Dear Reader,
Blessings upon your goretex! I pray that both your boots have remain hole-less and your homes mold-less through the cold snap and subsequent Hottest January Ever one – two punch.
Meanwhile, while we are down here slopping through the material and metaphorical mud, Amazon and several of the oil majors posted record breaking profits for the end of 2023! Come on God, what’s the deal??
While New Years Resolutions are so last month, let this be the year where we learn to maintain hope despite growing crises, and deepen our resolve and commitment to climate justice. Which is a great segway too …
The Return of Volunteer Night
Was your new years resolution (I know, so last month) to get involved in the climate justice movement? Are you curious about the organizers behind our campaigns? Are you looking for a community of everyday folks building people power to organize Seattle to get off fossil fuels? hold polluters accountable? organize a green new deal and build a sustainable future for us all? Then come to volunteer night!
February Volunteer Night
Feb.7th, 6:30 – 8:30PM,
5031 University Way NE
Doors open at 6:30, bring a dish for the potluck if you are feeling festive. Open & welcome to all.
350 WA Civic Action Team
Our 2nd Annual Legislative Education and Advocacy Fair last week was a big success!
There’s just over a month left in the 2024 WA Legislative session, so be sure to sign up for our twice-weekly action alerts and join in on the advocacy fun. We’ve mobilized 386 people to take 22,822 actions so far!
Thank you very much to everyone who was a part of making the Legislative Education and Advocacy Fair event so powerful and awesome.
* We had 190 folks register and enjoyed tons of education, a fun skit on how to give remote testimony on a bill, and heard from so many presenters!
* Here are the video and slides
* Here’s where you can learn more and get connected to all the fabulous organizations who presented.
This event was co-hosted by Our Climate, 350 WA Civic Action Team (CAT), Native Vote WA, UTOPIA WA, Climate Action Families, WA Ethnic Studies Now, Sierra Club WA, Environment WA, Washington Conservation Action, Climate Solutions, The Lands Council, Transportation Choices Coalition, Save Our wild Salmon, Methow Valley Citizens Council Action Fund, Climate Rail Alliance, and Audubon WA.
Solidarity with Palestine
If you can’t make it to the streets, theres plenty of other ways to support a ceasefire in Gaza. Consider looking into this Boycott Guide from the American Muslims for Palestine, watching the Black Lives Matter and Palestine Solidarity Teach-in, sign up for the Jewish Day of Advocacy for Peace (if you are Jewish), or otherwise think about how you can leverage living where we do, like No Tech for Apartheid.
Aviation Team
Aviation Team members are testifying in Olympia and working with the Civic Action Team for better regulations about so-called sustainable aviation fuels and other aviation issues. Register here for our Team meeting on February 13, 7-8 pm, where you can learn the latest science about aviation emissions and alternative aviation fuels, as well as find out how to get involved in our many other activities. Or contact Laura at to see how you can get involved – we’d love your participation!
Let’s keep those forests standing
Last year, the State Legislature conserved 2,000 acres of mature forests using newly available funds from the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). This resulted in some of our state’s most beautiful forestlands being permanently protected! However, the demand from counties across Western WA was much greater than 2,000 acres. This year’s legislative session has just begun, and there is an opportunity for further investment of CCA funds to conserve mature forests in counties like Thurston, Kitsap, and Snohomish, which requested acres but got very little or none at all.
Federal Policy Team
Good news! We have been feeling cautiously optimistic after learning last week that President Biden has paused permitting for new liquid natural gas export approvals. This is one big step in the right direction. Now we need to demand that all gas exports are permanently banned.
The Agriculture team has been very busy so far this year (as always) and have met with the offices of Reps. Strickland, Smith, and Jayapal on Farm Bill Priorities. After all, the Farm Bill might be the most important climate bill this Congress will pass. Stay tuned for an action alert later this week with ways to advocate for a stronger Farm Bill.
Next week the Federal Policy Team will be meeting with Senator Cantwell’s office on topics such as clean energy standards for hydrogen hubs, FERC reform, the Farm Bill, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, and more. If you are interested in learning more and lobbying your legislators on climate justice issues, contact Beth B. or Linnea, or join the Federal Policy Team meeting every first Wednesday of the month at 5pm on Zoom. Or sign up for Federal Policy listserv here.
