert Bullard is known as the father of environmental justice. This award honors someone who tirelessly works to address the interconnectedness of housing, environmental justice, and climate change adaptation to improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable Oregonians.
Oriana Magnera, Energy, Climate and Transportation Manager – VERDE
In June 2021, Oregon experienced a historic week-long heat wave, otherwise known as the Heat Dome, resulting in one hundred heat-related deaths statewide. Many landlords prohibited tenants from installing their own cooling devices and there were an inadequate number of accessible cooling centers. Oriana Magnera, Energy, Climate and Transportation Program Manager with Verde, championed SB 1536, the Tenants’ Right to Cooling bill, which passed with bipartisan support. The legislation requires residential landlords to provide cooling devices to tenants during extreme weather events, cooling areas, and more while prioritizing the most vulnerable people. Ms. Magnera exhibited remarkable negotiating skills that created common agenda collaborative relationships between both tenant and landlord advocates.