April 2025 Updates and Events

Our April issue is chock full of Earth Month news, events, and actions. You can also check this page throughout the month for events celebrating our beautiful planet!

Upcoming Events

Hands Off Our Democracy – Nationwide Mobilization, Saturday, April 5 – 12-5 pm at the Japanese American Historical Plaza (Organized by Rose City Indivisible and 50501 Portland). Imagine, if you will, millions taking to the streets. If not now–when? More here!

Celebrate World Public Health Day, April 7, by joining the 350PDX Forest Defense team & our friends from the Sierra Club for a watch party of the Break Big Biomass Webinar.  Action Night – Earth Day Was (and is) a Protest: Direct Action in the Trump 2.0 Era April 17th, 6:00-8:00pm.

As the push to log our forests to burn for cheap energy increases, people from across the country are gathering for a webinar to learn moreabout the false solution of biomass energy and its impact on public health. If you can’t make it in person, register here to attend this important webinar (note – the registration pageshows the event only in Eastern Time!). For those that can watch in person, doors open at 4:30pm, webinar begins at 5:00pm. Event at the Climate Justice Workshop (3639 N. Mississippi) and, if you can–bring snacks to share!

Action Night – Earth Day Was (and is) a Protest: Direct Action in the Trump 2.0 Era April 17th, 6:00-8:00pm.

This month’s Action Night will explore what taking action for the Earth has looked like over the past 50+ years since the first Earth Day and what we can do now in this time of growing government repression.  We’ll explore these questions with each other and attorneys Kenneth Kreusher, of the Oregon Justice Resource Center, and Brenna Bell of 350PDX. We’ll also share resources for taking more bold action!

Earth Day Celebration & Parade, April 26th, with Making Earth Cool, Bark, XRPDX, and Scrap!

Earth Day is for everybody! Come one and all, and let’s celebrate the beauty of our only home–Earth! Our wonderful planet provides all that we need. Through celebration and gratitude we remember our deep connection and relationship with the Earth. We will parade and we will sing and we want the city of Portland to join us! This is a free, family-friendly event with activities accessible to all ages and abilities to celebrate nature, and work toward a greener future for all.

Gathering at Sunnyside elementary begins at 11:00am, and the parade starts at 12:30pm.

A secular Earth Ceremony of rituals and songs to honor our beloved planet will take place same day at The Groves church at 7:00pm, followed by a cake potluck. More info for the Sunnyside event and Earth Ceremony found here.

350 Climate Justice Lobby Day – Tues, April 29,  8:45am – 1:30pm

Join 350PDX and 350 Eugene for an exciting day of talking to our legislators about climate justice issues in the 2025 Oregon Legislative Session! Lobby days are a great way to talk to your legislators face to face about issues you care about—in this case, climate justice—while seeing behind the scenes how change is made at the Capitol. Never lobbied before? Not to fear! We will start the day with a training, and you’ll be in meetings with folks from your district, equipped with talking points. Details and registration here!

Team News

Fossil Fuel Resistance Team

Last month was an exciting one for our team! On March 19, City Council voted 11-1 to pass the Zenith Accountability Resolution we’ve been fighting for! Many of our team stayed up until 11:00pm cheering on the results of the final vote. This was a big moment for our new form of government: it was the first resolution to come out of a Committee to then be voted on and passed by the full Council. This resolution passing means that there will be an investigation into Zenith Energy’s franchise agreement with the City of Portland, as well as an investigation into the City’s prior handlings of Zenith’s permits over the years. It’s time for the public to get some answers and for accountability to be taken. Thank you to all who’ve lobbied your Councilors for this resolution, who submitted written testimony, who showed up in person or watched virtually, and to the original co-sponsors of this resolution!

Thank you to all who showed up to our team’s film screening of ‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline,’ we nearly packed the Clinton Street Theater, and had a lively discussion afterwards!

Get involved: Our next team meeting is an exciting collaboration between us, SunrisePDX, and Breach Collective – a City Lobbying Training on Tuesday, April 8 at 7:00 pm at our 350PDX office. Let’s learn together how to work with City officials towards a Portland that works for all people. RSVP to Dineen if you’re able to make it: dineen@350pdx.org

Forest Defense Team

350PDX’s Ms. Bell goes to Washington

Our Forest Climate Manager, Brenna Bell, spent last week in Washington DC as a part of the Rachel Carson Council’s Week of Action against Biomass Energy. She joined almost 100 people from around the country – students, community leaders and advocates – to talk to Congress about the dangers of industrial biomass production.  Read more about her adventures to keep biomass energy exports out of the west coast, and the awesome people she met along the way!

Shade Equity Campaign: Urban Forestry is in the midst of rewriting the Urban Forest Plan, which provides the basis for an update of Title 11 (the tree code).  The code has received a lot of negative attention recently, and the Forest Defense team has been meeting with city councilors and spreading the word about the importance of a robust tree canopy. Public Comments about the Urban Forest Plan revision are due April 13th – more information here!

Connect with the Team: We meet every first and third Monday from 6-7:30pm, alternating in-person and virtual.  Contact brenna@350pdx.org, tyler@350pdx.org, or felice.kelly@gmail.com for more information.

