Welcome to our monthly newsletter, where we highlight some of the amazing work our volunteer teams have been up to. But first, we wanted to invite you to our Holiday Action Night next Tuesday.
Join us for a Holiday Action Night & Art Show at the 350PDX office
Celebrate the holidays with the 350PDX community, and check out art for sale that’s been donated by volunteers, staff, and board members.
Tues Dec 13th, 6-8pm (doors will open at 5pm for the art show)
350PDX Office, 3625 N Mississippi Ave
You can also check out our online Art Sale for Climate Justice here (sale ends Dec 16th!). All proceeds go to supporting our end-of-year fundraising goal to raise $100,000. You can also just make a donation here to help us hit our goal. Thank you.
Read on to learn about our teams’ accomplishments, how you can join a team, and opportunities to take action.
TEAM UPDATES
Want to get involved but not sure where to start? Fill out the Volunteer Form
Fossil Fuel Resistance Team
This month, join us at the following forums about two main campaigns our team works on: 1) stopping Zenith Energy’s oil-by-rail facility and transforming the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub, and 2) fighting for clean and healthy fossil fuel free buildings in our community. If you support the work of our team and feel moved to make a donation to our end of year fundraising goal, you can donate here. Thank you so much for your support!
TAKE ACTION: Join us for the third community forum in our series: Rumble on the River: What’s Up with Zenith Energy and the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub in Portland? happening TOMORROW, Thursday, December 8th from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at the Multnomah Friends Meetinghouse (4312 SE Stark). The all-star panel lineup is new from the last forum, and includes 350PDX Campaign Manager, Dineen O’Rourke as the moderator! See more information here. No need to RSVP, just show up!
Stop the GTN XPress pipeline expansion: For years, communities in the Pacific Northwest have been standing up to fossil fuel corporations. Now, TC Energy (the company behind Keystone XL) is trying to quietly expand the GTN pipeline with an additional 150 million cubic feet of gas per day while also adding a new gas compressor station in Morrow County, OR. This proposed expansion project is called GTN Xpress. GTN XPress is expected to result in more than 3.24 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. The increased pollution would be the same as adding 754,000 passenger vehicles on the road per year until 2052.
TAKE ACTION: Join us for a live panel discussion on building electrification, clean energy, and local climate policy at the Milwaukie Clean Homes and Buildings community forum on Sunday, Dec 11 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Chapel Theater (4107 SE Harrison St., Milwaukie). Hear from green architects, medical experts, and local community members about ongoing initiatives, statewide efforts, and the importance of building efficient homes now. It’s also a chance for everyone to ask questions, discuss as a community these complicated issues, and come together around common goals. Snacks and beverages provided, with beverages available for purchase at the bar. RSVP here.
GET CONNECTED: We meet every other Tuesday at 5:30pm, and our meetings alternate between on Zoom and in-person. Our next meeting is on Tues, Jan 10. For more informaiton, reach out to our team leads, Melanie and Dineen: melanie.plaut@gmail.
Forest Defense Team
The state forest policy sub-team is celebrating the Board of Forestry’s commitment to adopting a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for Western Oregon state forests that provides robust protection for threatened species in a climate-uncertain future. At the last Board of Forestry meeting, Board members listened to two hours of public testimony, 75% of which supported a strong HCP, before voting down a motion to adopt an HCP most favorable to the timber industry. Appreciations to all who testified!
GET INFORMED: Join members of the Forest Defense team and the PNW Forest Climate Alliance for a webinar Thursday, December 8th at 6 pm about how Wall Street money is leading to clearcut Oregon forests, and actions we can take to change that. Register here!
Additionally, our shade equity team helped organize a strong community sign-on letter asking Commissioner Rubio to ensure that the $40 million of PCEF funds just allocated for growing shade equity are managed in a way that builds community empowerment. Save the date for the “We love our urban forest” social on Monday, February 13th from 5:30-7:30 at the 350PDX HQ. We’ll be inviting folks from the Shade Equity coalition and other tree-affiliated groups to come share their knowledge (and love) of Portland’s urban forest.
TAKE ACTION: Ask Commissioner Rubio to create an inclusive process for public and private stakeholders that ensures the city’s new investment in shade equity is grounded in equitable partnerships and advances PCEF’s climate justice goals.
GET CONNECTED: The next general Forest Defense team meeting is on Monday, 1/2/23 6-7:30pm, via zoom. Contact 350PDX Forest Climate Manager Brenna (brenna@350pdx.org), or co-leads Felice (felice.kelly@gmail.com) or Tyler (tyler@350pdx.org) for meeting details.
City/County Watchdog Team
What a year for City/County Watchdog! Last week, we wrapped up one of our biggest projects of the last two years as the Portland Charter Review Commission made their final decisions regarding the Phase II reforms they’d advance to Portland voters or to City Council. Their final meetings were tough for Commissioners and advocates alike. In the end, nine proposed charter amendments will proceed directly to the November 2024 ballot and six more, including several amendments we’ve championed, will make an additional stop at City Council before they can proceed to Portland voters.
You can read more about the breakdown in this piece from the Portland Mercury. Here are some key updates:
- Proposal #12 — which contains many of the reforms around environmental rights and climate commitments we’ve pushed for — was referred to City Council. The Charter Commission will first present its work, including the referred amendments, to Council on January 19th, 2023.
