350 Portland

Photos by Dana Schot

We are immensely grateful to the speakers and attendees of our February Action Night: The Dangers of Tear Gas.

Portland City Councilor Sameer Kanal The night began with a screening of “Gas Me, Teddy” a short film that examines the deployment of tear gas during the 2020 Portland protests for black lives, and draws connections to the current situation at the Portland ICE facility. After the screening, City Councilor Sameer Kanal shared about legislation he’s working on to ban tear gas in the City of Portland. Following the councilor’s talk, 5 panelists brought distinctly unique and important perspectives to the discussion of tear gas: from impacts of tear gas on the human body to working within the legal system to stop the use of tear gas. Sandy Chung, Oregon ACLU We are at a critical moment to take action: the mayor is rolling out implementation of a Detention Facility Impact Fee Ordinance *AND* Portland City Councilor Sameer Kanal is developing an ordinance to ban the use of tear gas in Portland. To send an email to the mayor and city council click here and to watch “Gas Me, Teddy”, which is now online, click here. Much thanks to City Councilor Sameer Kanal, filmmaker Irene Tejaratchi Hess, and panelists: Taishona Carpenter, board president Don’t  Shoot PDX Chris Wise, protest medic Erika Maria Mosesón, MD, MA, Air Health Our Health Sandy Chung, Oregon ACLU Brenna Bell, environmental attorney _________________________

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Last month, we invited you to show up to hear oral arguments in a legal challenge to a ballot measure seeking to give 25% of PCEF funds to the Portland Police. PCEF supporters won the lawsuit! Ballot measure supporters can go back and collect signatures again, so this threat to PCEF’s intentions of climate action with equitable community benefit is not over yet. Read more about the case in this OPB article.

Discussions are also roiling at City Hall regarding who gets to decide how PCEF funds are allocated. On February 25, community groups successfully advocated for Councilors to adopt the PCEF Committee’s community-driven recommendations, so that’s good news!

There’s another threat on the horizon, however, as PCEF has been suggested as a way to pay for Moda Center renovations. While we all love the Blazers, the Moda Center is already platinum level (the highest) in LEED Certification. Stay tuned for suggested actions as we advocate together to keep PCEF focused on climate justice.

The post Some PCEF Threats Thwarted…for Now appeared first on 350PDX: Climate Justice.

On February 17, the 350PDX Arts Team brought their beautiful puppets to Mississippi Avenue’s Mardi Gras. Capitalists fought over fake money, trees danced, and our incredible heron sauntered down the avenue along with mushrooms, beavers, owls and more – all supported by 350PDX Arts Team volunteers! On the way, we shared flyers inviting people to join the climate justice movement.

All photos & video: Irene Tejaratchi Hess

350PDX’s Cherice Bock, Jessica Vaughan, and Arts Team lead extraordinaire Donna Murhpy!

The post 350PDX Puppets at Mardi Gras on Mississippi Avenue! appeared first on 350PDX: Climate Justice.

On February 17, 350PDX’s illustrious puppets will march down Mississippi Avenue in the Portland Mardi Gras parade, sharing information about climate justice and bringing joy to our community. On February 25, we’ll gather for a very different kind of event, an Action Night that takes a look at the use of tear gas in Portland. You can learn more about Action Night here and watch a trailer for the short film we’ll be screening that night here.

Now, let’s jump into our newsletter which features updates on: Oregon’s legislative session, fossil fuel resistance, forest defense, PCEF defense, arts team, book club, volunteer spotlight, and neighborhood teams.

Oregon’s Legislative Session

And so it’s begun! Oregon’s 2026 Short Legislative Session started on Monday. We have just over a month to make some meaningful changes for the state, so let’s do it. 350PDX’s Legislative Priorities can be found here. Included on this list are the top bills we’re focusing on this session and how you can take action to advance these priorities. This page will be updated on a regular basis, so keep the link handy to find ways to participate in this legislative session with us.

Top priorities this week: 

• • Thursday (2/5) at 1:00pm: Climate Resilience Superfund Bill (SB 1541) hearing. Join us and the Make Polluters Pay coalition down in Salem or virtually to support this bill as it heads to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire. The deadline to submit written testimony on this is Saturday, February 7, at 1:00pm. Testimony toolkit & info on how to submit testimony here.

• • Wednesday (2/14) at 3:00pm: The 1.25% for Wildlife Bill (HB 4134) has a hearing in the House Revenue Committee. The deadline to submit testimony is February 6 at 3:00pm. Testimony toolkit & info on how to submit testimony here.

  • Monday (2/16): RSVP for the Make Polluters Pay Advocacy Day in Salem

  …and more! Check out the Legislative Priorities page for info about other bills we have our eyes on, such as a balcony solar bill, nuclear energy study bill, and a couple of bills designed to increase transportation accountability.

Fossil Fuel Resistance Team

Last month we helped put on the “What’s the Deal with Data Centers?” Rumble on the River Community Forum, the 28th Rumble in the ongoing series. Nearly 250 people attended! Here is the recording of the forum. Join us in jumping into action about this topic by urging your legislators to say NO to a corporate land grab that would bring 1,700 acres of world class farmland in Hillsboro inside the Urban Growth Boundary so it’s available for industrial development, likely for building new data centers.

The Fossil Fuel Resistance Team meets again on Tuesday, February 10 at 5:30pm on Zoom. New members are welcome; reach out to dineen@350pdx.org for the link to join or for an orientation.

Forest Defense Team

Thanks to everyone who sent in comments about the draft State Forest Management Plan last month. The Forest Defense Team, along with other environmental groups, made a successful pitch to OPB; read April Erlich’s story about our concerns.