Climate Policy Team

State Advocacy: Help us continue to move our 350PDX Climate Justice Priorities through the Oregon Legislative Session!

In addition to attending our lobby day, here are other ways to show up for climate justice during the legislative session:

• Make Polluters Pay (SB 1187) has a public hearing next week. Similar to bills that passed recently in Vermont and New York, it requires polluting industries to pay for the impacts of climate change—such as increased heat, drought, or intensified wildfires—on Oregon’s communities and infrastructure. Submit online testimony for Make Polluters Pay (SB 1187) here by April 7 at 8 am. Here’s a toolkit with sample testimony language to get you started! See the one-page info sheet.

• Attend Move Oregon Forward advocacy day on April 17 in Salem to speak up for a climate friendly transportation package. Register here!

• Mark your calendar for the Building Resilience coalition’s lobby day on May 7 in Salem, we’ll share more details soon.

• Many of our priority bills are in the hands of the Ways & Means Committee, which decides which things make it into the budget. The committee is doing a “roadshow” where they’re hearing from people around the state about their budget priorities…but none of them are in Portland. Never fear, you can attend the Salem event virtually and offer verbal testimony on April 16, or submit a written comment. See our list of bills in Ways & Means on our priorities page, and choose the ones that are most important to you to speak up about.

“Climate Coffee Chats” with city councilors

We’re setting up relatively informal meetings with city councilors and small groups of constituents from their district who care about climate and environmental justice. Our first one with Councilor Kanal on March 17 was a great success! If you’d like to join future events, please only sign up for ones in your own District. So far, we have the following events scheduled:

• District 1: Councilor Avalos, April 18, 6:00pm, register here if you are a D1 constituent and would like to attend; Councilor Dunphy, April 30, 5:00pm, register here if you are a D1 constituent and would like more info when it’s available

• District 2: Council President Pirtle-Guiney, still working on details, register here if you are a D2 constituent and want more info when it’s available

• District 3: Councilor Novick, April 11, 6:30pm, register here if you are a D3 constituent

• District 4: Councilor Green, April 23, 4:00pm, register here if you are a D4 constituent and would like to attend

Community Development

Some of the best things about building a movement are the rad collaborations we get to do with incredible groups and organizations throughout the city. This spring, 350PDX is collaborating on a project with art students at PNCA in Sarah Farahat’s course Theory & Practice: Art Matters! Collaboration in Community, bringing light to our Stop Zenith campaign. Our work will culminate in an immersive experience at PNCA’s first Thursday event on May 1st. Come and celebrate the powerful confluence of art praxis and climate justice!

Did you know the 350PDX Book Club is now meeting every month? We alternate between virtual and in-person meetings the first Wednesday of each month! Our May book is still TBD, but sign up here to get on the mailing list or check our website for updates on meeting times and book selections.

Attention: Foster-Powell neighborhood! A 350PDX volunteer has organized a Little Climate Actions event at the Holgate library, every

 Monday in April. The group will have a bill each week that folks can contact their legislators about in different mediums: write a postcard, send an email, or make a phone call. There will also be kid-friendly crafts and activities, so bring the whole family!

The Arts Team

At our artbuilds, the Arts Team continues to produce powerful images of climate justice and our Earth. The next Artbuild is Sunday, April 13, 12:00-4:00pm at 3639 N Mississippi. We’ll finish our puppets for the Earth Day parade on Saturday, April 26. On that day we’ll join with Make Earth Cool, BARK, and Sunnyside Environmental School at the Sunnyside Schoolyard near 3421 SE Salmon at 11:30am for the Earth Day parade. We’ll need 30 puppeteers then, can you be one of them? It’s fun and it delivers a strong message of climate justice that the audience enthusiastically responds to.

Reach out to Donna if you’re interested! Murph1949@aol.com

Volunteer Spotlight

Joaquin Moore

Joaquin Moore is an artist, designer, and environmental advocate who seamlessly blends creativity with activism. With a background in graphic design dating back to 2016 and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Portland State University, Joaquin has always been passionate about using visual storytelling to drive change. They have been an active volunteer with organizations like Bark and the Mt. Tabor Weed Warriors for years, working to protect forests and restore urban green spaces. When they found the 350PDX Arts Team, they were drawn to the passionate community of artists using their skills to fight for climate justice.

Support 350PDX and local businesses during Earth Month!

We are lucky to partner with some of our favorite places in Portland during the month of April. Head to the following spots to eat, drink, or shop and your purchase will support small businesses in Portland as well as 350PDX!

 Radio Room – buy the “Earth to Emily” drink and 50% of proceeds will go to 350PDX – only during April! 

 Dove Vivi – 10% of pizza sales on Tuesdays go to 350PDX

 Annie Bloom’s Books – Mention 350PDX when you make a purchase on Earth Day (April 22) and we’ll get 15% of proceeds!

Thank you for reading our monthly newsletter, and for being part of the 350PDX community. Hope is a practice, and it will take each of us to get us through the current state of things. The climate justice movement needs support now more than ever. Donate to 350PDX today.

With gratitude,

Brenna, Cherice, Dineen, Irene, Jessica, Katie