Cascadia Rising Tide is active in Eugene, Portland and Olympia, with contacts in British Columbia, California and elsewhere in the west. Our focuses include grassroots education and organizing resistance to Liquefied Natural Gas, the Columbia River Crossing highway expansion and forest destruction. We also work with local movements against giant hydro-electric dams and the sustainability movement. Please contact us at anytime at cascadia-AT-risingtidenorthamerica-DOT-org. You can also email Portland Rising Tide directly at portland-AT-risingtidenorthamerica-DOT-org.

Want updates on our next actions? Join our email list for updates!

The  “True Cost of Coal” graphics campaign is here!

Who: The Beehive Collective, a 100% volunteer-driven non-profit political organization that uses graphical media as educational tools to communicate stories.

What: A presentation of the Beehive Collective’s newest work. Two years in the making, the “True Cost of Coal” is an elaborate narrative illustration that explores the complex story of mountaintop removal coal mining and the broader impacts of coal in Appalachia and beyond. To create the poster, the Beehive interviewed hundreds of community members throughout the Appalachia region. In their interactive picture-lectures, the Bees lead audiences through an engaging, larger-than-life banner version of the graphic, interweaving anecdotes, statistics, and history.

When/Where: Several events in Portland.

• Last Thursday on Alberta Ave, August 26^th, location TBA
• Friday, August 27th, 3-5pm at the Ecotrust Building, Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, 2nd floor (721 Northwest 9th Avenue)
• Sunday, August 29th, 7pm at Autonomy (316 Northwest 4th Ave.)
• Tuesday, August 31st,  2pm – 6pm, Special Art Workshop & Presentation at Tryon Life Community Farm (details below)

The Full Story:

The image is the culmination of an intensive and collaborative research process, as the Beehive methodology centers on first hand story-sharing. “We feel it’s extremely important to gather our information from as close to the source as possible,” a Beehive illustrator says.

The Bees craft visual metaphors and weave them together in a patchwork “quilt” of personal stories. Beehive presentations prompt discussion and understanding of contemporary struggles about energy and coal, while honoring the deep legacy of the Appalachian experience. Upon seeing the graphic, Tanya Turner of Pineville, KY said, “This image is changing Appalachia. Appalachians are taking back Appalachia and this image is a tool for that change.”
“The True Cost of Coal” is only the latest work in the Beehive’s repertoire of graphics campaigns. The Beehive hums with activity, tackling issues as diverse as biotechnology, corporate globalization, food and agriculture, and colonialism. The group’s mission is to “cross-pollinate the grassroots” by creating images that educate the public and deconstruct complex geopolitical issues.  Their body of work is distributed as “anti-copyright;” individuals and organizations are encouraged to reproduce the graphics for non-profit use as a means of circulating information and awareness.

The Beehive Collective is currently touring nation-wide to distribute the graphic. For more information and to view the graphics visit www.beehivecollective.org OR beehivecollective.blogspot.com.

Details on the Tryon Life Community Farm Event!

Beehive Collective Art Workshop & Presentation
Tuesday, August 31st, 2pm – 6pm

At Tryon Farm (tryonfarm.org)

Join us and the Beehive Collective for an afternoon of collaborative creative process and cross-pollination. Using Beehive design methodology, we will develop ideas and images for TLC Farm’s educational land signs. This will be a participatory, co-created artistic process – please come even if you’ve never before visited the Farm. Afterwards, the Bees will present The True Cost of Coal.

We will be running a shuttle from People’s coop (SE 21st and Tibbetts), meeting at 1:15 and leaving by 1:30.  The shuttle will return to People’s by 6:45. This workshop is a by-donation event, with nobody turned away for lack of funds.  Please RSVP to maralena.murphy@gmail.com so we can know about how many folk to expect.  We look forward to seeing you!

BONUS EVENT!

Climate Ground Zero presents @ 6:30 pm — Thurs, August 26th
Autonomy Hive (316 NW 4th Ave)
http://climategroundzero.net

Climate Ground Zero is an ongoing campaign of non-violent civil resistance in southern West Virginia to end mountaintop removal.  Since Feb 2009, over 150 people have been arrested (in WV alone!) confronting the irrevocable destruction of Appalachia & its accompanying toll on air, water, & lives of Appalachians.

Come learn about the campaign and how you can help!

In recent news, Northern Star, the corporation that was previously funding an LNG terminal near Astoria called Bradwood Landing, declared bankruptcy. And just last week, Palomar pulled its application from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Palomar Gas Transmission, a company that proposed an $800 million natural gas pipeline across the Oregon Cascades told the FERC that their project is in indefinite delay, and needs to secure “additional commercial underpinning” before it can progress. Palomar claimed it “was reviewing its project plan” in light of the bankruptcy of its biggest prospective customer — a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal on the Columbia River that suspended its own permitting efforts in May of this year.

