The Cathedral of St. John the Divine on New York City’s Upper West Side is the largest ecclesial space in the western hemisphere, a church so large you can barely see one end from the other. It’s long been an ecological outpost, sometimes called the Green Cathedral, and it lived up to its billing on Sunday night, with a wonderful program that helped launch the new Interfaith 350 call.

The Evensong liturgy included not only the Episcopal Bishop of New York, but also a rabbi, a Muslim cleric, and a Hindu singer—the chanting and music of all traditions filled the air, before a showing of the lovely new film Renewal, which documents the work of religious people on behalf of the environment.

Bill McKibben gave the keynote talk, describing 350 and October 24 as the best chance for people of faith around the world to come together—and after the film the evening ended with Fred Small singing his 350 anthem (link coming soon), as the young people from the Teva Jewish Learning Center danced amidst the ancient cathedral. From all accounts I have heard—a memorable night!

It's the beginning of a new week and time to introduce some new 350.org partners. This movement has picked up incredible momentum during the month of May. We've gotten word of nearly 1,000 events around the world and our staff are almost having trouble keeping up with the level of interest and enthusiasm on every continent. October 24 is shaping up to be a defining moment -- if you haven't yet registered an action in your town or city, sign up today and start thinking about what iconic photograph you want to contribute.

Today, we're joined by Agham Youth in the Philippines. According to their charter, "The Agham Youth is a student organization established in March 1999 in recognition of the need for a renewal of the advocacy for the development and utilization of science and technology that shall be of service to the broad masses of the people." Here's a bit more from Marjorie Pamintuan about what they are planning for the months ahead:

One of our major plans is organizing a Poster-making contest on August-September.  We haven't thought of a title for the event yet but the theme will revolve on climate change effects, adaptation and mitigation. The works of the contestants will be exhibited here in UP Diliman for public viewing. We are also planning to exhibit their works in the House of Representatives to call on legislators to take the issue of climate change seriously. There will also be an awards/poetry night wherein the entries will also be exhibited. We plan on inviting musicians and artists to perform in this event.

As one of the convenors of Youth and Students Opposed to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant Revival (Youth STOP BNPP Revival),  we are also planning to organize a youth camp in Bataan wherein the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) is located. In this event, we will gather youth from all over the country to stay two days and one night in Bataan. Different activities will be prepared such as community integrations and discussions and workshops on the issue of the BNPP revival and also on climate change effects, adaptation and mitigation. (Please visit http://stopbnnprevival.wordpress.com and http://no2bnpprevival.org for a background on the BNPP and updates on events).

On October 24, we plan to hold a kite flying and jogging event in support of the worldwide climate action. I hope it does not rain here in the Philippines on that day. But just in case, we will plan on an alternative activity when our group meets again soon.

To be able to recruit people for these events, we will conduct an information-education drive from June to October. Of course the call to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere  to 350 is part of these all these activities!

What a question!  So headlines the latest big news piece on 350, in today's LA Times. 

No, of course 350.org can't save the world.  But the global movement for a fair, just climate agreement that brings us back below the level of 350 parts per million CO2 can, and that's exactly what we aim to demonstrate through this project.  Not in a million years could we do it without all of you - telling your friends, making videos and songs, writing blogs and letters, and most importantly - organizing.  Organizing events in your community, wherever you are, for October 24.  Maybe, when all that adds up, that headline isn't so crazy.  Replace "350.org" with a big, committed, energized, fired-up-and-ready-to-go "We," and now we're talking.

Here's Bill making the case as only he can.  A great snippet - click below to read the whole strategy:

In fact, the problem is pretty simple: The environmental movement isn't big enough. It's one of the most selfless of advocacy efforts. But the movement has been sized to save whales and build national parks and force carmakers to stick catalytic converters on exhaust systems. It's nowhere near big enough to take on the fossil fuel industry, the biggest player in our global economy. It's like sending the Food and Drug Administration to fight the war in Afghanistan.

Exxon Mobil Corp. made more money last year than any U.S. company in the history of money. That gives it more clout than all the green groups combined. Which is why, if the Copenhagen conference is going to be anything but a disaster, we need to build a stronger movement. All around the world. Very fast.

That sounds quixotic, but maybe not. I'm here in Australia...

Click here to read the full LA Times piece