Welcome to our monthly newsletter, where we highlight some of the amazing work our volunteer teams have been up to. But first, we wanted to invite you to our January Action Night!

YOU’RE INVITED: 350PDX January Action Night

WHERE: 350PDX Office, 3625 N Mississippi Ave, Portland

WHEN: Thursday, Jan 19, 6:00-8:00pm (although you can join at 5:30 for a Volunteer Orientation)

COVID: Vaccination or negative COVID test in last 36 hours required. Masks highly encouraged, although folks may be taking them off for food and drinks (we will provide)

Kick off 2023 with the climate justice movement community! This Action Night will be focusing on the national People vs Fossil Fuels (PvFF) campaign. PvFF is a coalition of over 1,200 groups, including 350PDX, uniting tens of thousands of people across the country around a common vision for a just, resilient future. In the coming months in this campaign, there will be actions and a mass training, so come learn more from Eloise, our National Fossil Fuels Organizer! You can also come to connect with other 350PDX teams, campaigns, volunteers, and staff.

Learn more and RSVP here!

Read on to learn about our teams’ accomplishments, how you can join a team, and opportunities to take action.

TEAM UPDATES

Want to get involved but not sure where to start? Fill out the Volunteer Form

Fossil Fuel Resistance Team

The Fossil Fuel Resistance Team has big plans for 2023, and we’re excited to welcome new members. Our 3 main campaigns are:

Stopping Zenith Energy’s oil-by-rail operations and transforming the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub
Fighting for a Fossil Free Multnomah County, campaigning for buildings in our community that are clean and safe and free of dangerous methane gas, and educating our community about the dangers of methane
Stopping the GTN XPress pipeline expansion proposal in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California.

ACTION OPPORTUNITIES

Rumble on the River: What’s Up with Zenith Energy and the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub in Portland?

Join us for the fourth community forum in our series next Tuesday, January 17, from 6:00 – 8:30 pm at Havurah Shalom (825 NW 18th Ave). The all-star panel lineup is new from the last forum, and includes 350PDX Fossil Fuel Resistance team co-lead Melanie Plaut. See more information here. No need to RSVP, just show up!

Call Commissioner Carmen Rubio

As of this month, Rubio is overseeing the Bureau of Development Services, the city bureau that oversees Portland land use work — so our main target in the fight to stop Zenith Energy. Our coalition of 20+ groups sent Rubio a letter on her first week calling on her to listen to the community about this issue, hold a public hearing, and rescind Zenith’s LUCS permit — but we haven’t heard anything back.

So please join us in calling Commissioner Rubio at (503) 823-3008 using this script:

“My name is _____ and I live in (neighborhood or zip code) I’m calling to urge Commissioner Rubio to meet with environmental and community organizations about Zenith ASAP, before the DEQ will likely start reviewing Zenith’s air permit application; and to withdraw Zenith’s Land Use Compatibility Statement; and to hold a public hearing and take evidence on this important issue. Thank you.”

Take action to stop the GTN XPress 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. GTN XPress is expected to result in more than 3.24 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. The increased pollution would be the same as adding 754,000 passenger vehicles on the road per year until 2052. Over the holidays, Oregon Senators Merkley and Wyden came out in opposition to the GTN XPress, after many of us had been urging them to do so! This is an important step in the right direction for our campaign.

Now, it’s important that we make our voices heard to FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, during the agency’s open comment period. Comments to FERC are due by February 16. Learn how to submit your official comment to FERC in opposition to the GTN XPress project here.

GET CONNECTED: Join us to get involved and learn more about how you can plug in! Our team meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesdays from 5:30 – 7:00 pm, and we alternate between virtual and in-person in the 350PDX office in the Rebuilding Center on Mississippi Ave. (2nd Tuesday meetings are always virtual, 4th Tuesday meetings are in-person.) Our next meeting is on Tuesday, Jan 24 at 5:30 pm and is in-person. There will be PIZZA! For more information, reach out to dineen@350pdx.org

Forest Defense Team

The Forest Defense Team is still encouraging the Board of Forestry to adopt a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for Western Oregon state forests that provides robust protection for threatened species in a climate-uncertain future. Team members are showing up at every Board of Forestry meeting to testify in favor of the plan, especially in the context of a rapidly changing climate.

The team also enjoyed time together at our tree-themed holiday party in December. We had a great time learning about people’s favorite trees (individuals or species), sharing our tree-inspired dishes and having a raucous white elephant exchange. It’s sure to become a holiday tradition.

Thanks to everyone who sent a letter last month to Commissioner Rubio asking for strong public participation to ensure that the $40 million of PCEF funds just allocated for growing shade equity are managed in a way that builds community empowerment. 350PDX was invited to help think through what that process would look like, and we feel confident that PCEF heard the community’s desires loud and clear!

SAVE THE DATE for the “We our urban forest” social on Monday, February 13th from 6-8 pm at the 350PDX office (3625 N Mississippi Ave). Join tree, ecology and climate people from across our city to meet, mingle and share updates & ideas about how to grow a more climate resilient and equitable urban forest. We will also be sharing stories about our favorite urban trees, and making them valentines! Food & drinks provided. The event is family-friendly, including a staffed space for kids. Please contact Forest Climate Manager Brenna (brenna@350pdx.org) with questions or if you can volunteer.