- Proposal #14 — which would establish a participatory budgeting program open to all Portland residents — was also referred to City Council.
- Proposal #1 — which would untie the City’s hands when it comes to weatherization & energy efficiency policies that apply to existing buildings — will proceed directly to voters in 2024! This is a big win for our City’s ability to effectively and equitably address carbon emissions from buildings and lower some energy bills in the process.
It’s disappointing that many of our priorities must clear another hurdle before they can face the public, but this is not the end of the road. We’ll be ready in 2023 to make our case with City Council and strengthen the partnerships with organizations like Participatory Budgeting Oregon, Sunrise PDX, and Portland Public Employees Act for Climate Emergency (PEACE) we’ve built along the way. If you’ve attended a Charter Commission meeting, written a comment, knocked on a door, or lent a hand in any way during this long campaign, we thank you and we hope you are proud of all we’ve accomplished together.
GET CONNECTED: Watchdog has a lot to look forward to in 2023: pushing these amendments through City Council, keeping an eye on Portland’s first-ever districting process, checking up on the progress of the Climate Emergency Workplan, and so much more. Want to get involved? Email Chris (chris@350pdx.org) to join us for our first meeting of the year on January 5th from 5:30-7 PM.
Creative Team
The Creative Team uses storytelling to make the climate justice movement irresistible. This month, we’ve focused on building out a messaging workbook to help guide 350PDX’s campaign teams as they design their communications strategies, as well as a style guide for 350PDX to use throughout our work. Creative Team members have also continued designing a new 350PDX zine and been showing up to support the Fossil Fuel Resistance Team by filming the Rumble on the River community forum series on Zenith Energy and the CEI Hub. Finally, we’re continuing to supporting the Forest Defense Team, Divest Oregon, and the Gas-busters campaign in creating messaging strategies (check out our Gas-busters video — “Natural gas is the new lead paint“)!
Next steps for the Creative Team include onboarding new members, organizing trainings on Story-Based Strategy, and creating more training materials around 350PDX’s approach to messaging strategy.
GET CONNECTED: Fill out this form to get on our roster and receive the Creative Team newsletter!
Arts Team
The 350 PDX Arts Team was busy last month with several art builds and a rally. We finally completed building the five large tree puppets, and they all made a silent but powerful vigil at last month’s Forest rally downtown, along with our Forest Defense is Climate Defense posters and a banner. We also made a bunch of beautiful small handpainted forest panoramas for the Art Fundraiser. Check them out!
Coming up soon we have another art build December 11, from 1-4 at the 350PDX offices. We will continue work on our Mother Earth puppet and clean up our mess in the offices, and do some drumming practice. Please consider joining us for the fun, and let Donna know if you can come, so we have enough refreshments! Donna: murph1949@aol.com
GET CONNECTED: Our art builds are November 6 and November 13, at the 350PDX office. Contact Donna (murph1949@aol.com) for more information about art builds and the arts team. Do you have ideas of what you would like to do or to offer? Please get in touch with Donna!
SW Team
Welcome to 350 PDX’s SW Team! Our current members live in southwest neighborhoods from PSU to Beaverton, West Hills to Lake Oswego and in between.
We’ve had a good year of activism, but are interested in growing in size so we can do more. Here are some of the ideas we are discussing for implementation in 2023:
- Sign waving at busy intersections
- Getting more yard signs in neighborhoods
- Neighborhood film screenings or classes on climate change at libraries
- Supporting increased tree planting in Portland through online petitions or volunteering
- Sending emails/letters/postcards to universities or brokerages to divest from fossil fuels
GET CONNECTED: Contact emilypolans
Washington County Team
Elections: Our team is relieved with many successes from the election work we did to get out the vote locally and at State level. We have big hope for climate action forward momentum in the 2023 Oregon legislative session..
The Washington County Team is continuing two local campaigns. One is to encourage the Washington County Board of Commissioners to complete drafting and take action on an overdue County Climate Resolution. We will continue to do all possible grassroots work to encourage the Commissioners to take their best bold action asap. Next consideration of the County sustainability team staff’s recommendations will be on February 7 – please let us know if you’d like to help out!
The second campaign is to track the City of Hillsboro’s push-back against recently adopted DLCD Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities rules.
TAKE ACTION: We thank 350PDX for lending us a recent hand to get the word out on these issues. And we WELCOME anyone who would like to help us take ongoing grassroots action on these fronts! We need to keep submitting public comments and letters to the editor to local papers. Please send an email to debbygactivism@gmail.com
GET CONNECTED: We normally meet on second Tuesdays monthly, but this month we’ll meet online at 6:30pm on Wednesday December 14, and we are planning a year end or New Year holiday party as well. Please stay tuned to our Facebook page for updates on that. We always welcome newcomers to our regular monthly 6:30pm second Tuesday (online) meetings and at all our events. Find our meeting and events listings on the 350PDX calendar. Email 350WashCo@
In solidarity,
350PDX Staff – Anissa, Brenna, Chris, Dineen, Eloise, Emily, Indi, and Julia
350PDX Board & Team Leads
P.S. We are largely community funded, and we need to raise $100,000 by year end to make sure we can continue these campaigns for climate justice, keep growing the movement, and support our teams. Can you make a donation by Dec 31 to help us keep up momentum?