Palomar said it was continuing some long-term field surveys on species that could be impacted by the project so FERC can resume its environmental analysis of the project when supplemental material or a revised application is submitted. Over four years ago, Palomar asserted that their schedule intended to begin cutting trees on the pipeline corridor in the summer of 2010. As this project stands, Palomar is not even close to completing their environmental impact statement, let alone beginning construction of this controversial, legally vulnerable proposal.

A number of decorated signs were placed along the road preceding the banner. They highlighted previous victories of the anti-LNG campaign, as well as called out the proposed Oregon LNG terminal. A double decker banner was hung 40 feet high from trees across Highway 46 this morning. “We are winning, and still fighting!” was the message declared. “With the public outcry against the Bradwood Landing causing Northern Star to file bankruptcy, and now Palomar claiming the proposal is on indefinite delay, forest and climate advocates have seen a definite shift in progress,” says Meredith Cox of the Trans & Womyn’s Action Camp. “But we also realize that this fight is not over, and it’s become even more apparent that we now need to shift our resistance against Oregon LNG.”

The action is claimed by the Trans & Womyn’s Action Camp, which is an annual ecological and social justice camp in Cascadia that strives to confront local environmental devastation.

More information can be found at www.portlandrisingtide.org

Stephanie Boston, Trans & Womyn’s Action Camp
twac@riseup.net
503 – 849 – 9624

Fossil Fool's Weekly

Late last night volunteers with Portland Rising Tide blasted the city with over 3,000 fake newspaper covers wrapping the Willamette Week. With content including an interview with Bigfoot about pipeline plans through Mt. Hood and a chart explaining the Columbia River Crossing project as understood by Glen Beck. The action was part of Fossil Fools Day, a national day-of-action with the tag-line, “Pull a prank that packs a punch” meant to inspire playful actions targeting the fossil fuel industry.

The action was pulled off to provide light-hearted education to the public and simultaneously call out those corporations and projects that have been using an elaborate public relations campaign to “green” their image.

Ryan Caraway with Portland Rising Tide explained the action, “Our region is threatened by a number of projects that would increase our dependency on fossil fuels as well as threaten some of the most pristine areas left in this country. Unfortunately, we feel that we don’t see enough critical media surrounding these issues and we wanted to change that – at least for one night.”

Portlanders decided to heavily target NW Natural for their foolish plan to rip through hundreds of rivers and streams, rural farms and Mt. Hood National Forest. While the company has spent millions to project an image of climate leadership and environmental stewardship, the company is aggressively pursuing the Palomar pipeline and Liquefied Natural Gas development.

Some of the articles included headlines activists would like to see, such as NW Natural canceling their plans for the Palomar pipeline. While others were of a more humorous nature, such as an interview with Bigfoot, who is angry because the Palomar pipeline project would require a huge clear-cut through Mt. Hood National Forest.

In addition to targeting NW Natural, other targets included: the Columbia River Crossing project, PGE’s coal fired Boardman power plant, and Chinook Ventures, a controversial petroleum coke processing plant located in Washington.

As one volunteer placed the fake cover into the display window of the newspaper box she playfully sighed, “Finally, news I can trust”.

If you can’t use the display above you can download a PDF file here. (If you can’t read PDFs, download the free Adobe Reader!)

1. the Columbia River Crossing mega-bridge of craziness and
2. Liquefied Natural Gas, as aggressively pursued by big-money energy speculators looking to destroy Oregon.

Learn more below and get involved in these issues by signing up to receive updates. Click here to join our e-mail list to hear about upcoming actions.

Sign up to attend NW Natural Shareholders Meeting: click here.

Columbia River Crossing

The CRC is an I-5 Highway expansion planned for Portland and Vancouver. Current plans for the I-5 expansion are designed to enable a 34% increase in passenger vehicle traffic at a price tag of up to $ 4 billion.

With vehicle traffic responsible for 40% of our regional global warming pollution, the Columbia River Crossing would lock us into a carbon intensive transportation policy.  Furthermore, North Portland has the highest rates of asthma in the region, with diesel particulate from I-5 the leading cause. Meanwhile, people on both sides of the Columbia River living where new feeder roads are planned are threatened with relocation and permanent damage to their communities. $3 to 4 billion would be the most expensive project in regional history. Let’s use that money to build communities we want to live in: for health care, for education, and to create permanent jobs supporting a local, sustainable economy with world class rail, buses, street cars, and bike lanes.

