350PDX Weekly Update – We need your insights! – Mar 31 2021

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Hi everyone,

It has been a full year since the pandemic changed all of our lives. It also totally changed how 350PDX operates, with all team meetings going online, staff working from home, and lots of volunteer turnover with many new people joining our activist community. We’ve spent a lot of time reacting to changing conditions and arising crises, and honestly just trying to survive as people and as an organization through an incredibly disruptive moment in history.

But with the cold, dark winter over and the end of the pandemic (hopefully) in sight, it’s time to take a step back, assess how we’re doing, and take a more proactive approach to our organizing.

But for that we need your help! We need your insights, ideas, and feedback to kickstart this process. Please spend 5-15 minutes filling in our Volunteer Activist Survey.

Whether you’re a longtime volunteer, or you’re just on our email list, all views are welcome in this survey. Deadline is April 23, but please take the time now if you are able. Thank you!

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

  • Support the Equitable Transit Access (ETA) BillWe stand with OPAL Environmental Justice in supporting HB 2482, the Equitable Transit Access (ETA) Bill! The ETA bill will prevent over-policing and over-criminalization of riders on public transit, and brings us closer to safe public transit for all. Black folks, Muslim communities, houseless people, and youth get disproportionately targeted by officers within our communities, including while riding transit. We don’t need cops checking fare on transit. Get in touch with your Oregon legislator today and let them know that you support HB 2482! Not sure who your legislator is or how to get in touch with them? Visit bit.ly/LegLookupOR to find how to contact who represents you.
  • Derek Chauvin TrialFor those of you following the Derek Chauvin murder trial, consider following Black Lives Matter Minnesota for local organizations to support, virtual events, and info straight from organizers on the ground in Minnesota.

  • Join the Anti-Racism Daily

    Since June 3, the Anti-Racism Daily has been sending one email a day pairing current events with historical context and personal reflections on how racism persists in the U.S. and around the world. Learn how practices embedded in our politics, criminal justice system, environment, and workplaces enforce systemic oppression – and what you can do about it.

  • No More Costly Walkouts – Letters to the Editor

    There is a growing movement to hold Oregon lawmakers accountable when they walk off the job. We are supporting legislation which would create consequences for State lawmakers who walkout on their job, and the No More Costly Walkouts campaign is asking for people to send in letters to the editor to their local newspapers to push this issue to the top of the public and political consciousness. See their letter to the editor guide here.

Updates​​​​

  • Training: Strategic MessagingWatch the recording of last week’s national 350 training about strategic messaging – “How to develop effective messaging and storytelling to build the climate movement, change the public narrative and run effective campaigns.”
  • New Trainings PageCheck out our new (and growing) trainings page on our website – 350pdx.org/trainings – that shows upcoming live trainings, and also has a list of prerecorded trainings you can watch. This list is far from complete so if you’ve been a part of any excellent trainings and have access to the recordings, please let Chris know (chris@350pdx.org) and he can put them up on our webpage for everyone to access!

Opportunities​​​​

  • 350PDX April General MeetingWed Apr 7, 6:00PM – 7:15PM, 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.

    This month we’ll hear from Indi (our Coalition Manager) and Dineen (our Campaign Manager) for a big mid-legislative session update on all the bills we’re following and supporting, including the bills that are part of the Clean Energy Opportunity campaign, and have an opportunity to get involved and take some action. Register here.

  • Training: Organizing and Movement BuildingSat Apr 10, 11:00AM – 1:30PM, Online

    This is the third in a series of five FREE 1.5 hour trainings run by 350 groups around the country, to ground us in shared principles and empower us to take bolder and more strategic action.

    This training is about Organizing and Movement Building: Why build a movement? How to recruit, engage, and onboard new volunteers, develop volunteer leadership, and build community.

    All members/supporters of 350 affiliates in North America are welcome! Whether you are a new volunteer looking to jumpstart your activism skills, just on the email list and curious about learning more, or a more experienced group member looking to stimulate thinking about new concepts and create stronger connections with peers across the 350 network, these trainings are for you! Recordings and training materials will be available.

  • Global Just Recovery GatheringApr 9-11, Online

    We’re all moving into our second year of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. As we reflect on the tough times that have passed, and look to build a better future for all, now is the time for the climate movement to reconnect.

    This April, 350.org is hosting the Global Just Recovery Gathering, a 3-day online event, full of fun and effective training sessions, graced with amazing activists, leaders, and artists to energize us. It will be a space to design new pathways for a better future for all.

    Register for this exciting gathering here!

    It’s been tough times, but if there’s one thing these times have shown us is that when we stand together, we are powerful. It’s time to gather that power. It is time to recharge, rebuild and reconnect!

    Build your skills, strengthen relationships, and hear from a powerful line-up of climate leaders, artists, and musicians in every corner of the world. Vandana Shiva, Naomi Klein, Hakima Abbas, Ailton Krenak, Nnimmo Bassey, and Eriel Deranger have all confirmed participation, and more will be announced soon!

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

Victory!! The 350PDX Forest Defense Team helped Oregon get a better Board of... 350PDX Weekly Update – Global Just Recovery Gathering – Apr 7 2021