We’re in the fight of our lives. And like all fights, to take it on, we need to focus, muster our courage and lock arms with trusted allies. Summer is a perfect time to build this movement, hone our resistance and get into Good Trouble. You might not think of yourself as a fighter, but all of us can call on our bravery and protectiveness as guardians of our families and precious earthly home. Unlike those who are cruelly dismantling our hard-fought and hard-won social progress, WE ARE MOTIVATED BY LOVE and we all know that love is an infinite resource and the power of it is greater than that of greed or hate. Let’s get to work. The politics of appeasement are over. If you’re turning out for the growing local protests (big and small) - THANKS! (Bring friends and family!) That’s part of the solution. But we need to grow our numbers and build sustained momentum. There’s also work needed behind the scenes. Let’s find ways to stand in solidarity with those directly supporting communities being harmed: bring cold drinks, shade umbrellas, snacks and provide encouragement to keep up morale and confuse the authoritarian villains! It’s up to all of us who are not those under attack to stand with them and for them. The Trump Administration is violently divisive, isolationist, and segregationist, and solidarity is our first duty and most profound rejection of their agenda. There’s a place for everyone in this fight. Read on. Tuesday, July 8th at 1:00 pm Community Defense Action - Eugene All Eyes On ICE Meet at Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza on 8th & Oak, then walk to the Federal Building at 7th & Pearl to hold down a presence through the afternoon. Come when you can for as long as you can. (Organized by the Lane County Immigrant Defense Network.) STAY CONNECTED: To see what’s happening locally, you can always check the website Mobilize.us and filter for nearterm dates in Eugene / Springfield. Bookmark it! ResistanceJuly 13th - 11:00 am -12:30 pm Virtual Resistance Organizing Training - Resistance Lab 1.0 350EUG encourages everyone to get inspired and learn how to resist through Pramila Jayapal’s Resistance Lab series. Consider registering and attending the upcoming live session on Sunday, July 13th. Register here. Gather some friends together and throw a watch party. It’s fundamental to our work ahead. (Read Rebecca Solnit’s piece on the pervasive personal horrors being experienced at the hands of ICE and how civil society is historically the most effective response to this kind of repression.) Good Trouble Lives OnThursday, July 17th - 5 to 8:00 pm Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of nonviolent action to respond to the attacks posed on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration and to remind them that in America, the power lies with the people. On July 17, the anniversary of Congressman John Lewis’s passing, organizers across the country are planning various commemorations and actions to carry forward his legacy of Good Trouble.. Locally, organizers are planning a book drive for the Good Trouble Library and a fundraiser for NAACP Lane County. Stay tuned and check back at this website link for details. (Subject to change.) Forest Defense is Climate DefenseAlthough the news coming from the Climate Forest campaigners across the country is awful, nobody is giving up! We’re taking a minute to assess the damage of the administration's attacks on our public forest lands and refocusing our efforts on next steps. Wednesday, July 9th from 7 to 8:00 pm - Fix Our Forests Act and Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Budget Bill” Webinar - Part 1 of 3 Many of the tools we have relied on for decades to avert the most destructive and ecologically damaging extractive projects are currently being shredded. What do the dizzying & overwhelming onslaught of new policies and changes mean? The PNW Forest Climate Alliance and partners are hosting a 3 part webinar series this summer to examine the extreme ways federal forests are under attack by the Trump administration, and what it means for efforts to preserve a healthy environment and livable climate. RSVP for the July 9th (Part 1) webinar here. What’s “Eugene Groves”? What’s “Eugene Groves”? Local forest defenders are joining together in a project called Eugene Groves and we’re excited to kick it off on August 7th with a Street Demonstration followed by Happy Hour at a local establishment. What: Eugene Groves Kick-off (all forest defenders are welcome); Street demonstration with sign-waving & banners; special appearances from our new Tree Puppets! When: Thursday, August 7th - 2:00 Demo / 3:30 Happy Hour Where: Begin at 18th & Chambers (near Bimart), then to Hey Neighbor! on 19th & Jefferson. Everything is provided! Come and bring your tree-hugger friends! More Forest Defense News: