350

In addition to the description of how we work, below are some more specific principles for our organising – principles for how we’re working person to person and across a network to build power, confront the fossil fuel industry, and accelerate the just transition to a renewable energy future. We ask that any group who is using 350 or Fossil Free in its name, or are otherwise affiliated with our network read, understand, and seek to embody these principles.

We are a global movement of citizens working to address the climate crisis. We are global citizens organising to transform our local communities. Working in solidarity across languages and continents, we form a powerful worldwide network united by our common humanity and our commitment to solving the climate crisis.

We strive to build an inclusive and empowering movement. From the local to the international, we are open and receptive to new ideas and initiatives, foster broad participation and collective decision-making at all levels of organising processes, and empower new leaders. From faith groups to business leaders to schools and more, we work with a diversity of groups and individuals because we urgently need everybody’s ideas and commitment to create the change we need. The relationships we build with one another and partner groups; the leadership we grow; and the stories we tell are all part of building our people power – this is key to how we create change.

We work across movements, with justice at the core. We recognise the linkages between issues of climate justice, economic justice, racial justice, gender equality, workers rights and more, and strive to build a movement that works in common cause with allies for shared impact.

We stand in solidarity with communities most impacted by climate change and fossil fuels. Many of these communities are the least protected from climate change, due to historical inequalities, and the most impacted by it. We support their demands for their survival, and the rights of future generations.

We are committed to real action, not just talk. We’re built on collective brilliance, not on individual personalities. There’s no place for ego in organising, and we say “yes” as much as possible (while respecting our limits). We strive to stay flexible, nimble and to do a lot with few resources, so we can focus on taking action to serve our communities.

We think and act to scale with the problem. Thinking big and being ambitious is how we inspire people to get involved and act with the necessary urgency.

Creativity is the touchstone of our work. Through symbols, art and creative actions, we help visualise both the problems and the solutions to climate change. Creative ways of communicating often speak more directly to our hearts, and provide a beautiful reminder of what we strive to protect.

As organisers, we connect with the heart and soul as much as we connect with the brain. The climate crisis is an ethical issue; taking action in a meaningful way brings moral weight to our work and deepens our commitment to the cause and each other. Through this connection we are better able to cope with our dramatically changing planet, and imagine the world we want to build.

Any movement that isn’t fun isn’t worth being a part of. We dance, sing, eat, play and tell jokes together because it lifts our spirit, gives us hope, and keeps us motivated for the many challenges (and victories) ahead of us on the road to a sustainable, clean energy future.

We creatively use technology to support organising in the real world. We realise technology is not a replacement for real relationships or time-tested organising techniques, but it allows us to see, understand and act in solidarity with our brothers and sisters facing climate change around the world; we are a community linked by technology.

We’re not experts, but we know enough about the climate crisis and the fossil fuel industry to speak the truth. We keep up with the science, economics, and the politics as best we can, but we also know we don’t need to know every bit of information to stand up for our future. Speaking the truth on science and injustice is both our responsibility and our most effective strategy.

While science is important, stories make our movement powerful, and human. We all have our own compelling stories, and communicate with stories to gain mass media coverage, to multiply our movement, and to reaffirm our common humanity. Whether it’s a lone brave protester in Iraq, or a community coming together to stop a coal plant in Kenya or fracking in Brazil, shared stories inspire our movement.

We use non-violent means to achieve change. We are committed to nonviolence, inspired by the spirit of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and other peaceful movements before us. No violence, no property damage. In the face of the climate crisis, fossil fuel extraction, and the repressive practices of the governments and corporations that benefit, we recognize strategic nonviolence as the most effective means of creating a just and healthy world.

Use of a group within 350.org’s Action Network instance denotes agreement with the following guidelines. Please read these carefully.

By using a 350.org provided Action Network group, you understand and agree to the following:

• Adhere to the 350.org privacy policy. It basically says that we’re committed to internet privacy, only collect information provided voluntarily, and don’t sell or share information with unaffiliated parties. If you choose to create an Action Network group, please read the privacy policy in full.
• Understand and comply with data privacy laws. Keeping data safe and respecting user privacy is enshrined in law in many countries. This is especially important in Europe, as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has severe penalties for non-compliance. There are some additional requirements for European groups below.
• Limit who has administrator access to only those who need it. You must not give administrator access to people outside of your group, and be careful about who you give access to in your group. Action Network allows you to control permission levels for each user and it’s better to err on the side of caution.
• Be careful with reports and exports. The safest place for your data is in Action Network. Data that is removed from Action Network via a report or other export feature must be handled carefully as it contains private personal information about your supporters. Share it only with highly trusted people in your group and once you have finished using a report, delete all copies of the file immediately, and if it was printed, destroy all copies.
• Respect unsubscribes and requests to be deleted. If someone unsubscribes from your group, or requests to be removed from your database, you must respect that. If someone contacts your group requesting to be removed, you must forward that request to [email protected] so that we can also delete them from our org-wide database.
• Use a strong, unique passcode. You are putting your group and 350.org at risk by reusing a password. We recommend using a password manager like Dashlane to generate and store strong and unique passwords for all of your accounts.
• Create unique accounts for each user. It is much more secure for each user to have their own account rather than to share passwords. Create new accounts for each user (and only give them permissions that they need) and if you are an administrator, never share your password.
• User data will be shared with 350.org. You understand that by using an Action Network group provided by 350.org, members of your group will also be subscribed to 350.org’s mailing list. Members can unsubscribe from either mailing list at any time.
• Include the language provided by 350.org in the data processing text. You must state in your custom page wrappers that the page is a part of 350.org’s network, and that signers will receive updates from both your group and 350.org. You must also link to the 350.org privacy policy (see above).
• Adhere to the best practices for groups, as outlined by 350.org. Keep email traffic light, avoid duplication, and maintain a high quality of content. You can find more details on best practices here. If you choose to create an Action Network group, please read the best practices in full.
• Send emails only about opportunities related to the core focus of building a grassroots climate movement. Organizing a rally at City Hall to call for more investment in renewable energy? Great. Promoting your private renewable energy firm’s products? This is not the appropriate venue.
• Do not send emails that contain content  that could be offensive, discriminatory, dangerous, or illegal. Might sound obvious, but we have to say it. For campaigns involving planned civil disobedience, we also ask that you use an alternate platform (e.g. Google Forms).
• Make sure that all new organisers and administrators added to your group are aware of these conditions. We expect that you are not the only person who will use Action Network, but we do expect you to inform all people using your group to know the conditions of using the group. Use the different permission levels in Action Network to limit access to only the functions they need.