Welcome to our monthly newsletter, where we highlight some of the amazing work our volunteer teams have been up to. But first, some upcoming actions:
350PDX October Action Night
Tues Oct 4th, 6-8pm — at our office in the Rebuilding Center (3625 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, 97227) — RSVP here
Join us for our monthly 350PDX Action Night, a monthly in-person gathering at our offices where we’ll be leaning into all the stuff we can’t do on Zoom! We’ll have action stations, team tabling, and a food and drink potluck. All are welcome! We’ll be hearing all about the City Charter ballot measure and about the field campaign that’s really kicking into gear right now, as well as having team tabling and action stations for a bunch of other ways to take action! More info and RSVP link here
Oct 6th: Take Action Against Wall Street Forestry!
Join Sunrise PDX, 350PDX, and others on Thursday, Oct 6th to call for an end to TIAA and Wall St. forestry corporations’ destruction! TIAA, a massive pension fund for teachers, owns Nuveen Natural Capital and GreenWood Resources, logging companies that are clearcutting carbon-rich forests, our best natural climate solution, across the state and around the globe. TIAA and Nuveen are driving the climate crisis and threatening local communities, from polluting watersheds in the Pacific Northwest to destructive land grabs in Brazil.
SCHEDULE:
3:30 PM — March from South Hawthorne Waterfront Park (1403 S Harbor Way, Portland)
4:30 PM — Rally at SW Park Ave & SW Montgomery St
Read on to learn about our teams’ accomplishments, how you can join a team, and opportunities to take action!
TEAM UPDATES
Read more about the teams and volunteer opportunities Volunteer Opportunities page
Want to get involved but not sure where to start? Fill out the Volunteer Form
Fossil Fuel Resistance Team
This past month, our team celebrated a big milestone of gathering 1,167 petition signatures for our fossil free Multnomah County campaign. We delivered these petitions to the Multnomah County Board of Directors, while 11 community members delivered powerful and moving testimony. You can read more about this and watch the testimony in our press release here.
Why are we fighting for a Fossil Free Multnomah County? Buildings account for a significant portion (1/3rd!) of Oregon’s climate pollution, so it’s time we commit to only constructing buildings that are free of fossil fuels. New buildings hooked up to gas must be seen for what they are: new fossil fuel infrastructure that locks us into dirty and polluting energy for decades to come. Electrification is a solution that can create a just transition to homes and buildings that are safer, healthier, and more resilient, and powered by clean energy.
Last week, Fossil Fuel Resistance Team members delivered a petition urging Mutnomah County to transition new buildings to 100% electric.
GET CONNECTED: Our next meeting is on Thursday, October 13th from 6:30 – 8pm on Zoom. It’s a special meeting — a community forum we’re putting on with our partners called Rumble on the River: What’s Up with Zenith Energy and the Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub in Portland. This is the first in a series of community-driven forums to educate and activate around the threats to public health, safety, and our environment stemming from the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub, with a focus on Zenith Energy’s oil-by-rail operations. Join us to hear from a fantastic panel of experts, about what is going on at Zenith and the CEI Hub, what’s next, and how you can get engaged. RSVP for the Zoom link here.
Defund/Divest Team
Our team follows the money, working as part of the national coalition StopTheMoneyPipeline (STMP). We call on financial institutions, insurance companies, and the government to divest from the fossil fuel industry. Most of the 350PDX Defund/Divest Team is working to Divest Oregon: Reinvest in a Fossil-Free Future, a statewide coalition we founded – now nearly 100 organizations and hundreds of individual members strong! Divest Oregon’s latest news is that we are working with legislators, unions (OEA, SEIU, AFT and others) and a broad group of stakeholders to craft divestment legislation for the 2023 session — and we have submitted the Legislative Concept (first step in the legislative process)!
