April Chapter meeting 4/16 at 7 pm on zoom
Oregon leaders of Physicians for Social Responsibility join us to Discuss Climate Change
Featured Speakers: Samantha Hernandez, Melanie Plaut, and Ann Turner from Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
Our Wednesday 4/16 meeting will start at 7 pm.
Oregon leaders of Physicians for Social Responsibility discuss Climate Change. Guided by their values and expertise in medicine and public health, the Nobel Peace Prize winning organization works to protect human life from the gravest threats to health and survival.
Their talk includes a brief history of OPSR, including anti-nuclear activism and winning the Nobel Peace Prize; an explanation of their work for a Healthy Climate and Peace and Justice; and key Oregon campaign areas, including Electrification, Hydrogen blending and the the Portland CEI HUB. The talk will be followed by a Q&A session. Portland’s Chapter of the Climate Reality Project hosts this talk on April 16 at 7pm via zoom . Free and open to all.
We’ll have Chapter updates and Member announcements in addition to our guest presentation and Q&A. Register here
Speaker Bios:
Samantha Hernandez (she/her) is the Healthy Climate Program Director at Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility. Her efforts are focused on supporting campaigns and coalitions advocating for climate justice and a just transition. Samantha works to support coalitions such as Stand Up To Oil, Build/Shift, and Oregon PSR’s Healthy Climate Action Team. She graduated from Lewis & Clark College with a bachelor’s degree in Hispanic studies and environmental studies. After Hialeah, FL, Samantha considers Portland to be a second home. The enriching friendships she has made while interning at local organizations like Portland Harbor Community Coalition, Portland VOZ, and Growing Gardens have greatly informed her perspectives on the importance of frontline community-led action.

Melanie Plaut MD retired from her OB/GYN practice in 2016. She has worked since then on issues related to the climate crisis, especially where climate and health intersect. She works with 350PDX and Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, as well as other organizations. Favorite quote: “Everything we burn, we breathe.” – David Wallace-Wells.

Ann Turner MD (she/her) is the Co-Interim Executive Director of Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility. She retired primary care physician with a career in community health. In Oregon, I worked at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, caring for migrant farmworker and other low income and vulnerable families. Since retirement, I have been a volunteer with Oregon Physicians for Social Reponsibility’s Healthy Climate Action Team, working on the intersection of climate, health and environmental justice. When I feel discouraged, I read this quote from Rebecca Solnit: “They want you to feel powerless and to surrender and to let them trample everything and you are not going to let them. You are not giving up, and neither am I. The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving.”
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More from Climate Reality Project Portland Chapter:
Check out our initiatives page to find out more about what we’re doing!
Chapter meetings are at 7 pm the third Wednesday of the month. To accommodate members from different parts of the Portland Metro area and beyond, our meetings are primarily on zoom, with in person social events a few times per year.