Hi everyone,
As many are coming together for Thanksgiving — a National Day of Mourning — this week, we must dismantle the myths around this “holiday” and recognize the horrific legacy of colonialism, genocide, and erasure that settlers have historically and continue to perpetuate against Indigenous communities. We must recognize how our spaces, including the climate justice movement, are still steeped in colonialism and white supremacy culture. And we must honor the historical and ongoing work of Indigenous land defenders and climate justice leaders fighting for the rights and sovereignty they’re owed.
This is also a time for us to reflect on COP27, where BIPOC (Black and Indigenous people and People of Color) and other frontline voices led the way. Hundreds of climate activists, Indigenous people, workers, disability justice activists, and others signed a People’s Declaration for Climate Justice, in which they demanded decolonization, climate reparations, and climate action to keep us below 1.5 degrees Celsius and reach zero emissions by 2030. They took action outside the plenary hall last Thursday to give greater voice to their demands. We also want to uplift the three core messages the It Takes Roots & frontline delegation brought to COP27: 1) demand climate reparations, 2) no false solutions, and 3) defend human rights & the rights of Indigenous peoples. You can read It Takes Roots’ full COP27 response here.
As COP27 wrapped up on Friday, it became clear that this would be another year of world leaders letting us down. While the Loss and Damage fund may have been a step in the right direction, it remains to be seen if those funds will translate into the direct, no-strings-attached funding that communities are calling for. Moreover, the Sharm El-Sheikh Implementation Plan does little to actually phase out fossil fuels or address the root causes of the climate crisis, while still leaving loopholes for false “solutions” like carbon capture. COP27 was in many ways a disappointment, but it’s important to honor the BIPOC and frontline-led work that continues to shape our collective future. Let’s take this moment to recommit to actions supporting frontline communities – particularly if you are an accomplice in fights for Indigenous rights and racial justice. We invite you to read on for more events, opportunities, and ways you can donate to frontline fights.
Resources, events, places to donate
- Join NAYA for their second annual Unthanksgiving event Nov 24 and 25 from 11am-2pm. Meet at their community garden (5135 NE Columbia BLVD, Portland) to be in reciprocity and solidarity with the land and Native community. There will be activities for all ages and abilities including seed sorting, art projects, and land tending jobs/projects. Please bring gardening attire appropriate for the weather and gardening tools if you have them. RSVP here. Questions? Contact: bonzw@nayapdx.org
- This Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday, make a gift to Indigenous-led efforts to care for land and restore self-determination
- Rethinking Thanksgiving Toolkit: The Indigenous Solidarity Network created this extensive toolkit, which includes accurate histories of this “holiday” and answers to common myths, questions you can use as prompts around the dinner table, places to donate and support Indigenous-led movements and organizations, and lots of resources on decolonizing and reparations.
- Heartbeat of The Homelands Climate Justice Map: In honor of Native American Heritage Month and the tireless work of climate justice warriors everywhere, Indigenous Peoples Power Project launched this interactive map of environmental issues affecting Indigenous communities.
- Resources from IEN on nature-based solutions, climate finance, and more.
Read on for more opportunities to take action. Thank you for being a part of this work!
In solidarity,
350PDX Staff and Community
Take Action
For quick actions like petitions, check out our Take Action Page. Take the Pledge of Action for more updates.
Tell your Senators: Stop the GTN XPress fracked gas 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.
Last Friday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement on the project, and as expected, it was woefully inadequate, downplaying emissions and neglecting to engage stakeholders and those most impacted by this project. It’s imperative that our Oregon Senators voice their opposition to this project as soon as possible, because FERC is planning on making a decision on February 16. Send a message to our Senators today.
Help get key charter reforms across the finish line!
In these final weeks of the campaign to reform the Portland City Charter, we have the chance to lock in climate justice action for years to come. Through the next round of Charter reforms, the City could make an explicit commitment to phasing out fossil fuels, create a climate impact assessment for City decisions, and more. Help get a fossil fuel phase-out and other key charter reforms across the finish line! Submit a public comment by 7pm Nov 28th. See our toolkit with full instructions here.
Demand ODOT conducts a full Environmental Impact Statement on the project
Join No More Freeways in challenging ODOT’s proposed $1.45 billion Rose Quarter Freeway Expansion: Submit a public comment demanding ODOT conducts a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the project. This freeway expansion project would lock us into more fossil fuel infrastructure and expose the Harriet Tubman Middle School to dangerous levels of pollution. We need a full EIS that studies alternatives to freeway expansion.