Since we released Risky Business: Oregon Treasury’s Fossil Fuel Problem, which is a good source of info about Divest Oregon’s work, we have realized that the Oregon State Treasury has invested over half of the PERS fund in private, and secret, funds. We have managed to obtain the Climate Risk Assessment commissioned by the Treasury in 2021 and, even in the heavily redacted version we received, it is clear that action needs to be taken to address climate degradation and the shift in the energy sector. We are continuing public pressure on the Treasury and developing litigation as well as legislation. If you want to be engaged in Divest Oregon, or receive Divest Oregon action and meeting announcements, join the coalition’s mailing list.
GET CONNECTED: There are no monthly meetings of the 350PDX Defund/Divest Team at this time. But the team is still active! The Defund/Divest Team is engaged in multiple efforts to divest local educational institutions. Reach out to Jenifer (jenifer@350pdx.org) for a conversation about our team and to receive our weekly Defund/Divest team email. Click here to join the Divest Oregon team!
Forest Defense Team
The state forest policy sub-team was recently represented by Brenna and Heather at the 9/7/22 Board of Forestry meeting where they advocated for the proposed Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), and a more robust one at that. Timber industry voices overpowered conservation voices, and the Board noted the importance of Brenna and Heather having been there in person, so thank you to them! In November, the final draft of the HCP will be presented to the Board.
The shade equity sub-team is where a lot of the focus of the team as a whole is right now! We are working on a strategic messaging campaign to encourage the city to take on the legal and financial responsibility of street trees and tree-related sidewalk repairs. We learned of exciting news that Commissioner Rubio has proposed a climate action plan that would use PCEF money to fund street tree maintenance and we’re wanting to build on that momentum.
There was also recently the Deep Roots Action Camp in the Flat Country Timber Sale, Willamette National Forest. A handful of team members were there and came back with wonderful reports of skills learned and hearts renewed. Trainings included things like organizing & participating in direct action, creating vibrant protest art, decolonization & forest defense, Know Your Rights, organizing with affinity groups, etc.
GET CONNECTED: The next Forest Defense team meeting is on Oct. 17th 6-8pm, via zoom. Contact co-leads Tyler (tyler@350pdx.org) or Felice (felice.kelly@gmail.com) for meeting details.
City/County Watchdog Team
We are in full force supporting the Charter Reform Measure 26-228, which will be on the ballot for Portlanders to vote on Nov 8th. We are helping to draft charter amendment language & proposing it to the City Charter Commission Subgroup on Environmental Justice & Climate. As the Climate and EJ subcommittee considers proposals, the Watchdog team will keep working with coalition partners and testifying at Charter meetings.
In past meetings, we urged the commission to consider amendments to the charter that would establish:
- Environmental rights of Portlanders and assign the City as a public trustee responsibility to protect rights of residents
- A citywide participatory budgeting process to share in developing and allocating a portion of the City budget on climate related projects
- An ongoing Climate Assembly for Portlanders to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies for a rapidly changing climate
- A binding commitment for Portland to phase out fossil fuels
- Consultation with tribes and Indigenous people on City legislation or policies that affect them securing prior consent prior to making changes that impact tribal land use
- Forest defense and equitable tree canopy and regreening policies to benefit Portland residents, especially those adversely impacted by present city policies
Our team is also supporting a fossil fuel phase out letter organized by Sunrise PDX.
GET CONNECTED: Want to learn more about charter review or get involved with the 350PDX Watchdog team? Email indi@350pdx.org or brooke@350pdx.org.
TAKE ACTION: Join us in submitting comments to the Charter Commission as they begin to draft their Charter amendments on climate and environmental justice.
- Write a comment by Friday, October 7th, at 8 AM.
- Sign up to give a verbal comment at the next Charter Commission meetings – Oct 11 at 6 PM. Check out this comment guide from our City/County Watchdog team!
Creative Team
The Creative Team uses storytelling to make the climate justice movement irresistible. This month, we’ve been working with the Forest Defense Team to design messaging for their shade equity campaign, helping them utilize strategies to empower folks in taking action. We’ve also continued supporting Divest Oregon and the Gas-busters campaigns in their messaging strategies. Help us out by sharing the 350pdx.org/methane webpage with info on the campaign and how we phase out “natural” gas in Multnomah County. Please also share around our Gas-busters video — “Natural gas in is the new lead paint“!
