Hi friend,

We have an important opportunity for Portlanders to show up for young people.

Portland area high school students are organizing a city-wide strike this Friday, May 20. Unlike past climate strikes in Portland, the youth are asking adults to leave business as usual and take to the streets with them.

The young people have created a multigenerational strategic campaign to target Portland’s top four “Climate Villains:" NW Natural, Zenith Energy, Oregon Department of Transportation, and the Portland Business Alliance. The youth are highlighting how these Climate Villains contribute to the climate crisis through their emissions, misinformation campaigns, and by spending money on lobbying and campaign contributions that undermine the democratic process and strong climate policies.

The strike will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Friday at City Hall, where the youth of Portland Youth Climate Strike will announce their demands and ask elected officials to sign a climate pledge. At noon, the youth will lead a march through the streets, making stops at the headquarters of the four local Climate Villains. The march will end at Revolution Hall at 2:00 p.m.

The Portland Climate Festival will follow the march at the field at Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark Street (also known as Washington High School Dog Park) from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. The purpose of this festival is to celebrate the climate that sustains us and the movement to sustain our climate. There will be a diverse lineup of bands, DJs, poets, and speakers, and dozens of organizations and collectives who are working to create and demand solutions to the climate crisis.

This is a free, family-friendly event for all ages presented by Portland Climate Festival in collaboration with Friends of Noise and Portland Youth Climate Strike. If you're in the area, join this day of action, connection, learning, and celebration to support these awesome young people and advocate for our climate!

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