350 Wenatchee Climate Conversations NCW

Greetings everyone,

The world is changing fast as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads and many of us are being impacted in different ways. As the climate movement, we have known that great disruptions were coming, so now is the time for us to ensure we’re building the resilience to not only care for each other in times of crisis but also fight for the critical political changes we need. Below we share various updates from 350’s US work and how we are adapting to the pandemic. Most importantly right now, we hope that you are staying safe as much as possible. We understand that new hardships and challenges may pull you away from local organizing. Please reach out with any questions or if there is anything we can do to support you.

 

In this email:

• COVID-19 Resources
• Upcoming Trainings: Using Art and Song to Grow Our Movement in Times of Pandemic (Mar. 27) & Online Facilitation 101 (Apr. 1)
• Stop the Money Pipeline & Climate Strikes Update
• No Keystone XL

 

COVID-19 Resource Page for 350 US Local Groups & Support with Online Facilitation

This COVID-19 resources for local groups doc is updated regularly with relevant links related to online campaigning, creating communities of care, equity implications, the political context of this moment and a new section on online facilitation resources. Have suggestions? Email deborah@350.org

 

March 27: Earth Day Climate Strike: Using Art and Song to Grow Our Movement in Times of Pandemic (social-solidarity-online-virtual-at-home-pandemic-version)

How will we use the arts to Climate Strike? How can we use collective arts and art making to connect, work together, grow our movement and keep pushing for positive change, while remaining at home and safe? Arts organizer David Solnit will show and tell virtual art builds and other projects groups can do. He will draw on the Climate Strike Arts Kit.

Frankie Lopez and Lu Aya of The Peace Poets (“Strike with US” and “People Gonna Rise Like the Water”) will teach new songs for the moment and share ways we can use songs together while remaining at home and connecting online.

This training, on Friday, Mar. 27 at 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET, is open to local group members as well as partners/local allies – feel free to invite anyone who may be interested. Register here.

 

April 1st: Online Facilitation 101

Our April monthly group leader call will be moved, due to the Passover holiday, from April 8th to April 1st. The call will focus on online facilitation tips and tools, as we need to move our work online. We’ll be meeting at the usual time, 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET. We’ll be sharing ideas and resources for facilitating effective meetings (and a bit about virtual trainings too) online.

This training, on Wednesday, Apr. 1 at 5:00 pm PT / 8:00 pm ET, is also open to local group members as well as partners/local allies. Register here.

 

Stop the Money Pipeline & Earth Week Climate Strikes

Due to COVID-19, the three days of Earth week climate strikes April 22-24 have gone virtual (check out 350.org press statement). At least for now the action fund and BIPOC organizing fund are on hold. At 350.org we are focused on the April 23 Stop the Money Pipeline (STMP) mobilization as a way to strengthen fossil fuel divestment and Keep in the Ground campaigns. The two primary STMP targets: Liberty Mutual Insurance and Chase Bank, major financial backers of the Keystone XL pipeline. The plan for STMP and Climate Strikes is to have a massive coordinated online livestream that can hopefully connect and engage even more people than street protests. We will keep you updated as this progresses.

 

No Keystone XL update

Amidst the pandemic, TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) is moving forward with preliminary construction activities for the Keystone XL pipeline. They’re planning to bring in thousands of workers adjacent to Indigenous communities that are already extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 in rural areas. 350.org is pressuring the insurers backing the project like Liberty Mutual as well as joining in the call for the Governors in Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska to intervene and halt construction because of the threat to public health and safety. This past week we had to cancel the “Standing Strong and Protecting” tiny home SolarXL tour — a tour traveling along the route to communities near the man camp sites to educate folks about the connection between KXL and missing and murdered Indigenous women. This tour was canceled because of COVID-19, but below are photos of grandmothers with the SolarXL tiny home.