In 1969, Earth Day sprung from the growing collective of student groups who were clamoring for public consciousness on deteriorating air and water quality in the United States. Now, more than a half-century later, young people are paving the way for a renewed fight against climate change and environmental destruction.
This year, many youth activists are looking at climate justice through the lens of race, class and housing status to challenge the discourse on Earth Day in Portland and around the world.
In the eyes of Micah Bishop, a 22-year-old hub organizer with the youth-focused organization Sunrise PDX, a true Earth Day celebration would protect the environment in order to protect vulnerable Portlanders.
“When we’re talking about the climate crisis, we’re talking about the injustices that are continuing to happen that people are just unable to see,” Bishop said.
On April 22 and beyond, “The work is every day to fight for our climate, to fight for our communities, to fight for people to have access to clean air, clean water, housing, safe, warm places to be, and to be in community,” Bishop said.
This work took on a different tone when the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States before Earth Day in 2020. In the tumultuous year since then, climate activists have been observing and responding to the changing ways Americans interact with the Earth.
Hannah Saiger, 18, works as an intern at Kindness Farm in Portland and is a participant in the Tivnu: Building Justice Jewish gap year program. Because of the pandemic, “There’s been more awareness on food and thinking about food, because I think people have had more time to cook and realize what they’re eating,” Saiger said.
Larissa Gordon, the communications and outreach coordinator at SOLVE, believes the pandemic encouraged people to “realize the importance of taking care of our parks and our neighborhoods and our natural areas.” As a result, Gordon said, people will “do their part to make sure we preserve places that (were) really like a sanctuary to us throughout 2020.”
Bishop, from Sunrise PDX, is passionate about bringing together different activists and members of the community as a way to celebrate. For him, Earth Day provides “the opportunity to come together, and kind of look at each other and say, ‘You’re in the same place that I am; you’re fighting the same fight as me,’” he said.
While different climate justice groups may have different tactics and focus, Earth Day is a time to reunite. The Portland-area events detailed here, for all ages, are ways to connect to communities doing climate justice work in Portland during this Earth Month of April 2021. All in-person events require participants to wear a mask and practice social distancing.
SOLVE
Founded in 1969, the same year as Earth Day, SOLVE offers opportunities year-round for eager volunteers to pick up litter and clean beaches to promote a healthier environment. Through April 25, SOLVE is leading numerous trash clean-ups and wildlife restoration events across Oregon as part of the Oregon Spring Cleanup initiative. A list of every open event can be found on their website, solveoregon.org, under the “What We Do” tab. Events range from 2 1/2 to five hours and are open to people of all ages. No preparation is needed, but volunteers are encouraged to sign up online ahead of time and bring work gloves and a bucket.
SOLVE also offers the opportunity for people to host their own clean-ups in their communities by becoming SOLVE leaders. Visit solveoregon.org for information on events, as well as educational resources on how litter clean-ups foster a more sustainable world.
Green Lents
In 2009, as the story goes, a volunteer at a Johnson Creek clean-up said, “You can’t do green in Lents.” The response? Green Lents, an organization that strives to make the Lents neighborhood in Portland a more sustainable, eco-friendly and livable place for all. To celebrate Earth Day, Green Lents is launching a new monthly plant swap and compost giveaway. The Earth Day kick-off event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon April 18 at the Green Lents Tool Community Library. Participants will also be able to enter raffles and visit the seed library.
Alongside the plant swap, Green Lents hosts work parties at the Malden Court Community Orchard every third Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. The next party is April 17. On the same day, Green Lents is partnering with Repair PDX to host a Power Saw Workshop at 1:30 p.m. at the Tool Library.
If community members need gardening tools, the Green Lents community tool library is open with limited hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
To register and learn more about these events, visit the Green Lents website or find Green Lents on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Sunrise PDX
Sunrise PDX participates in an Inauguration Day event in Portland on Jan. 24 to demand accountability and action on the climate crisis.Photo by Adah Crandall
Young, fiery and committed to justice, Sunrise PDX is propelling youth activists into the fight for protecting the environment. The group, a hub of the international Sunrise movement, works toward climate justice through community organizing, direct action, lobbying and raising public awareness on the human cost of climate change.
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To support Sunrise on Earth Day and beyond, young people in Portland are encouraged to join the hub and attend events. Follow Sunrise on Instagram for updates, and visit its website fill out an interest form.