Introducing our two new campaigners!
We are thrilled to be welcoming two new campaigners to the 350 Seattle Staff Collective.
Akiksha Chatterji, Campaigns Director Aki (She/Her) first joined 350 Seattle as a practicum student in 2020, pursuing a Master in Social Work degree from the University of Washington. Aki served on the board of 350 Seattle for two years and remains a member of the BIPOC Caucus. Before joining 350 Seattle, Aki was the first team member and campaigner at Positive Money US. Aki helped launch the organization and campaigned for bold climate related financial regulation to protect vulnerable communities from the harmful impacts of fossil fuel investments, and build a more just, sustainable and democratic economy. Aki was born and raised in Pune, India, which informs her analysis on building international solidarity and centering the needs of communities in the global south in our fight for climate justice. She is thrilled to start her journey as Campaigns Director and staff collective member. You can contact Aki here.
Andrew Eckels, Finance Campaigns Director (he/his) is an experienced organizer, fighting for climate and labor justice since 2013. He is a proud union educator, a big time nerd about movement history, and loves learning about how ordinary people can change the world. In recent years he focused on building alliances between labor and the climate movement to fight together for a green new deal. With 350 Seattle, he has already started working on a campaign to push the financial system to protect worker pension funds from the major financial risks of worsening climate change. You can contact Andrew here.
Calling all Washington State Public Employees!
Are you an educator, state employee, firefighter or at any job where you have a Washington state pension? You can play a critical role in our current campaign to get the WA State Investment Board to change how it incorporates climate financial risk into how it invests, and how it votes on resolutions for climate action within banks and other corporations!
Are you a WA public employee? Let us know here!
New villian just dropped
Have you heard about Brain Heywood, the hedge fund manager funding six nightmare ballot initiatives? If you are limited by the paywall, here are the cliff notes – hedge fund guy moves from California to Redmond, gets a hobby ranch he dubs Galt’s Valley (those of you who have had the misfortune of reading Ayn Rand will likely groan at the reference) decides that he’s gotta fix Washington and starts throwing money around. The six initiatives include fun things like repealing taxes, gutting the Climate Commitment Act, giving cops more power for car chases (who’s out here demanding this?), and making access to healthcare for trans youth in schools even more difficult. Anyway, just thought people should know.
Climate Action Families’ Feburary Court of Honor
Open to youth, parents, and friends – Interested in taking action on climate in a family-friendly environment? Climate Action Families takes an intergenerational approach to climate justice.
This month we are celebrating the work of all of our members, and honoring our 1st year, 5th year, and 10th year contributors! All are welcome! Come celebrate the amazing work of young people, and honor our commitment to a better future.
Climate Action Families Court of Honor
Friday 2/16, 5:30-7:30PM
University Friends (changes monthly)
You’re Invited!!!
Please pass along, and contact us if you are interested in volunteering or partnering with us!
Sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date
Join the 350 Seattle Book Club
We have meetings coming up related to the book Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown (Sundays 2/11 and 2/25, 2:30-4:30) and the zine From Banks and Tanks to Cooperation and Care from Movement Generation (Sunday 3/10, 2:30-4:30).
Next we’ll be scheduling meetings around Seattle From The Margins by Megan Asaka; The Future Is Degrowth by Matthias Schmelzer, Andrea Vetter, and Aaron Vansintjan; and A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers!
We typically meet every other Sunday, 2:30-4:30, in a hybrid format (either in person at the 350S office or online via Zoom). If you’d like to be part of this fun, collaborative, and meaningful space where we are all learning together, sign up here and we’ll be in touch!
Support the People’s Echo with healing through song
Call for volunteers! We are so excited to bring more of our community members into our organizing ecosystem. These volunteer roles are a unique opportunity to support our behind the scenes organizing work, and could potentially lead to a paid role as part of The People’s Echo organizing team in the future.
We have 3 volunteer roles open:
*Event Pollinator – to support with getting the word out about song circles through fb, etc.
*Web Weaver – to support with connecting BIPGM communities we can weave song with
*Street Songbird – to support with mobilizing our community to bring songs to actions
If you’re interested, please email thepeoplesecho@gmail.com sharing a little bit about yourself, and why you are drawn to the position you are applying for.