We need your support to stop the CRC. Our grassroots effort is entirely volunteer run! Portland Rising Tide is a founding member of the Coalition to Stop the CRC – check out www.stopthecrc.org for all the details. There you’ll find background information and information about how to get involved.

Liquefied Natural Gas

There are currently three proposals to build LNG importation terminals in Oregon, two on the Columbia River and one in Coos Bay. Each of the pipelines come with hundreds of miles of pipelines proposed, which would rip through hundreds of local farms, watersheds, state forests, and event clear-cut through Mt. Hood National Forest. LNG is very every intensive because it is natural gas that would be extracted from other countries and is condensed and shipped across the ocean. LNG is up to %30 more greenhouse gas intensive then the gas we currently use, and the is the biggest fossil fuel project on the West Coast.

Sign the petition by clicking here.

One of the biggest companies pushing the projects is NW Natural Gas, of which many of us are customers. While NW Natural aggressively pursues the Palomar Pipeline through Mt. Hood and LNG, they also spend millions of dollars on public relations building their green image.

There are a lot of opportunities to hold this corporation accountable, and participate in some fun actions. Stay updated and learn more at www.HeyNwNatural.org.

“Building a bridge of such obese proportions in a city that prides itself for its environmental leadership is deeply hypocritical,” said Sarah Goforth. “If our city truly aims to create sustainable transportation options to reduce car traffic, then building a super-sized mega-bridge will only impede these efforts.”

Riders check out the current I-5 bridge during a break...

Oregonians are concerned about the climate and air-quality impacts of the CRC, the potential for forced displacement of residents in the project path, the promotion of single-passenger transportation infrastructure at a time when oil supplies are creating global conflict and prices are rising, and about funding highways while monies for public transit and many other public services is being reduced.

The CRC is designed to enable a 34% increase in individual car traffic(1). The state of Oregon has stated a goal of reducing global warming pollution to at least 75% below 1990 levels. Transportation-caused global warming pollution is responsible for 40% of all regional global warming pollution(2). Given these facts, activists believe the money should instead be invested in reducing driving through public transit, carpooling, greater support for biking and other programs.

“If we want to reduce traffic, we need more transit options that are sustainable and convenient,” said Cheryl Green, a member of the Sprockette bicycle troupe joining the protest. “TriMet, bike commuting, and carpooling can all reduce the number of individual vehicles on the road. These traffic reducing solutions should get $4 billion instead of a bridge to accommodate more traffic.”

With all involved government agencies supporting some form of traffic expansion, Oregonians opposed to the project are now turning to non-traditional tactics. Non-violent civil disobedience has long been used by both civil rights and environmental movements when options to work within the legal framework have been exhausted.

“Given our lack of political alternatives for opposition, we are embracing Portland’s rich history of civil disobedience,” said Anthony Villagomez an organizer with Portland Rising Tide. “Our futures are not for politicians to gamble away with this project.”

The I-5 freeway has long caused negative health impacts on low-income communities and communities of color along the freeway(3): increased driving will lead to further pollution. By contrast, research shows that land use and transportation plans that encourage less driving help prevent chronic diseases associated with obesity, such as diabetes and heart disease, and respiratory illness, including asthma.

Resistance to the CRC project is expanding. Portland Rising Tide has organized protest performances in front of Portland City Council Chamber and a huge banner drop on the Morrison Street Bridge in the past year. At a large Waterfront Park rally this spring, individuals from both sides of the river voiced concerns over the CRC project, and a telephone campaign has been launched to put pressure on government officials.

More photos from BikePortland.org at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikeportland/sets/72157619786976872/show/

THANKS TO ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHERS AND VIDEOGRAPHERS!

Footnotes:
(1) http://portlandtransport.com/archives/2009/04/crc_to_survey_7.html
(2) http://www.environmentamerica.org/uploads/fL/Je/fLJe0yPMhOM4E8UuMWm05w/gw-solutions.-OR.pdf
(3) http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/332268/north_portland_has_high_pollution_levels/index.html

MEDIA COVERAGE OF THIS EVENT:

http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2009/06/15/best-weekend-ever

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/06/activists_continue_to_protest.html

http://bikeportland.org/2009/06/15/12-lane-insane-is-the-battle-cry-on-anti-crc-ride/

http://portlandtransport.com/archives/2009/06/no_crc_ride_ped.html

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Pedalpalooza has traditionally been a place for people to celebrate Portland’s thriving bike culture. Portland Rising Tide decided to celebrate this culture by hosting a ride to inform and empower folks to resist our region’s biggest threat to bicycles and the people that love them.