Free the lower Snake River
Indigenous communities, environmental groups, and others have long been calling to remove the four lower Snake River dams — to help save Northwest salmon and steelhead from the brink of extinction. The Biden Administration has made a commitment to develop a long-term restoration strategy to restore salmon and other native fish populations to healthy and abundant levels, bringing us closer to restoring a free-flowering lower Snake River. But the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is standing in the way. Join us in calling on the U.S. Department of Energy and Secretary Jennifer Granholm to ensure the BPA is an active partner in freeing the Snake River, protecting native fish populations, and honoring the rights of Indigenous communities.
Events & Opportunities
Join us for Rumble on the River #3: A Community Forum on Zenith Energy and the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub
Thurs, Dec 8, 6pm — Multnomah Friends Meetinghouse (4312 SE Stark, Portland) — Learn more here
This is the third in a series of free community forums to educate and activate around the threats to public health, safety and our environment stemming from the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub and Zenith Energy’s oil-by-rail operations. Each forum has a new line-up of speakers! This one will be moderated by 350PDX’s Campaign Manager, Dineen O’Rourke, and will be featuring Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal and more speakers. Learn more and see the full list of speakers here. Info Tables @ 6:00 pm, Panel @ 6:30 pm. Tea and cookies provided!
Missed the last Rumble? Check out a recording of it here, and a big thank you to Creative Team volunteer Mara for filming!
Northwest Rally for Our Forests and Climate
Thurs, Dec 8, 6pm — online, register here!
You’re invited to join the 350PDX Forest Defense team and friends for a webinar about the campaign to challenge Wall Street ownership of our forests. We’ll explore the connections between the climate, forest, and divest movements, dig into the role of Wall St asset managers in exploiting our forests and timberlands, and TIAA’s role in particular in funding fossil fuel & clear-cut forestry projects. We’ll also offer ways to learn more and get involved in existing campaigns to challenge the current exploitative model of financial clearcuts. Register here!
Join our friends at OPAL in testifying at the next TriMet Board meeting
Wed, Dec 14, 9am-12:30pm – learn more here
A few weeks ago, Trimet Directors backed a proposal to raise adult fares by 30 cents and Honored Citizen and Youth Pass fares by 15 cents starting in January 2024. There has been no option for the public to provide input or comment on these fare increases. This lack of public process is completely unacceptable. The official vote on the fare increase ordinance is in April, 2023. The next TriMet Board meeting is on December 14th, and OPAL will be there giving public comment – and you can join them! You can submit written testimony, provide virtual testimony or be there in-person – learn more here. It is essential that TriMet knows that we’re watching and we will NOT accept this decision to increase fairs without public input.
Other ways to take action:
- Sign up to phone bank! OPAL is hosting phone banking sessions the evenings of Nov 30 and Dec 1. If you’re interested, please email Ellie, OPAL’s Campaign Organizer, at ellie@opalpdx.org.
- Bus organize! Abby, OPAL’s Bus Riders Unite! (BRU) organizer, hosts monthly weekend bus organizing to talk to folks about the issues that impact their transit experience and encouraging folks to take action to prevent the fare increase. Email Abby at abby@opalpdx.org if you want to get involved
- Sign up for OPAL’s email list to learn more about this and other campaigns.
Actions with Don’t Shoot PDX
Throughout the week, across the city – details here
Worker Solidarity Actions
Throughout the week, across the city – visit the Portland Jobs with Justice page for more info (PJWJ is a coalition of over 100 labor, faith, community and student organizations and individual activists taking action for workers rights and economic justice). Also see their list of solidarity actions.
Make a purchase from the 350PDX Art Sale – or volunteer to support the sale!
We’ve launch our Art Sale for Climate Justice! All pieces in the sale have been generously donated by staff, volunteers, or supporters of 350PDX, and 100% of the proceeds go towards helping us hit our end of year fundraising goal. The sale goes until December 16th, although last year some of the coolest pieces sold out quick so check out the sale now! We’ll also be adding new stuff throughout the month as more donations come in.
Art Sale Delivery Volunteers Needed! We’re doing “grassroots delivery” for all art pieces bought by folks in the Portland area, which means staff and volunteers are delivering art themselves. And we need help! If you have transportation and any free time between Nov 28th and Dec 18th we can use you! Contact chris@350pdx.org if you can help.
