350 Day of Action!

October 27, 2009

The Climate Advocacy Institute, held in July by IDEA, Bloomfield College and 350.org, has encouraged its graduates to stay involved in the 350 movement. Franco in Panama helped raise awareness in local schools and universities by giving presentations. Nadim in Lebanon worked with 350 and IndyAct to involve youth from his region in the Day of Action. Here are some more reports on the involvement of CAI participants in Saturday’s events:

Samer organized a chain of events that took place across Lebanon, through his involvement with Rotaract Clubs in different cities. With his help thirteen clubs, from Beirut to Tripoli Mina, all participated in the Day of Action.

One Rotaract Club that Samer helped, took their 350 photo at the Sea Castle of Saida.

Dani from Kosovo got involved with the Speak Up movement that organized a symbolic event on Saturday, named “Grieving Planet Earth,” in which a globe was placed on the National Theater stairs above the number 350 decorated with flowers. Two national TV news stations reported on the event; and Dani’s own editorial about the event was published the next day in the country’s most popular newspaper, the Koha Ditore.

One TV reporter interviewing a member of Dani’s organization “Speak Up”

Bhuwan from Nepal circulated an international petition to a network of organizations and individuals working on the climate change issue. The Nepal petition spoke on behalf of Nepal, one of the ten most vulnerable countries to climate change. It was delivered to the US, China, Japan, India, and EU embassies in Nepal on October 24th.

Vesna and Simona organized an event in Skopje, Macedonia. They invited citizens to put their painted handprints on a 350 banner, which was hung in the capital city’s Skopje square.

Citizen hand-printing Vesna and Simona’s 350 banner to be hung in the Skopje square

With the help of IDEA participants, 350.org’s Day of Action sparked international interest to the movement’s mission- to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis, to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.

Written by admin · Filed Under 350.org Climate Track, Final Projects, News

Green Hearts Movement Global Day of Climate Action at Bloomfield College

October 19, 2009

The Green Hearts Environmental Movement will be hosting a Global Day of Climate Action for 350.org on the Bloomfield College Quad this Saturday October 24th at 1 P.M.We are inviting all students, faculty, friends, and family who want to come out, have a great time and express the importance of making a change when it comes to Global Warming and being Eco Friendly.

The day will consist of many events starting with a March to Foley Field, forming the shape of 350 on the field, which will be uploaded to 350.org and turned into virtual petitions that will be given to World Leaders in Decembers COP15 Climate Conferences. We will then March back to the Campus where attendees can eat or take part in several events and games going on such as, relay races for Green Prizes and A Carbon Footprint Workshop held by the Green Hearts. There will also be Local Environmental Groups with tables such as the Essex County Greens, Greener Bloomfield, and the Sierra Club. Gray Russell from the Montclair Environmental Commission who has worked with Al Gore, Jane Califf of Essex County Greens, and Barbara Conover of the Sierra Club. We urge everyone to bring their friends and family to join us in this memorable day filled with Actions across the Globe.

To RSVP directly with 350.org please go here http://www.350.org/bcgreenhearts

Follow Green Hearts Movement on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bcgreenhearts

and follow Green Hearts Movement Blog at http://www.bcgreenheartsmovement.blogspot.com

Written by admin · Filed Under Final Projects, News

Climate Advocacy Institute participants share their message at Bloomfield College

October 9, 2009

Participants at the Climate Advocacy Institute this past July used their creativity to share their ideas and create projects to spread environmental awareness. Now, these students are using their ingenuity to promote sustainability and spread the word about green living in their own communities and beyond.

On October 6th, eleven graduates from the institute helped kick off the school year at Bloomfield College by sharing the 350 message with students during the convocation ceremony. Their creative, informative and witty presentation engaged students, faculty, administrators and board members while encouraging participation in 350’s Day of Action and the Green Hearts Environmental Movement.

Green Hearts Movement at Bloomfield College Convocation Ceremony

They acted out a short skit, where the Green Hearts were guests on a local talk show hosted by CAI ‘09 facilitator Daniel Cody. The Bob White Show invited the Green Hearts to speak about their trip to Turkey, the inspirations, and knowledge they attained along the way, and also what they are doing now since it has affected their lives in such an enormous way. They spoke about their newly formed Environmental Group on Campus and what events will be held in the upcoming month. It was great to see everyone in the audience laughing and having a great time while the Green Hearts were performing their skit. They ended with a few words from Green Hearts President Michael Palmieiri and then Treasurer Marta Babyak introduced “It’s Our Future” the captivating video that many of the Climate Advocacy Institute Participants worked on. It left everyone speechless and after closing out the ceremony the Green Hearts were introduced to many opportunities and support for their October 24th 350.org Event. It was a great day full of fun but most of all impact. The Green Hearts left the audience which was a good majority of students aware and ready to take action.

This project is just one of the ways in which CAI students have been taking action in their communities. Since the institute, participants have been spreading the word at youth camps, forming groups for the 350 movement, and preparing for the Day of Action on October 24th.