WHEN: Sunday June 14th
WHERE: meet at the South end of Peninsula Park (650 N. Ainsworth)
WHEN: 3pm, ride leave promptly at 3:30 pm

The Columbia River Crossing (CRC) is a $4+ billion dollar proposed freeway expansion project along a five mile stretch of Interstate 5 between North Portland and Vancouver, WA. As conceived, the project will:

· Increase global warming pollution

· Harm people’s health, predominately those in low income neighborhoods

· Undermine our region’s vision of a sustainable economy.

· Leave us unprepared for the future, while draining $4 billion of our limited public resources.

· Create a faster corridor for Free Trade to ship products from the exploited Global South to privileged countries such as the U.S. and Canada.

The ride will stop at a number of places that may be affected by the CRC to inform folks about related environmental justice issues, about how this project ties into the Global Free Trade infrastructure plans, and how we can stop it. All while dancin’ and groovin’ to fun music throughout the ride. The ride will end at a secret action, but don’t worry it will be a fun, low-risk space for the whole family.

Download a flyer!
http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/cascadia/Flyer.pdf
Download handbills!
http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/cascadia/Quartersheets.pdf

Leo’s been involved in resistance movements against the oil industry in Ecuador since he was fourteen years old. He and others in his community starting doing workshops around the Amazon at that time, in different indigenous villages, discussing the causes and the future consequences of the oil industry, it’s relationship to climate change and the many other devastating consequences to people and the environment.

Leo’s been working on issues related to environmental protection, people’s sovereignty over land, coal mining, indigenous resistance, organic products cooperative and others ever since. Currently Leo is part of an organization called FAOICIN that is running a campaign to promote sustainable projects as an alternative for communities, associations, and other indigenous social actors to promote the recovery of ancestral customs. He’s also in charge of the human rights club at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito!

He’ll be discussing his communities work in Ecuador, the damage done by the oil industry, and efforts to build a more just, sustainable society in Ecuador.

Here is the dates for Leo’s tour. Some information is TBA, but contact information for each event is below!

Thursday, 13th
Eugene
U. of O.
Ben Linder Room
7:30

Saturday, 15th
Seattle
maya@riseup.net

Sunday, 16th
Olympia
Traditions Cafe
6pm

Monday & Tuesday, 17th & 18th
Olympia
Evergreen State College
Time TBA
maya-at-riseup.net

Wednesday, 19th
Tacoma
Pacific Lutheran U.
8:00PM on Wednesday in UC 133.
maierme-at-plu.edu

Thursday, 20th
Tacoma
U. of W., Tacoma Campus
Room 1230 in Sci 209
12:30PM
minnella-at-u.washington.edu

Friday, 21st
Portland
Portland State U.
4:00 pm in the Smith Bldg, rm 338

Sunday, 23rd
Portland
Black Rose Books
6:00 pm

Monday, 24th
Portland
Lewis and Clark College
JR Howard Hall room 114 (across from the library)
5:30pm

Wednesday, 26th
Portland
Reed College
Reed College Student Union (3203 SE Woodstock Blvd.)
7pm
fenollot-at-reed.edu

Indigenous nations are disproportionately targeted by fossil fuel extraction & environmental devastation and Black Mesa is no exception. At this moment Peabody Coal Co. is planning to seize tribal lands and massively expand dirty coal strip-mining operations. In 30 years of controversial operation, Peabody’s Black Mesa Mine has been the source of an estimated 325 million tons of CO2 that have been discharged into the atmosphere.* If expansion plans are permitted, it would exacerbate already devastating environmental and cultural impacts on local communities and significantly add fuel to the fire of the current climate chaos we face globally. Coal from the Black Mesa mine could contribute an additional 290 million tons of CO2 to the global warming crisis!*

Institutional racism has fueled neglect and abandonment of public needs such as water, maintenance of roads, health care, and schools. Daily life for Big Mountain residents hasn’t changed too much over the years, except that more of them have become elderly and now struggle with daily chores. Due to lack of local job opportunities and federal strangulation on Indian self-sufficiency, extended families are forced to live many miles away to earn incomes and have all the social amenities which include choices in mandatory American education. It is increasingly difficult for families to come back to visit their relatives in these remote areas due to the unmaintained roads and the rising cost of transportation.

