Last year on 24 October, more than 5,400 events took place around the world. There were rallies in Ethiopia, bike rides in Wellington, SCUBA divers in Australia, tree-plantings in Thailand, hundreds of students marching in India, a dance in Amsterdam, snowboarders forming the number 350 on a snow-covered slope in Wanaka, New Zealand and hikers unfurled a 350 banner atop the tallest mountain in Antarctica. Thousands of events were locally organized, in almost every country around the world all with one simple message that we need to reduce carbon dioxide concentrations to a maximum of 350 parts per million.
Here are a few things you can do in your city:
Walk, March, or Rally: Visibly walking through your community shows movement and solidarity with the cause. Ending at an iconic site (a monument, mountain, hill, river, temple, park, you know what's best for your place) with speakers and musicians is a great way to spread the word while having a good time.
Show the Tide Line: In coastal areas, rising sea levels caused my melting sea ice may flood many iconic and meaningful places. Standing on or marking potential tide lines could be a powerful image and educational experience for your community.
Teach-In: October 24 will be an excellent teaching opportunity! Do some online research about global warming and invite your participants to learn more about the issue and discuss why 350 is such a critical benchmark for international action on this issue.
Faith Celebrations: Connections between the world's diverse religions and the issue of global warming are numerous and strike a strong moral chord. This is a great way to gather people together who already have a community in which they discuss the big questions. Now is the chance to add global warming to the list.
Invite Government Officials: October 24 will be a great day to directly engage government officials and call for real action on climate change. Who in your country has influence on climate policy? Consider inviting your mayor, environment minister, representatives, or perhaps even prime minister or president.
Biking Action: Biking, like a march or walk, is a great way to get out and be visible in your community. It can also demonstrate the need for improved infrastructure for our alternative modes of transportation.
Campus Action: College campuses have a huge role to play in any social movement. Push the creativity and tech-savvy contributions that youth can provide, and give a strong base of energy for our elders.
Trash Clean Up: Sadly, some of our iconic places aren’t as pristine as we’d like. Why not leave the place better than you found it?
Service Actions: Spend part of your day actively creating a more just, sustainable world by helping weatherize buildings in your community, constructing new pedestrian or cycle paths, or running whatever sorts of service projects you can come up with to work towards getting CO2 back below 350 ppm.
Art Installation: Provide art supplies and invite your participants to create art, maybe something that speaks of the importance of your iconic place.
Carrotmob: Reward a responsible business by "joycotting" their store on October 24th. You can either hold a competition between businesses or just pick one that you know is doing good and help them do well.
Plan An Art Event: Take environmentalism beyond the brain and into the heart by hosting an Art Event.
Go-Green.ae is holding a networking event for 'Green Industry' professionals and eco-enthusiasts on 24 October at the Fairmont Dubai.
