August Newsletter

Climate Reality Portland Chapter
August 05, 2025

In today’s newsletter:

No August Chapter Meeting
Save The Date
What We Have Been Up To
Taking Action
Join a Committee
LinkTree
Share Your Climate Story

Summer Break- NO CHAPTER MEETING

We hope you have some days of rest and recuperation this month. Our world is troubled, and it is at the same time still beautiful and life-giving.

Save the dates

August 12: Sustainable Buildings Free event… This event will highlight wins and losses from the 2025 Oregon Legislative Session and offer a great opportunity to connect with experts in legislation, climate, and sustainability. RSVP HERE
September 17: Bill McKibben is speaking at Powell’s Books celebrating the release of his book Here Comes the Sun. Please note that this is a ticketed event that includes a copy of the book. Click Here for tickets
At this point 2 members have let us know that their family has gotten 2 tickets and will have an extra copy of the book to pass on– if you’d like to read Here Comes the Sun but short on funds, let us know and we’ll coordinate book sharing!
September 21: Sun Day Portland – part of a national day of action initiated by Bill McKibben to “celebrate the power and potential of solar and wind.” (quote from this heated interview . In addition to the rally and march, our Chapter will be participating in the Making Earth Cool portion of this event with shared movement, poetry, and information about the chapter and climate science and solutions. Sign up here or contact [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering with us at the event! You can also check out our next legislative committee meeting at 7 pm Wednesday Aug. 27.

News and What We’ve Been Up To

On July 23rd, in a historic moment for international climate justice, the International Court of Justice ruled that countries have a legal obligation to prevent dangerous climate change. Read “How The World’s Highest Court Bolstered The Fight For Climate Reparations” (from Grist) or listen to “Breaking Planetary News* The ICJ decision explained” (from Outrage and Optimism) for more on the subject. The full text of the landmark decision is here.

Closer to home, we’ve continued collaborating with other chapters and organizations, and brainstorming next steps for advocacy and events, including:

Hosting our July Chapter meeting with special guest presenter Dorothy Swain from Sustainable Rogue Valley. The beautiful presentation covered the ebbs and flows of climate action and interconnections with racial and economic justice through the lens of Dorothy’s coalitions' work in Grant's Pass. Missed the meeting? Check out the recording on YouTube.

Draft poster developed by our Climate Friendly Foods committee for the city of Florence

The climate friendly foods committee developed a poster and handout on food waste reduction that will be used at community events, e.g., farmer’s markets and tabling events in Florence, Oregon. According to Project Drawdown and many other reputable sources, reducing food waste is a key climate solution. The poster (pictured) is based on the “Don’t Let Good Food Go Bad” campaign adopted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Check it out for tips on how to be part of reaching Oregon’s goal of a 50 percent reduction in food waste by 2030!

Our Chapter Chair was invited to participate in a round-table discussion about the energy and climate justice impacts of AI and data centers in the Pacific Northwest. Separately on the same topic, we signed on as a chapter to a letter calling on Big Tech to ensure they help rather than hamper clean energy and utility affordability goals.

Want to find out more about this issue? Sierra Club is hosting a public webinar on the subject on August 20.

We are continuing to compile a list of climate news and resources; our legislative committee continues collaborating with others around Oregon on passing and implementing good climate policy; and our chapter is joining with Third Act on awareness, education, and inspiration through Sun Day Portland.

We could use your help to make all these efforts a reality! Not sure where to plug in? Let’s talk– email [email protected] to schedule a volunteering conversation!

Take action today!

Oregon’s Public Utilities Commission (OPUC) is making decisions now that will affect our climate for decades to come. Here’s an action you can take to help reduce emissions, make utilities more affordable, and help stop the spread of polluting gas pipes.

OPUC makes decisions for all of Oregon, so it’s good to weigh in even if you aren’t a Cascade Natural Gas customer!

See the sample letter and comment guide that Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility shared with us for tips. Deadline 5 pm August 8

Join a Committee:

Climate friendly foods committee: Email Lynne at [email protected]

Legislative committee: Email Amanda and Helena at [email protected]

Education committee: Email Lynn at [email protected]

Our Linktree!

Have limited time but want to keep up with quick actions and events in between newsletters? Bookmark our Linktree page: https://linktr.ee/climaterealitypdx

So many of us are working with multiple groups in different neighborhoods! If you’d like to share what you’re doing for climate action and climate justice, we’d love to highlight it in an upcoming newsletter! Email to [email protected] for inclusion.