and it's good...Industrial Biomass Surrenders Various proposals to sell off public lands have been struck down by the courts, which, if passed, would have cleared the way for Drax and other climate villains to turn our forests into wood pellets to be shipped overseas. In California, our allies fighting biomass plants have defeated Golden State Natural Resources, which proposed to build two industrial-scale wood pellet plants and a storage and export terminal in Northern California. Read the press release here. Burning wood to produce electricity may be the single most perverse plan on the planet. We’re celebrating the wins! State PolicyThe legislative session finished on June 27th, working late into the night. We did not make strong climate progress and notably, the transportation package that funds the Oregon Department of Transportation wasn’t approved. Several of the bills we supported did pass, including HB 2081A, which required the Treasury to analyze and manage climate risk in our state’s PERS investments (big thanks to Divest Oregon), as well as several bills related to a more efficient electrical grid and to utilities oversight and affordability. And farmworker disaster relief received a bit of funding as well. All this to say, lawmakers chose to delay further necessary actions to transition to a more sustainable social and economic system, postponing what will cost more tomorrow. Thanks for all your efforts to get what we could over the finish line. Read Climate Solutions Director, Nora Apter’s analysis of the climate wins and losses in the 2024-25 Legislative Session here. GOTVIf you want to write postcards for special elections, send Deb an email at [email protected] with “Postcarding” in the subject line. Time to get going. Save the Date - Sun DayWhen: Sunday, September 21st from 12:30 to 3:00 pm Where: Campbell Community Center (155 High St, Eugene) What: Rise-up for a Sun-Powered Planet! Stand Up to Fossil Fuels! Organized People Can Accelerate the Transition to a Clean Energy Future! 12:30 Music - Moon Mountain String Band 1:00 Speakers 1:30 Rotating Teach-ins Organizations’ Tables & Sustainability Experts 3:00 March with banners & signs to the Ferry Street Bridge We can have the clean energy revolution we need in America in spite of Trump’s Big Horrible Bill, but it’s going to take grassroots community focused activism to demand it and make it happen. That’s what Sun Day is all about. Save the date! This is no time to despair. It is a time to remember who we are, connect to each other and nature, and realize no regime can uproot these connections. There are cracks in their plans, and with solidarity we can let the light stream in through those cracks!
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What works to stop the deranged oligarchs when they go too far? …When they abduct people without due process, terrorize and incite violence in our most vulnerable communities, trash the economy, destroy our children' s future, ignore laws and all norms of common decency? The uprising of massive numbers of ordinary people! That’s what works to stop them. To stop them we must resist in every way possible, together or individually; from simple non-cooperation, no-buy days, boycotts, social media or letter-writing campaigns, emails, phonecalls, direct mutual aid for strikers and protesters, or the organizing of thousands of non-violent actions in the streets… It’s everybody, everywhere! Tomorrow… Huge numbers of individuals of all stripes, along with leaders of organizations and institutions, will be hitting the streets in every state, in numbers too large to ignore. No one is on the sidelines now. We must be overwhelming, irresistible and indefatigable. More than 1,800 nonviolent protests are planned for tomorrow, because when the oligarchs are cracking down on small-scale nonviolent protests like in LA, WE THE PEOPLE mobilize into large-scale nonviolent protests everywhere. The bullies need to see it with their own eyes. That’s what works. More than 1,800 nonviolent protests are planned for tomorrow, because when the oligarchs are cracking down on small-scale nonviolent protests like in LA, WE THE PEOPLE mobilize into large-scale nonviolent protests everywhere. The bullies need to see it with their own eyes. That’s what works. Where: Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse at 405 E. 8th Ave. When: 10:30 am - Music & Activities 11:00 am - Rally 12:00 - March to City Hall Optional banners & signs on Ferry Street Bridge following the event. Bring yours. HELP: 350EUG NEEDS YOU! We’d love to have you help animate 350 Eugene’s beautiful butterfly “flutter!” Please join the flutterers no later than 10:45 am across the street at Gratitude Brewing, 504 E 8th. We’d love your help. Let’s show them what we’re made of! The Resistance Continues!Join us for “No