350PDX Weekly Update – Parable of the Choir – Feb 12 2020

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Hi everyone,

The best part of my role at 350PDX is that I get to watch people progress from someone who ticks ‘interested in volunteering’ on a sign-up form, through orientations, trainings, and settling into a sustained and meaningful role on one of our teams. And I also see volunteers have to take a step back because their life gets busy. They get a new job, someone gets sick, or any number of other good reasons. But often with that stepping back I see people take on a feeling of guilt. Guilt that they’re letting the movement down, and that guilt makes it hard to step back up when life frees up again. And for a while I’ve been trying to articulate why you should absolutely not feel guilty for having to take a step back! A few days ago I found my answer on Twitter.

 


Image says: “A friend once shared what she called the Parable of the Choir: A choir can sing a beautiful note impossibly long because singers can individually drop out to breathe as necessary and the note goes on. Social justice activism should be like that, she said. That’s stuck with me.”

Here’s your 350PDX weekly update.

Requests

  • Join our Accessibility Committee!

    Are you interested in helping 350PDX become more accessible to people with disabilities and people whose primary language is not English? Apply to join the Accessibility Committee! Committee members will lead in creating an Accessibility Policy to launch in 2021. The Committee will meet March – October, 2020. Thank you!

  • Action Alert: Waste Incineration Is Not Renewable Energy

    Covanta is once again trying to divert clean energy money to put their aging waste incinerator on life support, and our friends at Oregon PSR are fighting hard against it. Take action: Tell the Oregon House Committee on Energy and Environment to Reject House Bill 4049, the Covanta Marion waste incineration subsidy bill. Review these awesome talking points and instructions for submitting comments here. When you submit your comments, be sure to include your full name and the city you live in. Thank you for taking action to protect the health of our communities and our climate! Email your comments to hee.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov.

  • Support HB 4067

    Tomorrow (Thursday) night, join the Oregon Sierra Club for their Action Night in support of HB 4067, a bill that will create a low-income rate class for public utilities in Oregon! The Action Night is from 6:30 – 8:00 PM at Oregon Sierra Club, 1821 SE 21st Avenue, Portland, OR.

  • ​Urge US Industry to Stop Insuring Fossil Fuels 

    One of the allies of the 350PDX Defund/Divest Team is asking our community to share the note below with business contacts, regardless of sector or size, asking them to sign on.

    As the world, from Australia to Davos, demands urgent climate action, there’s a growing call for the financial sector, including the insurance industry, to move money out of fossil fuels. To that end, the Insure Our Future campaign is circulating a joint business statement for businesses to urge the US insurance industry to stop insuring fossil fuels. Please add your company’s name by February 28.

    Background: Insurers support fossil fuels in two ways: first, they provide critical coverage for fossil fuel projects – if there’s no insurance to build new coal plants or gas pipelines, they won’t get financed and built. Second, insurance companies invest their customers’ premiums into fossil fuels – they hold hundreds of billions in coal, oil, and gas. So far, 19 global insurance companies have ruled out insurance and investments for coal; of these, just four are US insurers. Insurance companies need to hear from their customers – the joint business statement is a way to show support for greener insurance options and to join the growing call for insurers to get serious about climate change.

    Questions can be directed to Mary Sweeters, Insure Our Future at mary@sunriseproject.net or Nina Rauch, Lemonade Insurance at nina.rauch@lemonade.com.

Updates

  • Big news for the Oregon Forest Waters Protection Act

    Timber companies and conservation groups have agreed to stand down from their ballot measure fight over Oregon’s logging rules, striking a compromise that sets the stage for the biggest changes to Oregon’s logging practices in decades. This was to be the core campaign of our new Forest Defense team, and we’re still digesting what this deal means for bold action on climate when it comes to our forests.

  • New York City bans all fossil fuel projects

    The Mayor of New York City announcing a ban on new fossil fuel projects will reverberate across the US and around the world as a nail in the coffin of the fossil fuel economy. This is the biggest city to date that has banned new pipelines, plants or other projects. Portland of course was the first city to pass such a ban back in 2016, so this is another example of how the trailblazing work we do here has national implications. Well done NYC!