Next steps for the Creative Team include onboarding new members, organizing trainings on Story-Based Strategy, and creating training materials around 350PDX’s approach to messaging strategy.
GET CONNECTED: Fill out this form to get on our roster and receive the Creative Team newsletter!
Arts Team
The 350PDX Arts Teams job is to give important visual and audio support to climate actions. This past month, we came up with a banner for 350PDX’s new look with its tabling actions. We had a great art build doing that banner plus creating a face for the emerging Mother Earth big puppet, collating and painting new climate songbooks, and finished with a rousing rehearsal for our drum band. You’ll be nearing more about each one of these creations.
Also coming up is the Arts Team’s November art build on November 13. Let us know if you can join us by emailing Donna at murph1949@aol.com.
GET CONNECTED: If you’re interested in what we do on the 350PDX Arts Team, please contact 350PDX, or Donna Murphy, murph1949@aol.com. Our next Arts Team meeting is the 4th Monday of the month, October 24, from 7-8:30pm.
Volunteer Opportunity!
We are supporting an action on Thursday, Oct 6th against wall street forestry by sending a banner and protest signs and a forest of tree puppets, and maybe some drums if we have enough people. We need people!! Let Donna know if you can be there and if you’d like to be a tree (it’s easy!), or carry a banner or a poster – email her at murph1949@aol.com. The action starts at 3:30 with a march from South Hawthorne Waterfront Park (1403 S Harbor Way, Portland).
SW Team
350 PDX SW Team is in the process of creating new action plans now that all but nine of 100 yard signs are in the ground. We had great success distributing signs at Hillsdale Farmer’s Market on 9/11 and at an EcoFaith Recovery fundraiser at Spirit of Grace Church on 9/25. Many contributed money to offset our expenses too.
We continue to seek new activists. Our goal is to encourage each other and our neighbors to begin or increase participation in support of solutions to the climate emergency and the enormous disparities in equity. We aim to build knowledge, combat despair or overwhelm, and inspire hope. We invite you to get to know us, bring your perspectives and ideas, and help us reach more new people.
One way we get public exposure is through our sign-holding, currently every Friday from 11:30-12:30 at the corner of SW Terwilliger and SW Taylor’s Ferry. Please check the 350PDX calendar for a location change planned beginning Oct. 28. If the day is rainy, please email Emily (address below) by 10:00 a.m. to check if we plan to continue as planned, or cancel.
GET CONNECTED: Contact emilypolans
Washington County Team
The Washington County Team is up to our chins in 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. The Board has staff working to complete a draft plan, which is supposed to be unveiled for public comment sometime in the next couple of months, so please stay tuned. In the meantime, we are writing the Commissioners to encourage them to take their best bold action asap.
The second campaign is to encourage the City of Hillsboro not to participate in a lawsuit pushing back against recently adopted DLCD Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities rules. The City Council complains that the State shouldn’t meddle in City process to help all of our citizens participate in best practices to fight climate catastrophe, and they don’t want to spend their money on climate action. We think the City should be responsible in partnership with the State – and should count themselves lucky they aren’t going to have to fork out the $50 billion plus that Florida will be paying in climate disaster costs from Hurricane Ian.
We thank 350PDX for lending us a recent hand to get the word out on these issues. And we WELCOME anyone who would like to help us take ongoing grassroots action on these fronts! We need to keep submitting public comments and letters to the editor to local papers. Please send an email to debbygactivism@gmail.com for more details.
We were planning a postcard writing event together in support of Postcards for Climate. But we got our postcard supply early and our dynamic postcarders have pretty much completed all of the cards – way to go, team! Now we recommend that everyone be taking all the action they can to ensure climate champions get elected in November.
GET CONNECTED: We always welcome newcomers to our 6:30pm second Tuesday (online) meetings and at all our events. Find our meeting and events listings on the 350PDX calendar. Email 350WashCo@
In solidarity,
350PDX Staff – Anissa, Brenna, Chris, Dineen, Eloise, Emily, Indi, and Julia
350PDX Board & Team Leads