King”s Street Messaging! Stand Up For Our Democracy & Our Climate! Stand Up For Our Democracy & Our Climate! Monday, June 23rd from 2 to 3:30 pm on W. 18th Ave along Westmoreland Park (just east of Chambers St. and the Bi-Mart parking lot). To stand up for our democracy and our climate, we are showing off some new signs with a "No Kings" theme. We will also be singing some time-tested protest songs, retrofitted to the present needs: "We're fighting for our Democracy - We shall not be moved!" Everyone is invited. We’d love to see you there! All signs are provided. Bring your voice and a lawn chair if you like to sit down. Fresh air and friendly conversation. Look for us along the south side of W. 18th Ave along Westmoreland Park. Parking available in the Bi-Mart parking lot, just east of Chambers St. Pizza following at Hey Neighbor! at W. 19th & Jefferson. Meet the community and share messages of hope & love for our democracy and our climate. Sign Up!Get Out the Vote - If we want a climate stable and democratic future, we need a government that will deliver! If you want to write postcards, send Deb an email at [email protected] with “Postcarding” in the subject line. Let’s start early. No time to lose! Save The DateDeep Roots Convergence Camp - Sept. 26-28 Like-minded people take a deep-dive into aspects of forest defense that ensures we preserve biodiversity and mature and old forests. Consider signing up for Deep Roots (3.0) and submit this interest Form. More info to follow. Did you read Kim Stanley Robinson’s “Ministries for the Future” (2020)? It’s a utopian novel set in a not-so-distant future that depicts how humans address climate change and the biodiversity crisis, toppling oligarchic control of governments and addressing chronic inequality. (Wait. Are you sure this is fiction?) Bill McKibben, in one of his recent Substack pieces, recommends this interview with the author, who reflects on the messages in his book after five years; from Mongabay’s podcast: ‘Ministry for the Future’ May Hold Lessons for the Present’ (June 3, 2025). You might be pleasantly surprised. SEE YOU IN THE STREETS!
A Nationwide Day of Defiance There can be no climate justice until we reclaim our democracy. That’s why 350 Eugene is redoubling our efforts to stop the takeover by oligarchs of our government and bring people together so we can put the brakes on climate breakdown. Our artists, campaigners & policy troops are pulling out the stops and throwing down with the newly formed grassroots Activist Coalition Eugene Springfield (ACES) to demand leaders at every level stand up for the bedrock American values of fairness, equality and shared prosperity. We must get our country back on track to sanity and climate stability! We’re joining forces to rise up for justice and to reject this bully’s racist, vengeful power grab. On June 14th our defiance will roar! COME EARLY (10:30 ish) - Next Saturday in Eugene at the Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse. We will stand as one community with clarity of vision and courage of conviction to fight back against his anti-democratic authoritarian regime with numbers too big to ignore. The rally (organized by ACES) starts at 11:00 am sharp. Park in the Overparks or take the bus or bike. Make and bring your fabulous signs. Wear your colors & costumes. Family friendly, with its own special area. Bring a contingent. Speak truth to power! Enough is enough. The protest rally starts with inspiring local live music, with organizations’ information tables and activities, followed by a diverse array of speakers who will build momentum for a spirited march. The march begins around noon, organized by 50501 and led by Samba Ja, and winds through downtown Eugene and ends at City Hall. Following the march, participants are free to line up on both sides of the Ferry Street Bridge and engage the public with beautiful banners & signs. Let’s make some noise & speak truth to power! But wait… We need volunteers! Crossing guards, donation rovers, Info Table, trash/recycling setup and take down, and assistance for people with disabilities. Please take a look at the assignments in this SignupGenius form and consider signing up! Thank you. For more information about No Kings Days, go to the national website. Important: A core principle behind the Activist Coalition Eugene Springfield (ACES) and all of the national No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events. Climate CampaignsWe’re not taking our eye off of the climate… This is the record-breaking news this week. Our work must continue… State Policy Worried about stalled climate policy? So are we. Here’s a question we often hear: If the Oregon legislature has a democratic majority, why can’t we pass the suite of strong climate bills that our progressive climate-champion representatives introduce? This