Welcome to the August 2024 Climate Action Newsletter
Quote of the Month:
“For me, and others, walking away from despair has been a process of growing up, and it seems that in this moment a lot of people are trying to grow up, to become more responsible and resilient enough to live in the present instead of a distant past or a distant future.”

– Sadie Forkner, 350CO Summer 2024 Intern

Action of The Month

RSVP to or plan to attend a climate action event this month (and bring a friend!)

Take action for climate solutions in Colorado

📱 Share & Sign Up:

  • We want to organize with you! Share this video from Chelsea, our Movement Building and Volunteer Director, introducing the ZIP Leader program. We’re looking for a leader in each ZIP code in Colorado who want to take action on climate in their local community. We want to support your work with resources and connections with our team and other leaders and volunteers from around the state. Like Chelsea says in the video, the climate crisis is heating up, and we need all hands on deck!

Share this video on Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram to spread the word. Thanks SO much for any sharing you have time for today!

If you’re interested in being a ZIP leader, fill out this interest form and we’ll be in touch soon. 🫶

🔥 Show up for the Summer of Heat in Denver (Targeting big banks who fund fossil fuels!)

  • 350 Colorado, Rainforest Action Network, and Third Act Union are hosting this day of action in solidarity with the folks from Stop the Money Pipeline (STMP). STMP launched their Summer of Heat Campaign on June 10th with the broad focus being on Wall Street, but by primarily targeting banking giants CitiBank and Chase Bank for their financial backing of countless fossil fuel projects from the Gulf South to our own backyard in Aurora. RSVP here!

🚲 Come out tonight at the “Green Light Tour” with Patagonia Denver!

  • Join us at the Patagonia store in Denver, for “Solar Biking Around America!” From 5pm-7pm, join 350CO, with other environmental orgs, to host Megan and Polo, two solar advocates crossing the country on sun-powered bikes to support and reach communities all across the USA in the fight for clean power and energy democracy! With snacks, a panel conversation, and a solar bike activity, this is an event you do not want to miss! You can RSVP here.

⚠️ Fast, Fair Just Transition: No False Solutions! Pueblo Action on Utilities on Aug. 15th

  • JOIN US on at 11:30am August 15th, when we’re taking action together in Pueblo to send a clear message to our elected officials at the PUC, Xcel, and Black Hills.
  • Our demands are:
    • Hold Utilities (Black Hills and Xcel) responsible for paying for the “transition” that they have made millions of dollars on
    • Community Empowerment – Community deserves to be involved and informed
    • No more false solutions! Pueblo deserves nuclear free energy, with no new gas development or carbon capture technology. We need sustainable, renewable energy.
    • Stop raising prices on Environmental Justice Communities
  • RSVP here, we look forward to seeing you there!

Organize & Meet Other Activists:

  • Join the tabling & outreach crew: We’re so excited to get you connected to this new team! Tabling and Outreach are important and essential tools for organizing – we recruit new volunteers with diverse backgrounds, gather signatures for sign on letters and petitions, and build support for all of our campaigns and committees! Please fill out this form so can get an idea of your background and skillset. Reach out to Melissa (melissa@350colorado.org) if you have questions!
  • Join one of our committees or local teams! To get involved, check out this committee list or sign up for a local team near you! See our calendar for all upcoming committee meetings. No matter your experience level with climate activism or organizing, we’d love to meet you and work together. Local teams include Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Northern Colorado, and Roaring Fork.

Thank you to our wonderful summer 2024 interns, Lily-Ann and Sadie!

We are privileged to have had Sadie and Lily-Ann join our team this summer as interns!

Lily-Ann interned with the 350 Northern Colorado team and contributed deeply to our recruitment and base-building efforts there. Sadie worked as a movement building intern and put much passion and dedication into getting the ZIP leader project off the ground.

As both of these wonderful humans head onto the next chapter, we wish them well and can’t wait to see what moves they make next! Thank you. 💚

 

 


Recent news


34 Environmental Groups Groups Call on Gov. Polis to Oppose Large-Scale Aurora-area Oil & Gas Proposal

350 Colorado and 33 other Colorado environmental groups submitted a letter to Governor Polis asking him to publicly oppose the large-scale Aurora-area Lowry Ranch Oil & Gas Proposal. The letter details the groups’ many concerns with the controversial oil & gas drilling and fracking proposal to drill up to 166 oil and gas wells on State Land Board property near disproportionately impacted Aurora communities in the EPA designated severe ozone non-attainment area.


On Building Local Community Around Climate Action

This summer, 350CO has been working on continuing to build the movement for grassroots local organizing that helps local communities make change and sustain themselves through the impacts of the climate crisis.

Most notably, this summer, we’ve launched a new volunteer opportunity: ZIP Leading, or Zoning Interpersonal Power! ZIP Leaders help 350CO to build our movement locally in their specific zip code, and facilitate communication between the organization and their communities about how to implement the climate solutions needed in their backyards. Read more and fill out the interest form here.


350 Colorado Mid-Year Report

Check out 350CO’s amazing accomplishments and successes over the past year! Inside, you’ll find state and local team highlights, a message from our Executive Director, impact numbers, and details about our mission and pillars of work. A huge thank you to our donors and volunteers that make our work possible!


