Hello Friends.

Welcome to the May Edition of the 350 Seattle Newsletter, your monthly digest from all the different teams, campaigns, and individuals that make up this extended family. 

We welcome community submissions to this newsletter! Are there events you think the 350 Seattle community should know about? Get in touch.

Good to see everyone at Mayday and the Prayer walk!

🌻Happy Spring🌻
– 350 Seattle Staff Collective

The Washington State Legislative session has officially ended!
Together, we mobilized 100,401 grassroots advocacy actions on sound and just climate policy in our 9th year of the 350 WA CAT campaign.

Join us on Zoom on Monday, May 19th from 6-7pm to celebrate our hard work together at the 350 WA CAT Campaign Wrap up & Celebration! We’ll share a recap of what went down this session, meet the volunteers behind the action, and cheer our collective grassroots power.

💥 Bills the governor signed:💥
– Growth Management Act Compliance
– Eliminating Driver’s License Requirements for Jobs
– Adjusting Building Codes To Support Sustainable and Affordable Housing

✨ Bills that we expect the governor to sign:✨

– Hydrofluorocarbon Reduction and Refrigerant Recovery Act
– Amending the Carbon Intensity Reduction requirements for Transportation Fuels
– Encouraging the deployment of low carbon thermal energy networks
– Analyzing PFAS in Biosolids
– Right to Repair Electronics
– Improving Food and Yard Waste Management
– Recycling Reform Act

Learn more at the Celebration on May 19th.

Tuesday is GiveBig, the biggest fundraising day of the year for Washington nonprofits. Can you can help us reach our goal of raising $5,000.

All of your donations help us take on big business, dawdling politicians and the fossil fuel giants that stand in the way of a just and sustainable future.

Three ways you can help:

May 8th, 6:30-8:30PM at our office.
RSVP here.

This is a family friendly event; all ages and abilities are welcome. There will be a craft & coloring table for kids, and there is space in the building should a time out be required (that goes for adults too!)

At the event, artful activism will be hosting a postcard making session to urge change makers to take action on migrant justice. Bring recyclables to cut into postcards, e.g., paperboard from food packaging, junk mail, or paper scraps. No cardboard, please, as USPS does not ship anything that is not bendable. If you want to donate stamps, do bring them!

 

The Policy Action Team is starting a new campaign to fight back against the Trump administration’s goal of blocking climate policy and giving Big Oil blanket immunity for their climate crimes. In the coming months we will be lobbying our federal legislators on this issue. Please connect with us while we’re in the beginning phases of this campaign if you’re interested in learning skills like how to organize a meeting with your house member or senator!

Have you heard of Federal Fridays? Every week from 11:30am-1:30pm we meet at the Federal Building in downtown Seattle to support federal workers and fight for the democratic future we believe in.

We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 5pm. To find out more and take more actions, please join our next meeting, May 7th at 5 pm. To get the Zoom link, sign up for our listserv. Or, email either Beth or Linnea.

How can we build resilience to address the enormity of the social injustice and ecological destruction we are witnessing? What tools do we need to cultivate not only to survive but also to rise to this moment with courage? How can we keep overwhelm or panic from driving our responses?

If you’ve been asking these questions, come join us for the next Climate Grief and Empowerment Group, where we process our climate-related emotions in community. We meet monthly on every second Saturday

Our upcoming Climate Grief and Empowerment Group Monthly Gatherings are:
Saturday, May 10th, from 10:00 am to 11:45am
Saturday, June 14th, from 10:00 am to 11:45 am.

Register here for each session you plan to attend.

We welcome adults (18+) for as many or as few meetings as you would like! The Climate Grief and Empowerment Group is co-sponsored by 350 Seattle and Climate Action Families, out of the recognition that ongoing emotional support plays a critical role in building community resilience and robust social movements.

Art, performance, and music are critical parts of movements for social change. Got skills you want to share? Or just enjoy making art, singing, or drumming? Or want to do some backend non-art type of art support role? We need you! Join our Artful team!

Sign up here to get on the Artful email list for monthly info on upcoming community art opportunities and to let us know your still sets! (Scroll all the way down that web page to sign up.) Skills welcome and appreciated! AND… no art experience yet? no problem! Join us!

RSVP for Upcoming Art Builds to get details and updates! No experience needed. Join us for camaraderie while doing meaningful, beautiful and powerful work!

Artful table with postcard making and writing for Immigrant Justice: Thursday, May 8, 6:30-8:30 Climate Community Night at the 350 Seattle office in the U-District

Art Build: Saturday, May 17th, 1-5pm, location TBD. We’re finishing 49 monarch butterfly props and other Solstice Parade art for our Migration is Beautiful Immigrant Justice ensemble! Paint, tape, cut, fold – something for everyone!

Put Art into Action – Saturday, June 21, in our Fremont Solstice Parade ensemble where we will celebrate Immigrants with theater, dance, song and a hundreds of beautiful monarch butterflies. Please sign up to learn more and get info on this and other opportunities to be part of bringing art to the public view!

Want to be even more involved? We are always welcoming new people into our teams of volunteers, those who help others participate (with art leads support) and our leads team itself. Maybe you’re experienced in facilitating, or organizing, or have skills in performance arts (theater, spoken word, music, dance, and beyond), visual arts (graphic design, painting, drawing, screen printing, building props, sewing, and so much more). Or maybe you are an organized person, or you like data and want to help with the imagery or photo library behind the scenes, or people with creative strategic humor and energy who like to brainstorm.  We also need people at art builds, and more with skill sets like DJs, snacks setup and cleanup, and welcomer – is that you?