will help clear things up. Update from Roger Knudson, 350 Eugene, Policy Team On Friday, June 6, the Oregon Climate Equity Network hosted a comprehensive review of climate related legislation in the current session - with only 23 days to go. My overall takeaway was that we cannot expect many more victories. The main obstacle is the budget, and this meeting helped me understand why the Dems, even with majorities in both houses, can't push more legislation through. After two legislative sessions in which federal funding was flowing into the state (thanks Biden!), now the budget is filled with uncertainty. In particular, funding for both Medicare and the SNAP program may require much more state funding; one-third of Oregon adults are on Medicare. Legislators are cautious about committing funds given the uncertainty about how Medicare will be funded. Beyond that, the Governor made funding of K-12 education a priority, and most of the rest of the funding in this session was described as an effort to maintain the status quo. New initiatives that had been receiving federal funds for the past two years are in danger of being cut off completely. Furthermore, there are growing rumbles that the Republicans may begin a series of rolling walkouts which will further limit progress. One more metric that may help us all understand the difficulties every climate bill faces in the final 3 weeks is that more than 500 bills are stalled in the House Ways & Means Committee. The presenter said this is the worst backlog since 2017. Some specifics: The Climate Justice Budget (Rental home heat pump program, community heat pump program, community resilience funding, community renewable energy grant program, Oregon solar plus storage rebates, natural & working lands fund) are all unlikely to get out of committee. The Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) will continue to push on these, but the expectations of success are low. You may be aware that an attempt was made to move funds from the Climate Protection Program (CPP) to a "Cap and Pave" scheme that would fund highway construction and some wildfire protections. This caused a storm of pushback. A new bill is expected on Monday. In the package of bills being promoted by the state Building Resilience coalition, there was one victory this week. The Power Act HB 3546 passed. This will require big data centers and crypto operations to pay a special higher rate so that the costs of their massive energy use are not passed on to the rest of us. The FAIR Energy Act, which will prevent utilities from raising their rates in the winter, between November 1 and March 31, is expected to make it out of the Ways and Means committee. It does not impact the budget so it has a good chance of being passed. But other bills in this set that we have supported (SB 88 Get the Junk Out of Rates; HB 3081 One Stop Shop 2.0, and others) are unlikely to move forward. We may have a chance to take part in a meeting with Julie Fahey focused on this whole set of bills next week. SJR 28 Constitutional Right to a Healthy Environment will not make it out of the Rules Committee. Look for this to reappear as a voters' initiative. In terms of the energy grid, HB 3366 Grid Enhancement Technologies is expected to pass. This will add more capacity to existing lines in the grid. However, HB 3628 Transmission Authority, which would have speeded up getting new transmission projects up and running is dead in committee. The two remaining bills that promote Microgrids HB 2065, HB 2066 are not moving; but Sustainable Northwest is expected to push out an action alert that we can participate in to pressure Senate & House leadership to move these forward. They have a very low budget impact. The Clean Truck Rule is tied up in federal legal challenges. Overall it was not an encouraging overview. Some progress is better than no progress and there is always the next session. Climate advocates are getting more organized, strategic and networked. Most importantly, we are not giving up! Thanks to all of YOU on the Action Alert List who have written and lobbied your legislators! (There’s still time to sign-up with Roger for the Action Alert List by emailing him at [email protected] with “Action Alert” in the subject line. (This effort concludes June 30th.)) Fossil Fuel Resistance Many think we can’t live without fossil fuels. The truth is, we can’t live with them. Where are 90% of Oregon’s fossil fuels stored? At the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) hub on the Willamette River in NW Portland. (In tanks built 50-100 years ago that hold the equivalent of 530 Olympic-sized swimming pools.) 