GET CONNECTED: The next general Forest Defense team meeting is on Monday, 1/16/23 6-7:30pm, via zoom. Contact Brenna or co-leads Felice (felice.kelly@gmail.com) or Tyler (tyler@350pdx.org) for meeting details.

City/County Watchdog Team

This month the City/County Watchdog team is continuing our work on Phase II of the City Charter reform. While nine proposed charter amendments will proceed directly to the November 2024 ballot, there are six more, including several climate-related amendments we’ve championed, that now have to pass through City Council before they can proceed to Portland voters.

TAKE ACTION: Next Thursday, Jan 19, at 2pm — the City Council is meeting to discuss City Charter proposed amendments, and we need to show that they have popular support!

We need people to submit testimony to City Council by Jan 17, either by calling or writing City Council. We also need people to show up and testify at 2pm on Thurs, Jan 19. You will be able to register for public testimony after 9am this Friday, January 13, here. See our testimony toolkit here. If you’re available to show up at 2pm next Thursday, either in person or remotely, please contact chris@350pdx.org and we can help you with your testimony!

GET CONNECTED: Watchdog has a lot to look forward to in 2023: pushing these amendments through City Council, keeping an eye on Portland’s first-ever districting process, checking up on the progress of the Climate Emergency Workplan, and so much more. Want to get involved? Email Chris (chris@350pdx.org) to join us for our next meeting of the year on Thursday, February 2, from 5:30-7 PM.

Creative Team

The Creative Team uses storytelling to make the climate justice movement irresistible. This month, we’ve continued working on a messaging workbook to help guide 350PDX’s campaign teams as they design their communications strategies, as well as a style guide for 350PDX to use throughout our work. Creative Team members have also continued designing a new 350PDX zine and been showing up to support the Fossil Fuel Resistance Team by filming the Rumble on the River community forum series on Zenith Energy and the CEI Hub. Finally, we’re continuing to supporting the Forest Defense Team, Divest Oregon, and the Gas-busters campaign in creating messaging strategies (check out our Gas-busters video — “Natural gas is the new lead paint“)!

Next steps for the Creative Team include onboarding new members, organizing trainings on Story-Based Strategy, creating more training materials around 350PDX’s approach to messaging strategy, and supporting the Brooklyn Neighborhood Team in developing public narratives.

GET CONNECTED: Fill out this form to get on our roster and receive the Creative Team newsletter!

Arts Team

The 350PDX Arts Team welcomed in the new year with an art build and a discussion of our upcoming work, which includes creating more posters and puppets for climate action, strengthening our drum corps, hosting a free clothing swap, starting a community song project, and creating stronger art connections with other 350PDX teams. More to be announced later.

Coming up: the second Sunday of every month we have a quick meeting and then an art build. And a drumming practice.

GET CONNECTED: Please join us, we love having new members! If you are interested in the drums, we’ll have a short presentation at the January 19 350PDX Action Night (more info here). Email Donna at murph1949@aol.com for more information about joining the team.

SW Team

350PDX’s SW Team is busy planning a public program at one of our local Multnomah County Library branches for the last Sunday of this month. All are invited!

What: There is much we can do to help ensure a livable planet for those alive now and in the future. If we act now on what science tells us, we can still avoid the worst impacts of climate instability. Join us for a free program of informative video segments and discussion. Free food! Light, plant-based refreshments will be served

When: Sunday, January 29^th at 3:30 p.m.

Where: Hillsdale Library’s Public Meeting Room, 1525 SW Sunset Blvd. Portland, OR 97219

For more information contact Emily at emilypolanshek@msn.com

GET CONNECTED: Contact emilypolanshek@msn.com to get on our email list, talk by phone or get together to learn more about our small but vibrant team! Our next meeting will be Monday, Feb. 13, 6:30-8:00 p.m. on Zoom

Washington County Team

The Washington County Team is continuing two local campaigns. One is to encourage the Washington County Board of Commissioners to complete drafting and take action on an overdue County Climate Resolution. We will continue to do all possible grassroots work to encourage the Commissioners to take their best bold action asap. Next consideration of the County sustainability team staff’s recommendations will be on March 7 – please let us know if you’d like to help out!

Other things we’re doing:

Beginning to track the hundreds of Bills being introduced for the 2023 State Legislative session, and we will be working to support the good policies being brought forward.
Doing outreach tabling at the Westside Recyclers wonderful public education and recycling PlanetCon event at the PCC Rock Creek campus from 11am to 2pm on Saturday, January 14th.
January 21 Sign Waving focused this month on “Veganuary.” Join us in Hillsboro from 11am to noon, at the corner of Cornell Road at NE 25th (park in the Burgerville lot). Next planned dates for sign-waving are February 11th and March 11th.
Tracking and advising on the City of Hillsboro’s push-back against recently adopted DLCD Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities rules.
Planning for a couple of great movie screenings this spring, so stay tuned for those announcements.

Our team enjoyed an outdoor hike at Chehalem Ridge park on January 7 as our “holiday season social.” It was a wonderful dry afternoon in nature with great company.

GET CONNECTED: We always welcome newcomers to our regular monthly 6:30pm second Tuesday (online) meetings and at all our events. Find our meeting and events listings on the 350PDX calendar. Email 350WashCo@gmail.com to attend. Everyone is invited to join in all of our events. Please “like” our Facebook page for updates.

In solidarity,

350PDX Staff
350PDX Board & Team Leads