The 350 movement is a green movement seeking legislature that will help reduce the world CO2 level to 350 parts per million; and 350’s Day of Action will involve people from all over the world taking a stand for a safer climate future. For more information on this event, and how you can participate in the 350 movement, check out the 350.org or the Climate Advocacy Institute website.

Written by admin · Filed Under 350.org Climate Track, Advocacy & New Media, Final Projects, News, Performance & Art Advocacy

Climate Advocacy Institute participants spread the message

September 24, 2009

Tags: 350, 350.org Climate Track, cai09, climate change, global warming

As the 350 movement gains momentum, CAI participants are taking part in the many events and activities that are helping to achieve the 350.org goal. On September 21st, thousands of people from around the world took part in the Global Wake-Up Call; an alarm to world leaders to show the demand for a climate treaty this December in Cophenhagen. October 24th marks 350.org’s Day of Action, an international effort to reach world leaders, in which activists are organizing events in their own communities. Here’s how some of the CAI participants have been helping out with these and other events:

Begum, in Budapest, participated in the Wake-Up Call at Mu School (CEU) and also in Godo Square, one of most crowded and well-known places in Budapest. He is also helping plan an event for the October 24th day of action.

Participants gather at Wake-Call event in Budapest

Farah, in Lebanon, helped with a Wake-Up Call event in the Ein El-Mreiseh square, where a Climate Change Countdown Clock is to be erected. They called on Arab Heads of State to engage in the climate negotiations. Activists sounded their cell phones, honked their horns, played musical instruments, and held banners to get attention.

Bhuwan, in Nepal, is helping to organize the global premiere of “The Age of Stupid,” a documentary on climate change. In addition, he helped with the South Asian Youth Summit on climate change earlier this month in Nepal.

Will, in Turkey, has been busy planning an October 24th Day of Action event there. He also helped out with the South Asian Youth Summit.

South Asian Youth summit shows support for 350 movement

Sarah, in Egypt, is collecting short film submissions on climate change for a music/film screening on October 24th. She is also participating in the World Wide Views Day on Global Warming in Egypt on September 26th, where citizens can vote on climate change issues and share their opinions with world leaders.

For more information on these events, and how you can participate in the 350 movement, check out the 350.org or the Climate Advocacy Institute website.

Written by admin · Filed Under 350.org Climate Track, Final Projects, News

Arab Leaders Wake Up!

September 22, 2009

Tags: 350, cai09, climate change, global warming, IndyACT

IndyACT Slams Arab Heads of State for Lack of Action on Climate Change

BEIRUT – on September 22, 2009: Last night more than 100 environmental activists sounded the alarm in Ein El-Mreiseh square, where a Climate Change Countdown Clock will be erected to mark the short three-month time we still have to reach a global agreement that would save the planet form climate change during a summit in Copenhagen. They called on Arab Heads of State, who most of them missed a key climate summit today in New York, to wake up and engage the negotiation process.

: IndyACT in Action

Members, supporters and partners from the global league of independent Activists-IndyACT sounded the alarms of their clocks and mobile phones, honked their horns and banged their musical instruments, making a tremendous noise in a symbolic action, part of a global ‘Wake-Up call’. The activists also held up a banner saying “it is time for climate action”, and another sign that says “Wake UP 12:18” to mark the 18th of December when a new global climate agreement is supposed to be reached. This global call, which took place simultaneously with over 2000 similar events in more than 120 countries, is a joint effort of the “TckTckTck” Campaign; an international alliance including IndyACT, 350.org, Greenpeace, Oxfam, WWF, and many others. The action comes amid expert warnings that the UN climate pact in Copenhagen in December risks failure unless world leaders revive bogged-down negotiations at today’s UN Heads of State climate summit, ahead of the UN General Assembly.

“Again Arab leaders missed yet another opportunity to defend the survival needs of the region from climate change impacts.” said Wael Hmaidan, Executive Director of IndyACT. “While today’s climate summit is attended by Presidents of the US, France, China and many others, only Algeria participated at the Presidential level from the Arab region”, added Hmaidan.

At the summit today, Heads of State will be discussing how the effort to fight climate change should be shared between the developed and developing countries, and how much financial and technological assistance will be transferred from the industrialized to the poor and most vulnerable countries to help them achieve a low-carbon growth. IndyACT has been participating in all the negotiation sessions similar to this one that should lead to achieving an ambitious, fair and binding agreement in Copenhagen. In all of these sessions the Lebanese and many other Arab delegations have never taken the floor to speak even once. “The main Arab countries engaging the negotiations are Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, who only defend their oil trade. The Arab region is more than oil, and we have to know that if climate change is not addressed properly, we will lose our agriculture, water, economy and livelihood of our people in the region and globally”, declared Hmaidan.

IndyAct along with international NGOs and civil society worldwide consider the Copenhagen Summit as a key moment in our history, and call all the Arab governments to have an active and positive role in reducing global CO2 concentration in the atmosphere to 350 ppm (parts per million). 350 ppm is the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere that we need to reach to keep the global warming below two degrees Celsius and avoid catastrophic climate change impacts.