Join the Forest Defense Team at 11:00am on Saturday, February 21 for a 2 mile walk around Mt. Tabor. We will talk about the importance of forests, how Oregon state forests are managed, and ways to get involved. Meet at the base of the Mt. Tabor Stairs near SE 69th Street and SE Yamhill Street. More details in the 350PDX calendar!

Invite a friend to Slough Fest! 350PDX is joining other groups in hosting a series of early spring events to introduce more Portlanders to the hidden habitat treasures of the Columbia Slough, February 28-March 8. These experiences are designed to grow public awareness about the City’s upcoming Environmental-Zone remapping process. Tentative date: Sunday, March 1, 1:00-3:00pm at Wilkes Park; check the 350PDX calendar later this month for details.

Reach out to Tyler@350pdx.org to join an upcoming Monday evening meeting. 

Defend PCEF from being Diverted to Police

WHAT: Oral arguments in defense of PCEF, wear green!

WHEN: Friday, February 13, 1:00pm

WHERE: Multnomah County Courthouse, 1200 SW 1st Ave, Portland

We’re showing up in solidarity for oral arguments challenging a ballot measure to divert 25% of PCEF to the Portland Police. Can you join us?

The Portland Police Association and a wealthy downtown developer want to raid the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), redirecting 25% of funds to pay for more cops—to the tune of about $200 million/year! This is a gross misuse of PCEF, which is a first-of-its-kind investment in climate resilience and community benefit for Portlanders most impacted by climate change.

The police union is attempting to place an initiative on Portland’s November ballot asking voters to undermine PCEF’s purpose. 350PDX and our partners, including the Coalition of Communities of Color, oppose this misguided and likely unconstitutional initiative. Several of our partners filed a legal challenge in December to stop this measure from reaching the ballot. Join us in defending PCEF!

Team Updates Arts Team

The 350PDX Arts Team needs puppeteers to give life to climate puppets, and march them one mile down N Mississippi St on Mardi Gras, February 17, 5:30-8:00pm! We have lots of puppets: trees, spotted owls, mushrooms, a heron, a river spirit, butterflies, beavers; and so far we only have twelve puppeteers. So — we need you!

photo: Irene Tejaratchi Hess

Last year’s Mardi Gras Parade puppets brought climate awareness to the cheering crowd and also gave a voice to our animal and plant world.

If you’d like to help drive puppets from 350PDX to the starting point of the parade, we need you too!

Also, consider helping at Artbuild this Sunday, February 8, 1:00-4:00pm. We’ll do finishing touches on our new puppets, and add parade lights to our bigger puppets.

If you can puppeteer or drive puppets or would like to help at Artbuild, reach out to Donna at murph1949@aol.com.

Thanks, the Arts Team – Donna, Lauren, Dannika, Allison

Book Club

The 350PDX Book Club meets every month on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30pm. Every other month is in person and the others are virtual. Reach out to books@350PDX.org with any questions or to join our list, and please RSVP so we can inform you of any meeting changes! 

Join our next gathering on Wednesday, February 4 at 6:30pm. UPDATED LOCATION: Google Meet (click here to join). We’ll discuss The Story is in Our Bones: How Worldviews and Climate Justice Can Remake a World in Crisis, by Osprey Orielle Lake.

Save the date for our next meetings:

• Wednesday, March 4 at 6:30pm (Virtual) – Book to be selected in February

• Wednesday, April 1 at 6:30pm (350PDX Office) -TBD fiction book; voting starts soon!

• Wednesday, May 6 at 6:30pm (Virtual) – Book to be selected in April

SW Team

The Southwest Neighborhood Team includes neighborhoods on the south and west sides of Portland. We work together to raise awareness of the climate emergency.

Our street corner demonstrations continue weekly in February, every Friday from 3:00-4:00pm at SW Multnomah & SW 35th Avenue. We gain attention with our climate action signs in a highly visible location. Street parking is available or reach us via bus or bike. We have extra signs to share!

GET CONNECTED: Join our monthly Zoom meeting on Monday, February 16th, from 6:30-7:30pm.  We’ll be discussing new ideas for outreach efforts in 2026. To get involved, please contact Pat Kaczmarek at patk5@msn.com.

 350PDX Washington County Team

Our next gathering will be our regular monthly online meetup at 6:30pm on Tuesday, February 10. We’ll be tracking and supporting a number of bills in the 2026 Oregon Legislature and are considering putting on a second Electrification and Sustainability Fair in Hillsboro/Washington County this summer.

We always welcome newcomers to our events and to our monthly online meetings (6:30pm on the second Tuesday of the month). For the link, join us here or contact us at 350washco@gmail.com.

Volunteer Spotlight Scott Killops

When Scott retired from Intel in 2021 after a 30-year career ending in a long stint in Software Program Management, he knew he wanted to spend some of his time “doing something about climate change.” He eventually found his way to the 350PDX Forest Defense Team where he discovered a super warm and welcoming group doing good work. He has stayed ever since.

Over the last three years, Scott has been involved in each of the team’s campaigns, but he currently spends most of his time on the State Forests campaign. It turns out that being a former Software Program Manager is a good fit for attending hours-long Board of Forestry meetings on Zoom, reading Forest Management Plans that run into the hundreds of pages, and writing and submitting comments on stuff like Forest Carbon Accounting. Who knew?

Beyond 350PDX, Scott takes his dog Maisie and his daughter’s dog Juno hiking in the Columbia River Gorge almost every day. He’s also an old-time fiddler and can be found in a jam at the Portland NW Hostel most Thursday nights. And he enjoys spending lots of time with his three grandkids.

Thank you for reading our monthly newsletter. We hope to see you soon!

With gratitude,

Cherice, Dineen, Irene, Jessica, and Noelle

The post 2026 February Newsletter! appeared first on 350PDX: Climate Justice.