Supreme Court Eliminates Longstanding Legal Principle in Ruling About Fisheries Management (& What it Means that the Chevron Deference Doctrine was Overruled) – EarthJustice

Looking for some information on what the overruling of the Chevron Deference Doctrine means? Read through this article from EarthJustice explaining what happened and what that means for us. If you’d rather watch a video version of this explanation, you can find it here on their Instagram account.


Presence: Finding Hope & Taking Action on the Climate Crisis
Both denial and total optimism about climate are positions often borne from the privilege it takes to ignore the problem as it unfolds. Despair requires a different but very real privilege that knows and feels like it cares. Solnit says, “For those of us whose lives are already easy, giving up means making life even easier, at least in terms of effort. For the directly impacted, it means surrendering to devastation. Giving up on behalf is not solidarity.

Read this personal narrative essay on despair, hope, anxiety, and action by 350CO intern Sadie Forkner.


Opinion: Suncor refinery owners need to be held more accountable for what they are doing to our neighborhoods

Read and share this article by Lucy Molina in The Colorado Sun. From the article: “I live in the shadow of the Suncor refinery and spend most days worrying about the health of my family and those I love. It is infuriating that Suncor has been allowed to continue operating in my community with slaps on the wrist for its numerous pollution violations and repeated safety concerns. There is no justice here — only platitudes and PR statements. 


A huge thanks to our August Climate Heroes of the Month!

For this month’s Climate Hero of the Month we are doing things a little differently. Instead of focus on one individual, we are collectively recognizing those in the climate movement that are getting back into school in August; whether they are students, educators, professionals, or parents, we are excited to uplift everyone involved!

The many people that are involved in our education system represent the diversity and intersectionality of our grassroots organizing. Intergenerational leaders from kids to tenured professors and everyone in between, finding ways to collaborate, problem solve, and come together in community in these unprecedented times. It’s an incredible thing, and an inspiring one to say the least.

Because the fact of the matter is, our education system and the success of those involved in it are key pieces of solving the puzzle that is the climate crisis. Take students for example; regardless of their age, year after year they can build on their understanding of what needs to be done to keep the air, water, land, and people of our planet healthy and thriving. Specialties and areas of study can emerge as students consider undergraduate or graduate degrees. With each young learner is the opportunity to create a leader that feels their connection and responsibility to making the world a better place. And all along the way, they can create real change in their communities as well!

Read the back to school edition to celebrate students, parents, teachers, administrators, and everyone involved in this important work

 


Upcoming Events & Actions

  • Tuesday, August 6th, 5-7pm – “Green Light Tour” with Patagonia Denver (Denver)Sign up
  • Wednesday, August 7th, 6-7pm – 350CO Promoting Climate Solutions Monthly Call (Zoom)Sign up
  • Thursday, August 8th, 11am – Frontline Dispatch Webinar 2: Lessons from Stop Formosa by Stop the Money Pipeline (Webinar)Sign up
  • Thursday, August 8th, 4-5pm – Building Resilient Communities: Bipartisan Solutions to Climate Impacts by EDF Action (Webinar)Sign up
  • Friday, August 9th, 12-1pm – Summer of Heat Day of Action (Big Banks Funding Fossil Fuels) (Denver)RSVP here
  • Saturday, August 10th, 11am-2:30pm – Rock & Reuse Summer Concert Series (Boulder)Details here
  • Monday, August 12th, 4-5pm – Suncor Action Committee Meeting (Zoom)Sign up
  • Tuesday, August 13th, 11am – CoPIRG Inflation Reduction Act 2nd Anniversary Event (Denver) – Save the date
  • Tuesday, August 13th, 2-4pm – Korean Activist Exchange ‘Stronger Together’ with 350 Boulder County @ First Congregational Church on Pine Street (Boulder) – Lunch provided
  • Thursday, August 15th, 11am-2pm – Fast, Fair Just Transition: No False Solutions! Pueblo Action on Utilities (Pueblo)RSVP here
  • Saturday, August 17th, 11:45am-3pm – Erie Fracking & Pollution: Action Tour! (Erie)Sign up here
  • Monday, August 19th, 6pm – 350CO Climate Policy and Regulatory Action Committee meeting (Zoom)Sign up here
  • Monday, August 19th, 6pm – Climate Grief Circle – August Gathering by GreenFaith (Zoom)Sign up here
  • Tuesday, August 20th, 7-8pm – Safe & Healthy Colorado – Volunteer Welcome Call – Plug into the grassroots movement to phase out new fracking permits by 2030! (Zoom)Sign up
  • Thursday, August 22nd, 8am-5pm – Energizing Climate Solutions: Rural, Resort & Energy Transition Communities by CLEER (Aspen)Get tickets
  • Thursday, August 22nd – 350CO Welcome Call for Activists & Volunteers! Join this casual and informative space with 350 CO teammates to activate for the climate! (Zoom)  – RSVP here
  • Tuesday, August 27th – 350CO Youth Action Committee Meeting (Zoom)Sign up
  • Wednesday, August 28th – 350CO Movement Building Committee Meeting  (Zoom)Sign up
Please view our full calendar to join local team meetings, committee conference calls & more!

P.S. Please support crucial climate action work in Colorado – become a monthly sustaining donor at $10 or more per month!

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