350EUG recently co-sponsored a presentation with 350PDX & Portland Unitarian Universalist Church, which featured this stunning short (3 min 43 sec) animated video showing the dangers, Stop the Spill. It’s eye-opening. More details in this Fact Sheet. Advocates are pushing for stronger safety plans at the state level to ensure the public understands the risk and communities can prepare. Stay tuned. Forest Defense The worst bill ever! Introduced in the US House of Representatives (by Dems, no less) in January 2025, the Fix Our Forests Act does little to invest in proven community protections measures such as defensible space, emergency planning, home hardening, and instead focuses on opening up federal lands to logging interests. It bypasses critical environmental laws that protect our ecosystems and restricts scientific input and public engagement. The bill could have devastating consequences for the environment and endangered species. This Instagram video briefly tells the story of the terrible situation and contains some excellent talking points. TAKE ACTION: Send a message to Senators Wyden and Merkley to oppose this bill using Oregon Wild’s messaging app today! Thanks! Resistance Lab with Pramila Jayapal How Do We Build Our Power? Together! Resistance Lab with Pramila Jayapal How Do We Build Our Power? Together! The Resistance Lab is an on-line series of trainings developed specifically for this moment. Resistance Lab 1.0 looks at how non-violent movements around the world have responded to leaders who seize power in authoritarian ways and the most effective tools and tactics to utilize to oppose them. The series offers a framework to understand this moment in history, incorporating interactive conversations with others, to help create a community that can build this resistance movement. Thousands are tuning in! Watch Resistance Lab 1.0 here and check out the accompanying slides and handouts. Or… catch the next Resistance Lab 1.0 on July 1st. Sign up on this website. Resistance Lab 2.0 will be on-line on June 8th at 11:00 am. RSVP here. These are the fundamentals we should all know for organizing against anti-democratic regimes, like the one taking hold in our country today. See you there! Meanwhile, Thursday, June 12th, in person in Eugene, join us and our allies at Temple Beth Israel in the Tikkun Olam Committee for a presentation and discussion on how to support democracy in the face of authoritarianism. News from Our Children's Trust Visit the Youth v. Trump webpage for news on the case and future actions. Climate Anxiety is Real: What Can We Do About It? Some say humor helps. Check out Climate Town’s Natural Gas is Scamming America video with lots of facts & some laughs too! Climate Town is where climate science meets comedy gold. Created by comedian-turned-climate-policy-grad Rollie Williams to get people talking about climate without feeling embarrassed or uninformed and they’re crushing it. It’s racked up over 31 million views and 600,000 subscribers by making environmental topics actually fun to watch and/or listen to. Share with friends and family. You Were There(Better Eugene Springfield Transportation (BEST) Block Party at the Pavillion) Save The DateSunday, September 21st - Sun Day
Rise Up for a Sun-Powered Planet - stay tuned! Trump and his gang are at war against the government of the United States and the land and people of this country. It’s a war on nature with the gravest consequences for our democracy and our climate. Americans are fighting back. Mass protests are spreading to build the PEOPLE POWER we need to stop this authoritarian takeover! The courts and Congress simply can’t do it alone. We need PEOPLE IN THE STREETS! Did you know? There were more than 1,300 ‘Hands Off’ rallies on April 5th in the US, compared to the 686 protests that followed Trump 1.0’s inauguration? People of all stripes are showing up in huge numbers and we’re just getting started. In addition to fighting for a stable climate future, 350 Eugene is carving out time and resources to join the fight against this malignant fascism. Read on, get inspired and jump in! MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow covered hundreds of Hands Off protests nationwide that week and featured Eugene, Oregon and the beautiful Monarch butterflies we created for the April 5th rally! Woot, woot! We’re jazzed to be showing up WITH YOU! Save The Date‘NO KINGS DAY’ - SATURDAY, JUNE 14th Indivisible and Allies Announce ‘NO KINGS’ Nationwide Day of Defiance on Flag Day, During Trump’s Birthday Parade! YOU CAN’T MISS THIS ONE. We want to double the turn-out of the Hands Off rallies! The local Activist Coalition Eugene Springfield (ACES) is planning a MASS MOBILIZATION in Eugene for Saturday, June 14, 2025. 350 Eugene will be there with our energy, art & voices. Plan to come, help out and join in! Trump wants a big military parade for his 79th birthday in D.C., so we're going to show up EVERYWHERE ELSE. You Were There... |
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