What is MESG?
Milwaukie Environmental Stewards Group (MESG) is a non-profit 501-c3 that is committed to informing & educating Milwaukie residents & local leaders about how everyday people can lessen our negative impact on the environment.
We are a small group of citizens who have a passion for doing what we can to make a difference in our homes and community. We began meeting at local shop in 2018 to discuss how to get rid of plastic bags in stores in Milwaukie.
MESG plead our case before the City Council and, in March 2019, the Milwaukie City Council approved an ordinance that bans single-use plastic bags and polystyrene foam packaging by restaurants and retail stores with a store footprint of 10,000 square feet or larger, as well as businesses located on city-owned property.
Until Agilyx closed in Tigard we had been recycling Styrofoam for over 3 years. We are currently looking for an enclosed space in Milwaukie to possibly become a recycling depot under the Recycling Modernization Act .
We need your donations to continue with our work !!
Meet The Team
Pam Denham
I live in Milwaukie with my husband and cat, Ivy; we grow our own strawberries, Marion berries and apples on a small city lot. I’ve been composting since the first Earth Day and am an avid recycler. Recently retired after 40+ years in healthcare and still an active volunteer, I want to continue to find ways to give back to my community and help others where I can.
Terri Geier-Brindell
Happily, I am currently a resident of Milwaukie, Oregon. A retired Special Ed Teacher who spent my life teaching, learning from and advocating for the rights to a better life for people with a wide range of abilities and perceptions about reality.
Currently advocating for the rights of our planet, and the diverse life that inhabits this planet, to survive. I can only hope to support, encourage and inspire others to do what they can to live in a way that will support a better future for our planet.
Liz Start
Elizabeth Chin Start (she/her) has lived in Milwaukie for over 11 years with her husband, Jason, and son, Kai. Her in-laws lived in Milwaukie for over 40 years and inspired the Starts to move to Milwaukie from Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to the MESG Sustainability Fair Planning committee also serves as the Linwood NDA Chair, a member of the Milwaukie Equity Steering Committee, the Oregon Recycling Council member, and a Master Recycler volunteer.