350 showed up in a big and beautiful way at this years World Science Street Fair, in Washington Square Park at the heart of New York City. The festival, with hands-on geodesic domes and quirky little robots, transformed the park into a “science wonderland” with real life, and hilarious, examples of how science affects and can change our daily lives. 350 came with the aim to educate about the most important number in science today, 350 ppm.
By teaming up with the Carbon Cube project of ClimateChangesArt.org, and MyGreenFinger.org, 350 created an interactive arts environment, where people could participate in artistic activism. With projects such as writing personal environmental pledges on a Handprint Quilt, drawing and writing ways to get to 350 on a portable mural, and showing world leaders what is worth saving from global warming by “greening their finger”, the people of New York came out loud and clear about what we can do to create change, and what is worth changing for. With all this flutter of colorful activity, 350 showed that the world is ready for action with the creative responses and solutions needed to solve the climate crisis.
Each of these activities encouraged people to participate creatively in the projects they saw developing in front of them. This mentality not only leads to great art, but also is reflective of the type of action we need in this movement and in a healthy society. We must participate in the politics and culture that surrounds us, helping to transform them into something better and more productive, ensuring that our collective energies are used to good ends. These projects showed that when lots of people come together, if each one does a little, we can accomplish large feats. The saying goes, “Many hands make light work” and this was true this weekend. By the end of the Fair, there was not an inch left on the Carbon Cube that would be written on, it was overflowing with ideas of how we can help fight global warming. And people took notice! Crowds gathered to read what was written on the mural, and the goal was accomplished! People powered change, by the people, and for the people, directly.