On behalf of their peoples, their sacred ancestral lands, and future generations, residents of Black Mesa continue their staunch resistance to the efforts of the US Government, which is acting in the interests of the Peabody Coal Company to devastate whole communities & ecosystems, and de-stabilize our planet’s climate for the profit of an elite few. “The Big Mountain matriarchal leaders always believed that resisting forced relocation will eventually benefit all ecological systems, including the human race.” Bahe Keediniihii, Dineh organizer and translator states. “Continued residency by families throughout the Big Mountain region has a significant role in the intervention of Peabody’s future plan for Black Mesa coal to be the major source of unsustainable energy, the growing dependency on fossil fuel, and escalating green house gas emissions. We will continue to fight to defend our homelands.”

We are at a critical juncture and must take a stand in support of communities on the front lines of resistance now! Indigenous & land-based peoples have maintained the understanding that our collective survival is deeply dependent on our relationship to Mother Earth. Victory in protecting and reclaiming the Earth will require a broad movement that can help bridge cultures, issues, & nations. This caravan will be an important opportunity for people of all backgrounds to work with the families of Black Mesa & to come together to strengthen our solidarity and find ways to work together to protect Black Mesa & our Mother Earth for all life.

PROJECTS: By assisting with direct, on-land projects with the Sovereign communities of Big Mountain, Black Mesa you are helping families resist an illegal occupation and to stay on their lands, who serve as the very blockade to coal mining! Projects include chopping wood, water catchment, health care, corral, roof, & home repairs.

** There is a caravan heading out from Portland, Olympia, and Eugene.

To get involved, please contact the Portland coordinator at: stephanie@RisingTideNorthAmerica.org

For more information, please visit: http://www.blackmesais.org

The phrase direct action has been invoked in many ways for many movements. Often, in the climate movement it is used to describe non-violent civil disobedience that directly confront and seek to physically halt fossil fuel development projects, such as lock-downs to equipment and road blockades. At this year’s West Coast Convergence for Climate Action, we spoke of direct action as not only taking action against dirty fossil fuel projects, but also taking action for community solutions and sustainability!

The week led up to a day of civil disobedience on Monday, which consisted of two major acts of disruption, street theater and rallies. It was awesome to learn about the details of proposed dirty energy projects, then hear the personal stories from impacted communities fighting them, and then finally organize and take action in the efforts to stop them.

The first action targeted the I-5 expansion due to proposed increase individual car and truck traffic, which would increase negative health issue in surrounding areas, increase greenhouse gas emissions, and drive dependency on oil. Maya, who learned her climbing skills at the convergence, climbed across a prominent Portland bridge dropping a banner that read, “6 more lanes = more sick people, no I-5 expansion”. Below her, convergence attendees performed theater involving huge cardboard bummers, as well as heroic bicyclists.

The rally then moved along the waterfront to the headquarters of Northwest Natural Gas Co., a company who would own and operate new pipelines proposed through Oregon associated with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). In front of the building three young women locked themselves to each other, blocking the entrance to the building while leading chants. The group sang, “Palomar is No Solution, LNG is New Pollution” as well as, “You can’t Fool us, We’ve been Watching: No More Greenwashing”.

The Convergence was co-sponsored by Rising Tide North America, Global Exchange and Rainforest Action Network, as well as local groups including: Energy Options, Friends of Living Oregon Waters, Columbia River Clean Energy Coalition and Cascadia Earth First!

Overall it pumped me up, gave me some new ideas, and fueled me to work harder and have more fun in our fight for a better future!

Here are a few trinkets about the week:

-One of the most popular workshops was led by a community member directly impacted by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development in Washington. Not only did she come to speak about LNG, but she led a workshop about canning, drying and freezing fruits and vegetables in preparation for decreasing food availability due to fuel prices and climate change.

-The NW Natural action was organized as a women’s action. We chose to do this for a few reasons, including because we were finding that the “sexy” roles were often being taken by young men in the group, while women were doing a lot of support and behind the scenes organizing. As we organized we came up with ways to make the action super fun, including by covering ourselves and our lock-boxes with glitter and heart-shaped stickers. One of our banner’s read, “Pipeline thru my heart” with a map of Oregon with a drawn pipeline through it. This actions was awesome, inspiring and fun!

-All of our keynote speakers were amazing! Including: Louise Benally-an Indigenous Matriarch and Black Mesa Resister, Jane Williams with California Communities Against Toxins and John Sundquist with River’s Turn Farm.

Here are some videos, and more coverage (including a hilarious right-wing blog interpretation) to learn more:

youtube video of Post Convergence ACTIONS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4cR-8sJHQU

Oregonian Video of No I-5 Expansion banner hang:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/08/protesters_climb_onto_morrison.html

General Coverage of Climate Convergence:
http://www.kval.com/news/26195294.html
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=125947&sid=4&fid=1
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