350 Updates

Action Spotlight: Faraya, Lebanon Joins the Rising Chorus

Jeremy Osborn
Posted by Jeremy Osborn - 03/03/09, 4:01am

IndyACT, one of the Arab world's strongest advocates on climate change, is not going to let the US have all the fun in the climate movement.  This weekend, the veteran campaigning group unfurled its first 350 banner in a dramatic action in Faraya, Lebanon. 

Close to 100 activists held an event on the snow in Faraya in order to highlight the fact that climate change can lead to the disappearance of snow in Lebanon. They demanded governments to ‘draw the line’ on snow cover loss by literary drawing a line on the snow. 

IndyACT explained that snow plays a crucial role in the identity of Lebanon - it is the white part of the Lebanese flag. Lebanese are very proud of their white mountains that are unique in the region. Snow is also important to the Lebanese economy. Lebanon has six major ski resorts that attract a lot of tourist from nearby countries, providing rural communities with an important source of revenue. But what makes the snow really crucial for the survival of all Lebanese is the fact that the slow melting of snow gives the soil enough time to absorb the water and replenish all the water aquifers in the Lebanese mountains. In a statement to the media, Wael Hmaidan, the Executive Director of IndyACT said, “If we do not take climate change seriously enough, we will reach a point where we will need to remove the white color from our flag, and start importing water for our survival.”

To save Lebanon and the planet from such disasters, IndyACT called on all Arab governments and citizens to memorize the number 350 and get ready for more climate action in the months to come.

 
Read More
Comments

Stand in solidarity to end dirty coal.

Bill McKibben
Posted by Bill McKibben - 03/02/09, 9:38am

Below is a letter I just sent out--going to the power plant now, we'll keep you updated...

------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Friends,

There are moments in a nation's--and a planet's--history when it may be necessary for some to break the law in order to bear witness to an evil, bring it to wider attention, and push for its correction.

Today is one of those days.

In a few hours, the first big protest of the Obama era -- and the largest-ever civil disobedience against global warming in this country -- will take place against the not-very-scenic backdrop of the coal-fired Capitol Hill Power Plant in Washington DC.

Myself and thousands of people of every stripe will be risking arrest today, and I'm asking you to stand with me as it unfolds.

I'm asking you add your voice to mine, and thousands of others, to show that people everywhere are uniting behind a future free of coal--a future safe from the ravages of climate change.

Click here to stand in solidarity with this action: http://www.350.org/Coal-Free/

With President Obama and a new US Congress, there is more possibility for climate action than ever before. It really feels like the U.S. is close to a breakthrough--and this protest can help create one by creating the political space a breakthrough requires.

Here's the backstory: Washington DC has seen its share of big protests over the years, and most of them center on the White House, the Mall or the Capitol.

But today's event is just a few blocks a way from the White House at the the Capitol Power Plant--a dirty symbol of the dirtiest business on Earth, the combustion of coal...

-----

Read more after the jump!

 
Read More
Comments

Power Shift to 350!

Jamie Henn
Posted by Jamie Henn - 02/28/09, 1:55pm

It's been an incredible weekend so far at Power Shift 2009, a 10,000+ student climate conference in Washington, D.C.

You can get all the updates about this historic event at Power Shift 2009 or Its Getting Hot In Here, the youth climate blog. Our 350.org team will be giving updates throughout the rest of the conference, as well, as we meet with youth from across the United States who are ready to build an international movement for climate action.

Hundreds of young people have been streaming by the 350.org booth at Power Shift all weekend. We've got a big map set up and students have been signing up October 24 events around the world. In just a day, we have nearly 100 events registered in over 30 countries -- and we haven't even launched the full day of action website yet.

The world is clearly ready for a power shift.

(Photo by Shadia Fayne)

 
Read More
Comments

One for the Big Cat: Tiger Fest by Kids for Tiger Calls for 350

Govind
Posted by Govind - 02/27/09, 4:50am
in

Every year Kids for Tigers organizes a Tiger Fest where students from various schools from National Capital Region of Delhi and Gurgaon assemble and express their solidarity towards wildlife protection. This year the Tiger Fest was organized on 11th day of February in one of the leading schools in the capital city, The Shri Ram School. Around 1,000 students from 20 schools of Delhi and Gurgaon participated in this day long festival that calls for a citizens unite for a healthy and living tiger population in the jungles of India.

