June Newsletter
Hi Everyone,
Welcome to the 350PDX newsletter, where we highlight action opportunities, upcoming events, and more.
On June 13, banners were displayed along Interstate 5, stressing the urgent need to reduce fossil fuel emissions and to protect mature and old-growth trees. The same day, activists and citizens gathered at the “Forests Are Our Future” rally at Terry Schrunk Plaza to advocate for sustainable forest management. This year, the Forest Service and the Biden administration are creating management guidelines for the future of our region’s forests. The rally underscored the urgency of these guidelines in shaping our region’s forest policy for generations to come.
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
350PDX Volunteer Orientation
Tuesday, June 25, 6:00–8:00 pm, 350PDX Office, 3639 N Mississippi Ave
Come and hear more of what 350PDX is all about, meet some staff and volunteers, see our office space, and explore how to get involved!
We’ll start at 6pm with pizza and wine/beer/soft drinks, and then have an intro training that covers what we’re all about. We’ll do group exercises to get you practicing some of your new skills, and we’ll finish with you signing-up for the teams, actions, or activities that interest you the most! RSVP here,
Rumble on the River Community Forum: “Risk Bonds – So We Don’t Pay for an Industrial Disaster”
Wednesday, June 26, 5:45pm doors open with organizational tabling, 6:30pm panel begins, Multnomah Building (501 SE Hawthorne Blvd.)
Risk bonds will hold fossil fuel and chemical companies accountable. This is a proactive ”Polluter Pays” plan. The costs of disasters are often “externalized” or shifted onto the public. By implementing bonding, these risks will be covered, and can require financial responsibility for all industrial disasters. Such measures may encourage safety improvements and removal of hazardous structures. Multnomah County is on the verge of taking risk bonding action.
Panel:
Mary King – Retired Economist with Risky Business
Sharon Meieran – Multnomah County Commissioner
Melanie Plaut M.D. – 350PDX and Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
John Talberth – Center for Sustainable Economy, Founder, President and Senior Economist
Chris Voss – Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management, Director
John Wasiutynski – Multnomah County Office of Sustainability, Director
Since late 2022, Rumble On The River has presented 15 free community forums in neighborhoods throughout Portland. The prevailing Rumble focus has been the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub. Rumbles bring together expert voices to lay out the potential hazards of having 90% of Oregon’s fuel and a mix of toxics stored within Portland’s city limits on a seismic liquefaction zone. Other forum topics have included Columbia & Willamette River ecosystems, false climate solutions to climate disruption, transportation, urban forestry, shade equity and salmon restoration.
An Evening with Bill McKibben
Friday, July 5, 6:30-8:30pm, First Unitarian Church, 1211 SW Main St. Free!
Author, educator and environmental activist Bill McKibben will be in Portland for a community gathering on the evening of July 5th, hosted by Third Act Oregon.
Bill is renowned for mobilizing popular support for action on climate justice and democracy. He has authored 20 books, including The End of Nature (1989) which is regarded as the first book about climate change for a general audience. He also helped found 350.org!
Bill will give a talk, then Oregon youth will lead a Q & A session with Bill, to inspire and motivate attendees to take action on climate and democracy, especially in the face of intensified climate disruption, political polarization/backlash, and our democracy in peril. Click Here to Register
350PDX is co-sponsoring this event, along with Third Act, 350Eugene, 350WashCo, Braided River Campaign, Elders Climate Action – Oregon Chapter, Extinction Rebellion PDX, Havurah Shalom Climate Action Team, Metro Climate Action Team, Oregon Climate Acton Hub, Rogue Climate.
Shade Equity Pedalpalooza Ride, followed by 350PDX Action Night
Wednesday, July 17, 5:45pm, Lents Park to Laurelhurst Park where we will meet up with 350PDX Action Night
Join the 350PDX Forest Defense team and folks from across the city for our annual Shade Equity bike ride! We will meet at Lents Park, near the hottest place in Portland during the 2021 Heat Dome. City council candidates are invited to attend and learn with us.
Remember 2021, when we had the record-breaking heat dome in Portland? Remember June 2023, when we had the hottest June on record globally? Have you heard of the Trees In the Curb Zone Pilot Project or the Portland Clean Energy Fund? Have you noticed how much cooler it is in the shade of a tree or in a shady neighborhood? If you want to join the climate justice movement with joy, ride with us from Lents to Laurelhurst, noticing differences in tree canopy by neighborhood.
This is a family friendly ride BUT kiddos should be able to keep up, or can join via child seat or trailer. This is an approximately seven mile, mostly downhill one-way bike ride. We will pause two times along the way, once to look at the Trees In the Curb Zone Pilot Project, and then for a water and discussion break. At the end of the ride, we’ll join the 350PDX Action Night at Laurelhurst Park for snacks, conversation, and actions you can take for climate justice in Portland. More details can be found on the Pedalpalooza Calendar. Hosted by the 350PDX Forest Defense Team.
SAVE THE DATE: Tour of the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub
Thursday, July 25, 6:30pm, 4931 NW Front Ave.
Join the 350PDX Fossil Fuel Resistance Team for a special up-close tour that looks at the need to transform the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub.
6:30 pm – Meet at 4931 NW Front Ave, in the parking lot. (Plenty of parking available).
6:30 – 7:30pm – Tour
7:30 – 8:30pm-ish – Debrief and discussion at Breakside Brewery-Slabtown. (1570 NW 22nd Ave); a 9 minute drive from our tour starting point.
Feel free to join us for one or both parts of this event! City council candidates and community members are invited to attend.
NEWS and UPDATES!
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. Also see their list of solidarity actions.
In love and gratitude,
The 350PDX staff –
Anissa, Brenna, Cherice, Chris, Denise, Dineen, Irene, Katie
