Many faith communities find it meaningful and motivating to hold events, worship services, educational opportunities, and planting days during April each year in order to take part in the momentum provided by Earth Day. This year will mark the 53rd annual Earth Day. The day itself is April 22, but people host events and activities throughout the month of April to care for the planet and ensure its sustained health as a home for humanity and our neighbors of all species.

Along with our national partners at Interfaith Power & Light, we encourage you to participate in Faith Climate Action Week (FCAW), which starts today. This year's theme is: "Living the Golden Rule: a just transition to a clean energy economy." Download a resource kit or plan your own events to draw awareness to the connection between the ways we care for this planet and your faith. You're also encouraged to look for Earth Day events happening in your community and collaborate with them.

What do you have planned? Several Oregon faith communities have already listed their public events on this map. You can browse it to see what others are doing and list your own activities.

You might be interested in streaming this year's FCAW featured film, "Current Revolution," which is actually a series of short films. You can screen the film in person or virtually over Zoom for your congregation, or just sign up to watch it with your household.

We look forward to hearing about your FCAW events. Please email us with stories about your events, and we would love to see photos!

Here at Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, we are celebrating FCAW by hosting Oregon Interfaith Power & Light Earth Month Advocacy April 17–28. See details below, and join us to advocate for climate and environmental justice in the Oregon legislature.

We have several exciting virtual and in-person advocacy opportunities coming up in the next two weeks for our Oregon Interfaith Power & Light Earth Month Advocacy! Please let us know if you would like to participate by filling out this form. These are low-pressure opportunities for you to meet with your legislator and let them know about your care for our planet, neighbors, and the community of all life. You do NOT have to be a policy expert, just show up and share your story about why you care.

Want to participate but can't attend advocacy meetings during the day? Send your legislators this email about our creation justice policy priorities to let them know people in their district care about these topics.

Please take a few minutes to send these quick emails to Oregon's leaders. When we act together, we can make a big difference!

Last month, many of you signed the faith leader letter to stop the GTN XPress pipeline expansion that we sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Thank you! We sent it with well over 300 signatures from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho!

This month, we are asking you to send this one-click email to Gov. Tina Kotek, asking her to make a statement against this pipeline expansion. It would add the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of 754,000 passenger vehicles a year.

Gov. Kotek indicated in her campaign that she would oppose this pipeline expansion, but has not yet publicly done so as governor. Gov. Inslee of Washington and Oregon's senators, Merkley and Wyden, as well as the attorneys general for Oregon, Washington, and California have opposed this project. Read more at the link.

A group including many people of faith in Oregon, as well as groups from all over the country, have been working on The Earth Bill, which will ensure the transition into renewable electricity, zero-emission transportation, and regenerative agriculture by 2030. It was introduced to the US House of Representatives as H.R.598. EMO has endorsed this bill.

The current goal is for more bill sponsors, so please send a letter to your federal legislators, asking them to co-sponsor the bill.

For those in the Portland area, we are hosting the River's Lament with EcoFaith Recovery and the Portland Harbor Collaborative Group, as well as the University of Portland (UP), on UP's campus on May 13, 10am–12:30pm. Snacks and drinks will be available at the end.

Written by members of EcoFaith Recovery, this lament includes seven stations overlooking the Willamette River and the Portland Harbor Superfund site. It tells the story of the river from the river's perspective.

Meet at 10:00am outside the Chiles Center. See the map on the second page of this flyer. Feel free to share the flyer and invite others to attend.

Clockwise from top left: local Summits at Portland, Medford, Corvallis, and Bend on Feb. 5

Above: EMO/OIPL's Cherice Bock and Julia Weinand with coalition members at the HB 2990 Community Resilience Hubs public hearing.

Below: Julia Weinand after presenting at the Oregon State Treasury; Cherice Bock in a meeting with Rep. Dacia Grayber, both photos with the Divest Oregon coalition.

Above: Julia Weinand with the Building Resilience coalition after testifying at the public hearing for SB 868, 869, 870, and 871.