The next event is on from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 16, when Sunrise members will be volunteering at Sauvie Island for a work party and field day. Registration is on the Sauvie Island Center website. Young Portlanders can also get involved by supporting the Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity Campaign, a coalition of environmental groups, including Sunrise, that are advocating for the passage of three energy-related bills in the Oregon Legislature.
To encourage the passage of these bills, current and potential Sunrise members are encouraged to send letters to the editor and write public testimony to their legislators on the importance of energy affordability and sustainability.
Kindness Farm
Kindness Farm founder Lou Levit controls a utility vehicle used to spread compost on the Kindness Farm in Portland.Photo courtesy of Lou Levit
Kindness Farm is a recently established nonprofit based in Southeast Portland. Centered on the idea of reconnecting with the Earth, the farm grows fresh food for low-income and houseless Portlanders and works to educate the public on regenerative farming practices.
On April 24, the farm is hosting a volunteering and fundraising event in celebration of Earth Day. Participants will enjoy live music and food while painting signs and working on projects to prepare the farm for the growing season. Tickets are $25 per person, and all proceeds from the event go directly to supporting the farm’s mission of providing food and education. There are two time slots on the 24th: noon to 3 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Kindness Farm on Facebook.
If the cost of the event is a barrier to participation, Kindness Farm is always on the lookout for donations of time, gardening resources and tools.
Founder Lou Levit encourages people to return to the farm after the Earth Day event and get their hands back into the soil. To sign up for volunteering slots, fill out the form on the Kindness Farm website.
Forest Park Conservancy
Forest Park Conservancy hosts a volunteer event.Photo courtesy of Forest Park Conservancy
Forest Park Conservancy aims to protect and restore Forest Park, the 5,200-acre oasis tucked away in Northwest Portland. On April 22 and 24, Forest Park Conservancy is celebrating Earth Day by hosting two volunteer events to plant new native species and clear invasive plants from the park. The events begin at 9 a.m. and end at noon. The location will be sent to volunteers the week before the event. It is recommended that all participants bring water and dress in long pants and closed-toe shoes, and Forest Park Conservancy will provide training and tools. Register for these events, as well as other restoration opportunities, trail crew training events and educational programs on FPC’s website.
Tuesdays for Trash
In May 2020, two youth activists in Portland who were feeling disconnected from their communities and eager to fight against pollution founded Tuesdays for Trash. Now, their organization has grown and flourished.
To celebrate Earth Day, they’re partnering with Spin Laundry Lounge, an eco-friendly laundromat, and Team Raccoon PDX, a nonprofit in Portland, to create The Cleaner Cleanup. This free event will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. April 22, at Spin Laundry Lounge’s Broadway Location. Volunteers will help clean up around the site, accompanied by music, refreshments and prizes.
Spin Laundry Lounge will also be collecting old clothing to wash and donate, as well as leading a workshop on sustainable laundry practices. To pre-register and find resources to prepare for a clean-up event, go to Tuesdays for Trash’s website or Instagram.
SAGE
Portland Public Schools and SAGE, Senior Advocates for Generational Equity, are teaming up to provide middle school students with tools to combat climate change. On April 28, the two organizations are hosting Climate Careers in Action, a free virtual presentation focused on environmental education and activism. From 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., students will learn about the Climate Action Plan, meet professionals who work to combat climate change and discover concrete ways they can impact the climate.
Middle school students can find more information and register for the event at pps.net/Page/17334. There are only 250 spots available, so it is important to register in advance.
SAGE is also sponsoring Earth Day Oregon, an organization that connects sustainability-focused nonprofits to business partners. Learn how to support the nonprofits (some are listed here) on the Earth Day Oregon website.
Free Geek
A Free Geek volunteer helps take apart and rebuild electronics at a 2017 event.Photo by Angela Holm
Technology changes rapidly, and the race to replace old with new means some people think of their older appliances as garbage. Free Geek, a Portland nonprofit, has been breaking the cycle of tech to trash by refurbishing and redistributing essential technology to those in need. For Earth Day 2021, Free Geek is partnering with Oregon Green Schools to host an event on sustainability for fourth-, fifth- and sixth- graders and their parents.
Free Geek will teach participants how to reduce e-waste, and ReFed, an organization fighting against food waste, will teach them how to use overripe avocados. The event will take place from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on April 20. Families can register for this free event by visiting Free Geek on Facebook.