Upcoming Song Circle:
SING BRAVE: A Song Circle for Cultivating Courage – Join Bex Lipps of The People’s Echo for a song circle to fill our cups with the courage it takes to be awake and aware in these times. Sunday, February 18, 4:30-6:30pm, 2210 N Pacific St.
Climate Grief & Empowerment
Times of crisis remind us that we need each other; that life is precious, and we have much to be grateful for. Let us find ways to come together and find our way through this. Let us be a part of the solutions, of the new ways forward when collapse threatens us and the media feeds our fears and anxieties. Let technology help us connect, and build a better world, together. You are invited to feel, digest, and move through grief together at the next Climate Grief and Empowerment gatherings.
Climate Grief and Empowerment Monthly Gathering
Saturday, February 10th, and Saturday, March 9th, from 10:00–11:45am
Online, register here separately for each one you’ll attend.
Artful Activism
Join the Artful Team and Alerts list.
*Sign up here for the Art in Action team to help deploy art at actions or public events.
*Sign up here to join an art build, and help build the art for beautiful community actions and events.
Skills welcome, but not required. We look forward to welcoming you into a supportive and collaborative community. Skills welcome, and definitely not at all required. Join us! We’ll teach you as you go! Collaborative tasks like tracing, cutting, twisting ties, painting in between the lines, etc. are always a welcoming and fun way to drop in and be a part of the powerful art at our actions. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you want to try a little something more in a supportive, learning, fun, and connecting atmosphere with other people who care enough to show up, and who accept you as you are. Come have fun with us building the powerful beauty for the movement! No skills needed. No art builds scheduled yet, but keep an eye out for emails with updated info!
For those who want to be more involved, we are growing both our art build team and our art in action team, where teams of volunteer leads help others participate (with art leads support) to spread the love. Maybe you’re experienced 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 with other skill sets like DJs, snacks, setup and cleanup, de-escalation, and vibes watchers – is that you?
Whatever your skill set, the Artful Team has a place for you! Contact Lisa to get involved.
Got Rhythm and want to drum in the streets? Want to learn how to drum to enliven our actions? We’ve got bucket drums ready to go for participatory community beats at actions.
Want to learn to do Sound Tech? Learn how and then operate our sound equipment including PAs, a sound board, power stations, mics, and bluetooth, at events and actions (with support until you’re ready) for each event. We are looking to train a bigger group of people so that someone is likely interested and available when we need sound at smaller events? (comfort with tech, no experience needed, var/hrs) contact Lisa.
We want your photos! Did you take photos at a recent 350 Seattle event, art build, or action? Are you willing to share any great shots that you captured with our community? Submit your best images to our Photo Library to share them with our community for use in our organization’s storytelling, including our outreach, communications, and fundraising efforts. Here are our guidelines and the email address for submitting photos to our library editors.
Community Resilience
Our Community Activist Resources Lists help support our most active and our broader movement with some of the vast number of resources available in the Seattle area for 350 Seattle and the general community! Check out the reduced to no cost resource list here and share with others in our broader movement community who may be interested.
Lists Upkeep Volunteer needed! Do you have data and people outreach skills and 1-2 hrs/wk? Contact contact Lisa for more info.
Do you have a skill or service you would like to offer at very reduced or no charge to the 350 Seattle activist community, or a reduced cost offering for our broader community as a way to take part in and support the work we do? Do you know of BIPOC businesses in our community who might want to be added to the list linked above? All skills are welcome! Please fill out this form with your own offerings, or with other local Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) businesses we could be patronizing, or other entries we should add to the general resource list and we’ll get back with you! Thanks!
Please consider supporting local Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) owned businesses! Here is a list of some local community BIPOC businesses to support, with lists of others embedded!
AND FINALLY,
A giant SHOUTOUT TO DAVE MCCAUL for helping me out with our website overhaul, for being patient with my lackadaisical approach to large projects and for your persistent enthusiasm during our zoom workparties. Thank you Dave.
See you next month,
<3 Ben
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350 Seattle is an independent local affiliate of the global 350.org. We are not legally or financially connected to 350.org. We’re funded by supporters like you! Click here to make a donation today.
350 Seattle
5031 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
United States