Thank you to everyone who participated in our 10th annual Oregon Interfaith Earth Summit, "Care for Our Common Home: Building Neighborhood Climate Resilience"! We had approximately 250 attendees in 10 locations across the state. If you weren't able to be there or want to watch the statewide portion again, here is the video. This was our first attempt at a hybrid Summit and everyone seemed to enjoy the opportunity to gather with others at the local level as well as being connected to the statewide movement, so we are planning to do something similar again next year. Let us know if you would like to host a local event for the 2024 Summit!

Since April is Earth month, we have a lot going on in the next couple months to care for our common home, the beautiful planet Earth. What will you be doing to engage your community or congregation in earth care? We would love to hear about it, and you are encouraged to post public events on this map so others can join. Please reach out by email if you have questions or want some ideas of what to do.

We hope you will do something for Faith Climate Action Week, whether that is to host a film screening, organize an activity or educational opportunity about faith and environmental concerns, or participate in our Oregon Interfaith Power & Light Advocacy Team opportunities. See details below.

Faith Climate Action Week occurs in the weeks leading up to Earth Day each year, hosted by our national partners at Interfaith Power & Light (IPL). 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.

Public events can be listed on this map, or you can browse it to see what others are doing.

IPL offers a free film to screen with your congregation or in your home each year, and this year's featured film is "Current Revolution," which is actually a series of short films. You can screen the film in person or virtually over Zoom, or just sign up to watch it with your household.

Oregon's legislative session is getting into full swing with some exciting and important climate-related bills moving forward.

During the week before Earth Day, April 17–21, we will be scheduling virtual meetings with legislators. If you would like to participate, please sign up for our Oregon Interfaith Power & Light (OIPL) Advocacy Team.

We will also have opportunities to advocate in person in Salem:

By signing up for the OIPL Advocacy Team, you will receive information about these opportunities, as well as training and information on our priority bills. Register here, and invite others from your faith community's green team or other people of faith from your legislative district to join you.

Along with our partners at Earth Ministry, Washington Interfaith Power & Light, we are collecting signatures from faith leaders to reject the proposed expansion of the Gas Transmission Northwest (GTN) pipeline, a fracked (methane "natural") gas pipeline that crosses Oregon from north to south.

We are defining "faith leader" broadly to include leaders of green teams or those serving in a variety of leadership capacities in communities of faith. Please sign if that applies to you, and/or invite your clergy, committee leaders, or denominational or faith tradition leaders from the region to sign the letter.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) may vote on this as early as April 20, so we're looking for signatures by April 10.

Oregon Senators Merkley and Wyden and Washington's Governor Inslee have made statements opposing this project. Stay tuned for a letter to Governor Kotek if she does not make a similar statement soon.

Congratulations to the Open Door Churches of Salem, who were runners up in this year's Cool Congregations Challenge in the category "renewable role model" through the national Interfaith Power & Light! Six congregations worked together to put solar panels on all the eligible roofs.

Might your congregation be working on a project that would qualify for one of the Cool Congregations Challenge awards? Categories include:

Learn more and consider entering the contest before December 15.

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 at 10am. 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.

We held this event in December and it snowed! (See photos.) By popular demand, we will hold it again, and hope for slightly more hospitable weather. The event will bring together people of faith, community members, EPA employees, members of environmental organizations, and UP students. The students will be in the midst of an environmental justice immersion tour around the northwest.

We will meet between 9:45–10:00am near the Chiles Center. Email for more info and a shareable flyer, when it becomes available.