Opportunities

  • Undamming our Hearts – Webinar with EcoFaith Recovery

  • TOMORROW Thurs Feb 13, 5:00PM – 6:30PM @ Zoom online gatheringWant to engage in the climate crisis through a spiritual lens? Join EcoFaith Recovery’s webinar. “How do we best honor and feel the grief, anger, and fear that are normal and healthy responses to living in a time of climate crisis. What do EcoFaith Recovery’s Practices of Awakening Leadership have to teach us about sitting with and welcoming hard emotions so that we can move into greater miraculous potential and power together to create with God the world for which the divine heart longs.” Learn more and RSVP here. Zoom online meeting link will be sent to you when you register.

  • Fire Drill Fridays

    Fri Feb 14, 12:00PM – 1:00PM @ Portland City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave, PortlandEvery Friday folks are assembling outside City Hall in an energetic and colorful vigil to keep the pressure on Mayor Ted Wheeler to shut down the Zenith tar sands terminal in NW Porland, and to raise awareness from people and cars passing by.

    Bring signs or banners, or just bring yourself. Among the many things such a sign can say is “Fire Drill Fridays,” “Stop Zenith Energy,” “No More Bomb Trains,” “Mayor & Commissioners: Stand Strong!” 2×3 signs are big enough to be visible to walkers-by and drivers-by.

  • The Activism Show

    Weds Feb 19 & Thurs Feb 20, 7:00PM – 8:30PM @ Kickstand Comedy, 16 NW Broadway, Portland – Facebook event hereTotally Normal is a variety comedy show all about getting rid of shame and helping you feel normal in a world that is… not so normal. What is normal, anyway? Totally Normal is massively funny, profound, empathetic, and moving. This month is about Activism and Shame — how are those things connected? Activism is awesome, right? Right! But sometimes (often?) the world can feel like a chaotic, loud, burning pile of plastic garbage fire and all we have is a bio-degradable trash bag & a monthly contribution to Democracy Now. Shame rises from the ashes – of not doing enough, not knowing enough, of not doing it the right way & everything in between. This month’s Totally Normal sees you and wants to say that not all is lost. Come join us to get some haha’s and aha’s about how to make this world just a little better, brighter, and more sustainable.

    Feb. 19 & 20 / Doors at 7pm / Show at 7:30 / $10 presale or at the door – 20% of proceeds go to 350PDX

  • Defund / Divest Team Meeting
    Thurs Feb 20, 6:00PM – 8:00PM @ 350PDX, 1820 NE 21st Ave, Portland

    Join the Defund/Divest Team to get involved in their exciting new campaigns, including the Stop the Money Pipeline campaign. Read more about what this team does on their excellent new upgraded webpage! There’s lots to do and they need you!
    [An earlier email listed the wrong date for this meeting. It is Thurs Feb 20! You can always check the online calendar if you’re unsure about meeting details]

  • Civil Disobedience Workshop
    Sat Feb 22, 10:00AM – 3:00PM @ RSVP for location
    For info or to RSVP, contact Bonnie: (503) 705-1943, or goto350pdx@gmail.com
    This free workshop is for people considering risking arrest, those who want to support others risking arrest, or for those who want a greater understanding of why civil disobedience is an effective tactic.
    Workshop Includes: Brief History of Civil Disobedience; Personal Grounding; Possible Legal Consequences; Practical Preparation for Risking Arrest; Know Your Rights; Action Roles and Tactics; Action Practice and Planning
    Please plan on participating through the entire session.
  • Portland Mayoral Climate and Environmental Justice Forum
    Sat Mar 8, 6:00PM – 9:00PM @ Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St Portland
    Together with Sunrise PDX and Harriet Tubman Middle School Environmental Club, we are co-hosting a Mayoral candidate climate and environmental justice forum. Confirmed so far are Incumbent Mayor Ted Wheeler, Sarah Iannarone, and Teressa Raiford. This is going to be a huge chance for the people of this city to see where our mayoral candidates stand on climate and environmental justice. There’s an 800 seat capacity so invite the young people in your life to come along with you. Get your tickets here!

Thank you all for the work that you do, here’s to ten years of radical positive change,
Chris – 350PDX Volunteer & Communications Manager

Accessibility Committee: Volunteer Opportunity 350PDX Weekly Update – Civil Disobedience – Feb 19 2020