Living Car Free - Worldwide Action Day (350.org)

October 24, 2009

There will be local actions in many cities and towns around the world. The overall goal is to prod our leaders to take action on global warming--especially just in advance of Copenhagen. Check for local events if you're interested.

http://www.350.org/

http://www.350.org/map

There seems to be a couple of activities in my city:



Our plan has two parts:
First, we plan to get a booth at the Des Moines farmers' market for literature distribution and street theater from 7:00 a.m. to noon.

Second, we plan to put on a "Climate Carnival" at the John and Mary Pappajohn Education Center where we invite kids and grownups to have fun while learning about the importance of 350. The Carnival will run from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Activities include: 350 Limbo, 350 Beanbag Toss, Coal Plant Knock Down, Polar Bear Mask Coloring, Call Your Senator Phone Booth, Wheel of Warming, "The Lorax" cartoon, excerpts from the National Geographic documentary "Six Degrees Could Change the World," and presentations from local climate activists.

Bonus features include: vegan food, belly dancers, a juggler, a walking/talking snowman (costume), a walking/talking pelican (costume)

Don't Forget: add your handprint to help complete the 12 foot Earth before you sign a postcard to your senator


This may be a little off topic, but does anyone join in some of these messages to the politicians. I send a lot of messages to these guys, particularly Charles Grassley, but wonder if they ever consider the content of these messages...

There seems to be a couple of activities in my city:



This may be a little off topic, but does anyone join in some of these messages to the politicians. I send a lot of messages to these guys, particularly Charles Grassley, but wonder if they ever consider the content of these messages...

I am pretty much convinced that most politicians DON'T read emails, especially ones that are generated from third party sites. If something pisses me off bad enough that I need to spout off about it I send a genuine US Snail Mail letter. When I send emails I usually get a canned response, if that. With paper letters I usually get something a bit better in response. Sometimes it pays to be a curmudgeon/luddite.:D

Aaron:)

Aaron, I think you're on to the right answer. They deal with automated e-mails in an automated fashion and I doubt that any of it ever hits Senator Grassley's eyes.

One good thing about this 350 event is that it gets me away from the computer to meet some actual human beings who share similar ideas. Sorry to say, but most of the characters on LCF are pretty ""virtual""

I won't be in town for the Oct 24 event however.

October 24, 2009

There will be local actions in many cities and towns around the world. The overall goal is to prod our leaders to take action on global warming--especially just in advance of Copenhagen. Check for local events if you're interested.

What action do you want "them" to take that would offset China bringing another multi-megawatt coal burning power plant on line every week?

If something pisses me off bad enough that I need to spout off about it I send a genuine US Snail Mail letter. When I send emails I usually get a canned response, if that. With paper letters I usually get something a bit better in response.

If you are mailing it to your Senator or Congressperson, there is a good possibility that it may not even reach them, paranoia is so high since the anthrax scare.

What action do you want "them" to take that would offset China bringing another multi-megawatt coal burning power plant on line every week?

Ideally, I'd like world leaders to enact a treaty reduction of carbon emissions that's binding on all nations--especially the two superpowers. China and the US should channel their rivalry to see which nation can develop the best new technology for greener energy.

There is a lot of money to be made in this area of alternative energy--probably as much money as all the technology in the entire history of the world up to this time. Nations would be foolish not to compete for a big piece of this action.

(Also, on a local level, I would like to see my own state--Michigan--NOT bring its planned coal plants on line.)

I am pretty much convinced that most politicians DON'T read emails, especially ones that are generated from third party sites. If something pisses me off bad enough that I need to spout off about it I send a genuine US Snail Mail letter. When I send emails I usually get a canned response, if that. With paper letters I usually get something a bit better in response. Sometimes it pays to be a curmudgeon/luddite.:D

Aaron:)

I remember in the 1960s, my dad sent letters to representatives via telegram (called a "night letter" IIRC). He said they paid more attention to telegrams, because the sender went to the time and expense to send it. I don't know if Western Union still offers this service or not.

Nope, Western Union no longer sends telegrams. They stopped in 2006. Though if you wanted to wire your Senator some money, they could help. ;)

STOP -- Telegram Era Over (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11147506/)

Nope, Western Union no longer sends telegrams. They stopped in 2006. Though if you wanted to wire your Senator some money, they could help. ;)


Now you're thinking! If every American sent their representatives $10, it might be almost as much money as they're already getting from the energy industry lobbyists.

Post event bump: Did anyone attend any of the events? Impressions?

There was nothing where I'm staying right now. I cycled to the grocery store to pick up some seafood for a family event. Now my commuting bag smells like... seafood! :(

Post event bump: Did anyone attend any of the events? Impressions?

There was nothing where I'm staying right now. I cycled to the grocery store to pick up some seafood for a family event. Now my commuting bag smells like... seafood! :(

I couldn't go because I came down with Swine flu. :(

I didn't see a lot of media coverage of the actions, so my hunch is that it wasn't very successful. I am feeling discouraged by the backlash against climate change in the US. I think this is a very bad error in public judgment.

I couldn't go because I came down with Swine flu. :(

I didn't see a lot of media coverage of the actions, so my hunch is that it wasn't very successful. I am feeling discouraged by the backlash against climate change in the US. I think this is a very bad error in public judgment.

The H1N1 flu? Hope you are feeling better.

It's amazing that while the US is sitting on the fence, Asian nations -- and particularly China -- are seeing climate change as an economic opportunity. I also think they are doing a much better job of doing the math... ie, if growth continues on at the rate of x and if the current environment is at y, the future doesn't look too good. In the US, thanks to the fact that most polluting industries are exported to nations like China, the degradation due to CO2 and just plain pollution isn't that apparent.

Perhaps, over time, there'll be a big urgency to "catch up". That's the best that can be hoped for.