Oregon was green before green was cool.
In a twenty-year stretch, the state made great strides in protecting the environment: putting beaches in public hands, requiring cash deposits for beverages to discourage littering, and land-use regulations to keep growth compact. That's just the short list.
Historian Derek Larson fleshes out the rest in his book Keeping Oregon Green, just out from Oregon State University Press. The author tells the stories of legislating on behalf of environmental protection.