Whatever calls you to the Artful Team, this team is for you! Contact Lisa at art@350seattle.org

The People’s Echo is a healing-centered song collective based on Coast Salish Lands. We catch and share songs as medicine for these times, and tend to community resilience through the practice of joining our voices in song. Our mission is to heal ourselves and the world through the practice of community singing and to reclaim our voices as instruments for personal and collective liberation. Sign up for our newsletter!

Our next event is a Community Song Circle
Friday, May 23, 6:30-9PM
Seward Park, Shelter #3

Join The People’s Echo for our seasonal community song circle! TPE organizers will teach some songs, and we welcome you to come carrying songs that feel alive for you in this time. At our song circles, we welcome all sorts of singers and embrace imperfection—your voice is needed!

Get to know the Aviation Team at a picnic on Saturday, May 31 at 12:30 in Lincoln Park. Contact Laura at aviation@350seattle.org for location and potential carpooling. Or join us at our next online meeting on July 8th at 7PM.

SeaTac Airport is hiring a new Managing Director, so this is a great time to tell the Port Commission that you want them to prioritize health and climate and that the hiring process should be more open to the public. Please send a message to the Port of Seattle Commission HERE. Tell them: “As you hire a new SeaTac Managing Director, please host an open house or public forum for community members to engage the candidates, and please prioritize addressing health and climate impacts.”  Add your own custom message to say why health and climate matters to you. Thank you!

The 350 Seattle Book Club is reading up a storm this year and is always looking for people to join our discussions and learning! We meet every other Sunday from 2:30-4:30 both in-person at the 350 Seattle office and online, so you can choose the format that works best for you. You don’t have to have read or listened to what we are discussing to join in!  We welcome people just coming to listen, and everyone is welcome to share their perspective on topics we discuss. If you are interested in staying connected with the Book Club,If you are interested in staying connected with the Book Club, you can sign up through this form and we will get you looped in to our emails and signal channel!

In May, we will read Abolishing Fossil Fuels by Kevin Young. On May 4th, we will discuss the Introduction through Chapter 3 and on May 18th, we will finish discussing the book.

In June, we will be reading Everyday Utopia by Kristen Ghodsee. We will discuss Chapters 1-4 on June 1st and Chapters 5-the end of the book on June 29th.

You can check out our complete reading list for the year here.

Interested in the intersection of climate justice and Anti-War organizing?Join the 350 Seattle Anti-War x Climate Collective workgroup (AWxCC)! Over the next few months, the AWxCC will support this year’s iteration and escalation of the campaign to end the Blue Angels’ presence at Seafair, called Reimagine Seafair! 

Why Seafair, why the Blue Angels? The US Navy fighter-attack jets are glorified as “Blue Angels,” but they are the Spew Angels, spewing carbon and particulate pollution, terrorizing many with the noise pollution over 90 or even 100 decibels. Boeing, maker of the Blue Angels, is one of the world’s biggest war profiteers – and sponsors the airshow at Seafair the first weekend in August.

Reach out to AWxCC co-leaders Aedan or Mary for more information! Or, join our monthly Zoom meeting on May 28th.

Two upcoming events with Climate Action Families!

Onward! Honoring Transitions
Friday, May 16 ⋅ 5:45 – 8:00pm
Address: Intersection of 20th and E Pine (RSVP here for more details)

May’s CAF Monthly Meeting will be in celebration of all the youth students and staff who are transitioning past milestones of their lives. Whether they’re a graduating student, a retiring staff member, or a youth activist moving onto a bigger part of their life, we’ll be celebrating their milestones and journey alongside CAF during this meeting.

Doors open at 5:45 pm. This is a Potluck. Bring anything, but don’t worry if you can’t—we know folx are busy—and we always have enough!

Monthly meetings are for adults and youth of all ages. We play games, make art, and share in short presentations by young activists. Meetings are held in Seattle locations that are easy to reach using public transportation.

Low Tide Beach Hike @ Richmond Beach 
Saturday, July 26 ⋅ 10:00am – 3:00pm
Address: Richmond Beach Saltwater Park
2021 NW 190th St, Shoreline, WA 98177, USA
RSVP here

Join Climate Action Families for a summer exploration at the shoreline! During this low tide walk, we’ll discover hidden marine life, learn about local ecosystems, and connect with the natural world through curiosity and play. Perfect for kids, teens, and families—bring your water shoes, sun hats, and wonder!

This is a family-friendly, educational, and informal gathering—come ready to explore and get a little sandy.

Here’s another way you can participate to create a more resilient activist community!

Resources Lists Coordinator: We’re looking for a volunteer for 1-2 hours /wk at home on your own time to upkeep our Activist, Community, and local BIPOC business Resources Lists!

Data and people outreach skills/willingness to learn is all you need! contact lisamarcus@350seattle.org for more info.

Do you have a skill or service you would like to offer at low or no cost to the 350 Seattle activist community as a way to take part in and support the work we do? No matter your strengths and skills, there is a place for you! Maybe you’re able to offer tax prep help, or a free acupuncture session, or pet sitting. All skills are welcome! Please fill out this form with your own offerings, and we’ll reach out to confirm details. We’re excited to hear from you!

Consider patronizing local Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) -owned businesses! Here is a list of some local community BIPOC businesses to support, with additional lists linked at the bottom. Can you pick one new BIPOC-owned business to support this month??

Lastly, take a minute to bookmark our Community Activist Resource List, full of helpful resources of all kinds. Feel free to share with others in our broader movement community who may be interested!

Want a way to search all of the ways you can be involved with 350 Seattle? We compiled a (nearly) comprehensive list that is deemed the Volunteer Opportunities Doc. Our teams keep this document updated so if between newsletters you are scratching your head, this resource is for you.

Solidarity,
350 Seattle Staff Collective