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This is the Time to Increase Pressure! The clean energy revolution is underway. The Inflation Reduction Act is the biggest climate change policy since the Paris Climate Accords and is driving international ambitions and massive projects at home. This is the time to increase pressure. Signing petitions, attending events, donating, writing letters and shouting it to the rooftops: We Have the Solutions! We need the political will to move the dial, and fast! Elected officials need to lead, follow or get out of the way! While some campaigns are taking a break, others are just getting rolling, like our plan to meet with the Eugene Airport Director to discuss how the airport can use IRA funds to build out solar and serve as a community energy hub during emergencies. AND building a campaign to interrupt EWEB’s plans to include small nuclear modular reactors and biomass in its Integrated Resource Plan. Those are not climate-neutral solutions! We insist geothermal and renewable wind & solar are the path forward! Stay tuned. Events - Time to Show Up! Support Fridays for Future & the Student Climate Strike Coalition on Friday, September 15th! Social movements are strongest when leadership comes from young people! Across the U.S., a coalition of Fridays for Future, Sunrise and other youth-led groups has organized a powerful day of action two days ahead of the HUGE March to End the Era of Fossil Fuels in NYC on September 17th. On Friday, September 15 at 1:15pm Sunrise Eugene has organized a community school strike and rally at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza to demand urgent climate action from our federal, state, and local governments. There will be speakers, testimonials, food and more! The demands are:
Join communities across the country in solidarity with our youth partners to demand action on the climate crisis! This is our moment to show our resolve. That we are not giving up, and that we support youth climate leadership. Friday, Sept. 15th - Plans are evolving for a Statewide Rally in Salem in support of the March to End the Era Fossil Fuels on Friday, September 17th. Organizers are planning an event near the capitol and encourage people to join in to show support. We will publish more event details as they become available. Tue.-Thur. Sept. 26-28 - Who Will Own the Forest Conference in Portland at the World Forestry Center. Organizers are planning a full Rally Day at the conference entrance on Wednesday (9/27), with family-friendly activities for everyone: music, speakers, dances, singing, food, street theater, marching bands and more. On Thursday (9/28), a half-day alternative conference will be held nearby with “real sustainable forestry” experts. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Break out your costumes, skits and musical instruments and join in. WE NEED FOREST CLIMATE DEFENDERS AT THE RALLY AND THE CONFERENCE (BOTH DAYS)! Transportation and solidarity housing are being planned for folks coming from Eugene. If you’re interested, please send us an email at [email protected] with WWOtF in the subject line, and we’ll get in touch with details. It’s going to be big! CampaignsState Policy Oregonians deserve homes and buildings that are healthy, affordable, and safe against the effects of extreme weather: Organizations are popping up across the state to help solidify support for strong climate policy in the next Oregon legislative session. Some are working to divest, resist fossil fuel infrastructure and transition our buildings and transportation to clean energy. The Building Resilience Coalition is a strong policy advocate and they are building their power this summer with this petition. Please support by signing on!  Forest Defense On Thursday, September 7th the Board of Forestry plans to make changes to the State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to allow thousands of acres of state forests to be sold to timber companies. The damage caused by the clear cutting that would result from this means a death sentence for many fish and wildlife that call Oregon home. Send an email to the Board of Forestry and elected leaders today and mark your calendar for the September 7th Board meeting. Cascadia Wildlands staff and volunteers will be attending the meeting to testify in person from 8-10am. If you are unable to attend in person there is an option to testify virtually. Deadline to register to testify is 5pm on Friday, September 1st. Click here for instructions on registering to testify. Email [email protected] if you would like help with writing testimony or are interested in carpooling from Eugene to testify in person. You can also send a written testimony to the Board of Forestry at [email protected]. Tell the Board why the forests are important to you to help save them and the wonderful creatures who call these places home. Victory for the Black Ram project in Montana! Read the story here. Just like the Flat Country timber sale, Forest Defenders and Climate Activists are racking up wins to keep mature & old growth trees in the ground!  Divest Oregon - ramping up the pressure on Oregon’s Treasurer Eighteen Divest Oregon Coalition leaders met last week with Treasurer Tobias Read in Tigard at the Oregon Department of Treasury office. He promised a “Decarbonization Plan” but still doesn’t understand that methane gas is as bad or worse than coal. That’s because the Treasury takes its advice from economists who don’t talk to Climate Scientists! In fact, this report in CleanTechnica explains how economists are ignoring the climate crisis. The article summarizes an in depth Carbon Tracker Report, which notes that the following tipping points were considered by senior economists but dismissed as having a low impact on global economic activity and thus not included in their modeling. Wait. What? 1. Loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic; 2. Slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC); 3. Increased variability of the Indian summer monsoon; 4. Release of carbon from permafrost; 5. Release of carbon from ocean methane hydrates; 6. Dieback of the Amazon rainforest; 7. Disintegration of the Greenland Ice Sheet; and 8. Disintegration of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Pretty sure they’re missing the mark by a long shot. The Carbon Tracker report is available here. To find out the latest on our Treasury's risky investments in fossil fuels, read this short August 21st article from the Portland Tribune: State legislators: Oregon treasury’s investment choices create risk to us all. State treasury department is investing public funds in some questionable areas, by State Sen. Jeff Golden and state Reps. Khanh Pham and Mark Gamba.  Resilience Announcement: September 21st Virtual Congressional Briefing on the Landmark Bi-Partisan "Community mental Wellness and Resilience Act of 2023" Go to the ITRC Website to Register: https://itrcoalition.org/current-events-and-news With toxic stresses, emergencies, and weather disasters now happening everywhere Community is Medicine! Opportunities - Pass the WordCool & Clear Resource Fair: Free air conditioners and air purifiers to eligible community members When: Tuesday, September 12, 2023 What time: Stop by between 5:30 and 7:00 PM (Garage parking is FREE after 6) Where: Tykeson Room, Eugene Public Library Downtown, 100 W. 10th Ave. Eugene, OR 97401 Fossil Free Eugene and Beyond Toxics work tirelessly for common sense climate policy, but we know people are already suffering the consequences of hotter, smokier summers. Working with the Oregon Health Authority, the allies will be distributing air conditioners and purifiers, but numbers are limited, so sign up ahead. Eligibility criteria:
Fill out our Air Conditioner Interest Form here Fill out our Air Purifier Interest Form here Photo: Mountain Rose Herbs helping FFE and Beyond Toxics distribute air conditioners and purifiers.  Introductions Introducing our new Communications Coordinator: Cecilia Luzi!
Cecilia (they/them) moved to Eugene from San Diego with their girlfriend, two dogs, and cat in May '22. Since being here they've been trying to do more to connect to the natural world and do what they can to help protect it. Cecilia is also a member of Sunrise Eugene and is taking every chance to learn the ins and outs of climate action. Cece graduated from Cal Poly Pomona May '21 with a B.S. in Biology/Microbiology. It was during college that they began to learn about the dire situation that is climate change. Since then, their interests have shifted from human/medical microbiology to microbes and fungi that work in the soil/environment. They love taking leisurely "hikes" through the woods to practice and expand their plant identification skills. Gardening is a newfound hobby and they are happy to have successfully kept their plants alive through the summer heat and are so close to meeting their goal of having at least one pumpkin to harvest!
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