As is the case in the other parts of the world, the tiger population in India is under a grave threat of extinction as their number has been constantly  declining. While habitat destruction and fragmentation are the the most visible and apparent causes of this decline, changes in the climatic patterns especially across the Northern part of India have had direct and indirect impacts leading to the situation. The disappearing tiger is just another of the many red alerts that Mother Nature has been sending our way.

The event's highlight was a talk by the leading 350 messenger and Editor of Sanctuary Asia magazine, Bittu Sahgal. Mr. Sahgal talked about the significance of 350 around 800 students, teachers, parents and a couple of conservationalists who had come together for the cause.

With inputs form Meenakshi Kapoor.

 
Read More
Comments

Crowdsourcing Customized 350 Logos--You Can Win $1K...

Anonymous
Posted by Anonymous - 02/26/09, 11:18am

So, as some of you may know, we're approaching the imminent launch of "Phase 2" of the 350 campaign.  Part of this process: rapidly scaling up our global network of activists.  This means working with people who don't normally consider themselves "activists"--but who nonetheless need to have an enormous role in building a global climate movement--think artists, teachers, farmers, businesses, and more.

To this end, the core 350 crew is building out a set of materials and resources designed to support and engage these groups. We got to thinking--wouldn't it be great to have customized 350 logos for all of these materials?  Logos that represent the groups we're working with?

 
Read More
Comments

New Friends: Bali Fokus Joins 350.org

Jamie Henn
Posted by Jamie Henn - 02/25/09, 12:53pm

i'm excited to welcome our newest partner to the 350.org campaign: BaliFokus.

BaliFokus works to protect and improve the environment on the island of Bali, Indonesia. As a low-lying island in a developing nation, Bali is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

As the staff at BaliFokus wrote in a recent report, "Climate change represents an enormous threat for developing countries such as Indonesia. Poverty, along with the terrible influence it plays upon human life, is expected to exacerbate with the impact of climate change, requiring more than simply aid in funds to improve it."

BaliFokus is working to address climate change and other environmental challenges through education and sustainable development projects, including wastewater treatement and waste management programs.

A big welcome to all of the staff at BaliFokus -- we look forward to working together over the coming year to build this global movement for a sustainable future!

 
Read More
Comments

The Conservation Alliance - Uniting Businesses Around 350

Anonymous
Posted by Anonymous - 02/25/09, 12:51pm

Below is a guest post from Krissy Moehl, who does fantastic work at the Conservation Alliance and helped pull together a massive action at their recent gathering  Many thanks to Krissy and everyone in the outdoor industry for spreading 350 in all of their respective fields--we've got 350 Water Bottles, Socks, and more in the works.  Want to get your business involved in building the 350 Movement?  E-mail me at jon@350.org

At the Summer 2008 Outdoor Retailer Show The Conservation Alliance was excited to host Bill McKibben as the featured speaker at our regular breakfast event.  At the breakfast we communicate important information about The Conservation Alliance and the work of our grantees and then turn the meeting over to an inspirational speaker.  McKibben’s speech both warned and inspired our group of nearly 600 outdoor industry employees and enthusiasts about the importance of the number 350.  Since that meeting many companies have jumped on board to show their support by creatively building awareness for 350 through their products and marketing.

The Conservation Alliance decided to answer McKibben’s call to action and created a photo opportunity at our Winter 2009 Breakfast. One of our member companies – CamelBak – produced water bottles with the 350.org logo, and we gave a bottle to each of the breakfast attendees.  The audience hoisted the bottles high in the air while photographers Lin Alder and James Mills captured the moment.

(Read more after the jump!)

 
Read More
Comments

Price of Coal: 74 Killed in Chinese Mine Explosion

Jamie Henn
Posted by Jamie Henn - 02/23/09, 11:35am

Sunday's devastating explosion at a coal mine in Gujiao, China, is a poignant reminder of the price coal extracts on workers, their families, and the environment around the world. The AP reported on the accident:

The death toll was the highest from a China coal mine accident since December 2007, when gas exploded in a tunnel in Linfen city, also in Shanxi province, killing 105 miners.

Beijing has promised for years to improve mine safety, and more than 1,000 dangerous small mines were closed last year. But China's mining industry remains the world's deadliest.

Ending China's reliance on coal is one of the greatest challenges the world faces. According to Dr. James Hansen, we must end the use of coal-fired power plants that don't sequester carbon (an expensive process that has yet to be proven effective) by the year 2030 if we want to have a chance to reach 350 ppm.

 
Read More
Comments