We have a lot going on this month! We hope you will join us for our advocacy at the federal level. I'm in Washington, DC this week to participate in the Interfaith Power & Light national conference. I will have the opportunity to meet with our Oregon congressional delegation, and I'm setting up virtual meetings as well, so you all have a chance to make your voices heard. Please join us by taking the following actions:

See below for information about other things we're working on and participating in this month.

Youth in Portland are organizing a climate strike in the vein of Greta Thunberg's Fridays for Future on May 20. They are encouraging adults to strike from work as well! If you are near Portland, you are encouraged to join the march and festival, bring your kids, bring your signs, and support the youth who are organizing this action. Let's turn out in large numbers to show we care about climate justice, and we demand action! Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon / Oregon Interfaith Power & Light will be there to show the support of the faith community.

Follow @portlandyouthclimatestrike on Instagram or @PortlandStrike on Twitter for more information.

Youth Acting for Our Earth (YAE!), a program by Climate Change Recovery, is holding a training for climate leaders — students 4th–12th grade — in Beaverton, OR on May 28. The training is sponsored by Cool Islam, Oregon Interfaith Power & Light, and P'Nai Or of Portland.

Youth will learn:

- the science of climate change and recovery

- how global warming impacts everybody and everything on Earth

- the importance of planting trees and caring for the soil

- how to make effective presentations and influence laws and regulations that benefit the Earth.

YAE! has empowered over 425 youth in 5 states and 3 countries to try to stop global warming since 2014.

This training will take place on May 28 at Cooper Mountain Nature House in Beaverton, OR from 8:45am–2:00pm. Parents of participants can attend a separate workshop and see their students present in the afternoon. For more information, see this flyer or go to Climate Change Recovery's website.

On May 1, we held a panel discussion featuring Our Children's Trust staff attorney David Schwartz and two youth plaintiffs: Levi D. and Valholly F. We discussed the film Youth v Gov that many congregations watched together during Earth Month, and we also heard about ongoing similar lawsuits led by Oregon-based Our Children's Trust. Please contact us if you would like to receive a link to view the recording.

If you were not able to watch Youth v Gov in April, it is now available to stream on Netflix, so if you have an account (or want to gather with friends who have one), you can still watch the film and learn about this important case.

Many of you held events large and small to observe Earth Month, incorporated climate justice in your worship services, and engaged in activities to directly care for our common home in April. Though we did not get photos from everyone, we wanted to share a few from around the state, just to give you a taste of the types of activities that were held. If you want to share photos from your event in next month's newsletter, email us!

Passover Street Seder outside a Chase Bank in Eugene, OR, hosted by Temple Beth Israel's Tikkun Olam Committee and Dayenu Circle. (Photo by Survival Media Agency)

Presentation on faith communities and climate resilience, Beavercreek United Church of Christ. (Photo: Rev. Jennifer Seaich)

Youth v Gov film screening, Beavercreek UCC. (Photo: Rev. Jennifer Seaich)

Passover Street Seder outside a Chase Bank in Portland, OR, hosted by Havurah Shalom's Climate Action Team, Dayenu, and EcoFaith Recovery. Everyone is holding up their matzah bread and saying, "Move your dough!"

Earth Day gathering and closing celebration for Becoming Rooted: A Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth, at Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice. Dr. Randy Woodley is reading the 100th day reflection to those gathered in person and on Facebook Live.

The Divest Oregon report, "Risky Business: Oregon Treasury's Fossil Fuel Problem," is now available for download.

Highlights of the report include: Oregon's Treasury has at lesat $5.3 billion invested in fossil fuels, of which at least $1 billion is invested in coal; and "Over the past decade, fossil fuel public equities have underperformed compared with whole-market indices."

We encourage you to take a look at this report and share it with your networks, particularly if you or others you know are public employees who are or will receive PERS retirement benefits.

This report has received attention in the press such as: an AP article that has appeared in many major worldwide and Oregon newspapers, the Portland Business Journal, and the Portland Mercury.

In order to transition toward a just and sustainable future, in line with the beliefs of faith groups in our network, we must divest from fossil fuels. The Treasury is a great target for one of the largest divestment opportunities available to us in Oregon, so we are working hard to make sure the Treasury divests our state's retirement and other funds from fossil fuels, and reinvests them in a fossil free future.

It's not too late to join our monthly Green Circles gatherings! These will occur on the third Tuesday of the month in May and June. Register here.

Dr. Randy Woodley will join us this Tuesday, May 17. The June Green Circles will offer space to reflect back on our Green Circles experience this year and reflect forward on what we will do as a result. We will also discuss opportunities for federal policy advocacy. We will encourage individuals and teams to create climate justice goals for your community over the summer. Join us and connect with people of faith across the state who care about climate justice!