350PDX Weekly Update – Healthy Homes + General Meeting Tonight – Feb 10 2021

Hi everyone,

In 2020, it became even more clear that living in a healthy home is essential. Our society’s housing is largely energy inefficient and in massive need of repairs. When drafty houses means higher energy bills, low-income families are at the highest risk. People living in energy inefficient homes experience sick days and hospital visits caused by mold, cold weather, and an inability to take refuge from bad outdoor air quality, like climate crisis-induced wildfire smoke. This is even more dangerous during a respiratory pandemic: research shows that people who breathe polluted air are at greater risk of severe cases of COVID-19.

Our housing quality problem is harming the lives of everyday Oregonians and it needs to change. Luckily, this legislative session, we have the opportunity to drastically improve the lives of Oregonians by passing the Healthy Homes bill, a key bill in the Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity campaign that 350PDX is proud to be a strong supporter of.

The Healthy Homes bill (HB 2842) would create a Healthy Homes Program and Healthy Homes Repair Fund within the Oregon Health Authority, an Interagency task force on Healthy Homes, more disaster-resilient homes, good, local jobs in home retrofitting, and more. This bill is an innovative and exciting frontline-led solution.

Tomorrow morning, this bill will have its first hearing in the Oregon House, from 8:25AM to 10:00AM. Click here to watch the livestream of the hearing tomorrow morning to learn more about the bill and hear directly from folks across the state about why this bill would benefit their lives and communities. Then, join us in submitting written testimony to express our support for this bill and why you think this is important in the fight for climate justice.

Here’s your 350PDX weekly update.

Actions

All these actions and more can be found on our website’s Take Action page – 350pdx.org/action

• Tell Portland City Council: Take Strong Action Against Zenith Energy for Illegal Construction

  On January 11, our allies at Willamette Riverkeeper and Columbia Riverkeeper filed a joint notice of intent to sue Zenith Energy over illegal and ongoing construction at its Portland facility during the pandemic.

  The suit is a watershed moment in the multi-year fight against this crude oil by rail terminal, which in 2019 began moving Tar Sands and Bakken oil through the Columbia Gorge, Vancouver, WA, and Portland – violating the spirit of Portland’s landmark 2016 ban on new fossil fuel infrastructure. When Zenith applied for a permit to begin importing a toxic substance called MDI, we successfully pushed the City to defeat that proposal. Since then, Zenith has said it will develop its terminal to handle biofuels. Yet during the pandemic they continued moving crude oil and began construction without any of the necessary permits. They need to be held accountable.

  Send a letter to City Commissioners today using this action page!

• Petition: Defend Windel Bolinget! Drop the Shoot to Kill Order

  As part of our global solidarity work, and our partnership with the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) we encourage you to sign this petition to defend environment activist and human rights defender, Windel Bolinget, from a shoot to kill order from the government against him.

Updates​​​​

• 350PDX mailing address and phone number still the same

  On Jan 31st we finished moving out of our office space at 1820 NE 21st Ave, and we’re now working completely remotely. But we are retaining our mailbox there so you can still use that as our mailing address, and our office phone number (503) 281-1485 will not change. It will more likely than not go to voicemail while we are remote, but those voicemails will be checked by the 350PDX staff. (See a fun office graduation video here)

• Read: A Thin Green Line

  Grist article – “During a decade when Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia flouted carbon emissions goals, activists fighting fossil fuel exports made global impact.”

• Watch: “Other Side Of The Hill”

  Free on-demand film screening. 30 min running time. “Other Side of the Hill explores the impacts of a changing climate in rural Eastern Oregon – as seen through the eyes of local leaders on the ground. From innovative timber operations in Wallowa County to large scale solar in Lakeview, we amplify the voices of rural communities often left unheard. In a time of unprecedented cultural divide between rural and urban Oregon, we find common ground in an urgency to address a changing landscape.”

• Read: How Oil and Gas Corporations Funded an Attempted Coup

  Oil and gas corporations, including Chevron and Exxon, have donated a total of $5.4 million to the seven Senators who voted to overturn the presidential election and bolstered a violent, failed attempted coup by pro-Trump extremists.

• Read: White nationalism gave us the climate emergency. Now, it’s our biggest obstacle.

  “If we don’t acknowledge the racist roots of opposition to climate action, the world is going to keep spiraling towards chaos. It’s bad now. But it will get much, much worse.”

Opportunities​​​​

• 350PDX February General Meeting

  TONIGHT Wed Feb 10, 6:00PM – 7:30PM, Online

  Join us for this month’s General Meeting which is open to all and is a great place for new and existing volunteers to meet staff and other volunteers, come and hear what the other teams are up to, and to do a deep dive into a topic.

  We’ll have two opportunities for taking action. First from our Forest Defense team who are in the depths of a campaign to get more climate advocates appointed to the Board of Forestry. And second from our Defund/Divest team who are continuing the fight to hold Chase Bank accountable as the largest funder of fossil fuels in the world. Register here.

• Benefit Screening of film: Necessity: Oil, Water, and Climate Resistance

  Everyday until Feb 21st, with a special panel on Mon Feb 15, 5:00PM, Online – Register here

  Extinction Rebellion US (XRUS), in conjunction with other climate justice partners, is organizing a two week fundraiser for Indigenous water protectors and an educational panel on Indigenous action at the Minnesota Line 3 resistance sites.

  The online movie fundraiser will take place February 5th – February 21st – on the Eventbrite you can pick any day. Registrants can donate on a sliding scale and then watch within that time frame. Proceeds will go to Indigenous water protectors in the Giniw Collective and Miigizi Camp.

• Let’s Celebrate! Wins on Kalama Methanol and Jordan Cove LNG

  Wed Feb 17, 6:00PM – 7:30PM, Online – Register here

  On January 19th, years of organizing work paid off on two of our biggest NW fights on the same day! The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) upheld the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s denial of the key Clean Water Act permit for the proposed Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and Pacific Connector fracked gas pipeline in Southern Oregon. And then the Washington Department of Ecology denied the key Shorelines permit for the massive fracked gas-to-methanol refinery proposed in Kalama, WA.

  These wins do not happen every day. These victories clearly demonstrate the immense power of grassroots organizing and the local communities who’ve been leading these fights on the ground for years. Thank you for being in this fight and come raise a virtual glass with us as we take time to soak in these victorious moments!

• Climate Change and Mt. Hood’s Forests

  Tues Feb 23, 6:00PM – 7:30PM, Online

  Check out this presentation from Bark, that will dive into the effects of climate change on our local moutanin and surrounding ecosystems. Register here, and share Facebook event here

• Portland Black Lives Matter Protests
  Every day @ across the city – details here
  Click here for our advice for showing up to protest

Thank you all for the work that you do, stay safe, we’re all in this together,
Chris, Chuck, Dineen, Indi, Lucy – the 350PDX staff