10/24: Biggest Day of Political Action in GLOBAL HISTORY

I think that pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? October 24th, 2009, is going to go down in history because of the 350 movement and I’m thrilled about it. Here in Copenhagen we have our own event happening that should be an absolute blast (you’ll get more on that this weekend, I promise) but there are over 4,300 events happening in over 170 countries around the world. It’s absolutely mind-blowing. I can’t say it enough, I’m so excited to be a part of this.

In honor of this awesome, awesome day of action, I’m going to pass on this list of 50 of the most exciting events happening around the world on 10/24, courtesy of 350.org. Can’t wait to see footage and photos from all of these! Here’s a sample, check below the cut for the full list:

• Giant 3 and 5 and 0′s around the world:
  In perhaps the world’s largest collaborative art project, citizens will form giant 3, 5, and 0 puzzle pieces to solve the climate crisis. As the day starts in the East, large 3′s will be formed at sites including the Sydney Opera House in Australia and the Great Wall in China. Giant 5′s will be formed in Delhi and London. And large 0′s will be formed in Quito, Washington DC and Copenhagen, where the UN Climate Conference will take place this December.  

350 Action in Erode, India

• A Human 350 Necklace on Mt. Diablo, California:
  350 people will encircle the summit of Mount Diablo to form a human-necklace with a giant, circular 350 banner hanging as a medallion. 

• Turning up the heat in the Budapest Baths:
  More than 350 bathers will strip down and simulate a warmer world in the famous Széchenyi Baths (in perhaps the first ever bathe-in for climate action).

• Berlin:
  Pushing the boundaries of social political engagement, Berliners will participate in a “Silent Climate Parade” on the 24th. 350 ravers will form a dancing parade through downtown Berlin listening to what appears to be… nothing. The music they’ll dance to will be piped directly into their headphones from a top Berlin DJ at the front of the line. Watch a true visual spectacle take place as they dance to their own music, together.

• Underwater Relay, Mass March and Festival in Male’, Maldives:
  Just a week after President Nasheed held an underwater cabinet meeting calling for world leaders to commit to 350, hundreds of Maldivian citizens will perform a 24 hour underwater 350 formation relay. Teams will take turns diving in the shallow waters of the capital of Male’ to form an underwater 3, then 5, then 0, so be stitched together by day’s end. Simultaneously, the group ECOCARE will be leading a mass march across Male’ ending in a surfside festival.

350 on Ice at Treble Cone, WanakaMt Everest, Nepal:
We may not see the images till later in November, but climbers in Nepal will attempt to summit the highest peak in the world with a banner declaring “350: Save Our Himalayas.”

Arctic warning in Antarctica:
In one of the first political demonstrations in Antarctica, scientists at the McMurdo Station will rally for 350 on the melting sea ice.

 

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Africa:
 
10,000 Schoolchildren in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: 
10,000 schoolchildren will participate in a mass fun run and tree planting for 350. Please Note: this event is on Friday, Oct 23rd. Badhan, Somalia – in the remote Sanaag province, an area that has been wracked by 5 years of drought, villagers will be setting up 350 solar cookers to show that renewable energy is the answer, and to call on their leaders to take action in Copenhagen. 
  
Kinshasa, DR Congo:
Youth forest protection activists will hold a number of educational events at the University of Mbandaka, highlighting the need to protect the endangered rainforests of the Congo Basin — a source of water for the rest of the country and a carbon sink for the  whole world. Participants will march and cycle through the streets of Kinshasa, ending up at the Ministry of Environment, with tree seedlings in hand, demanding action on deforestation.  

Hip Hop in Benin:
A free hip hop concert with local Cotonou artists will be held at Place Québec in the heart of the city.  The concert, and subsequent press conference, will feature a call to action in support of 350.org and will draw attention to the region’s 40,000 “zémidjans,” motorcycle taxis who cause most of the city’s air pollution. Action on top of Table Mountain in Capetown, South Africa: A diverse coalition of religious, environmental and social justice groups will come together at a 350 Festival in downtown Cape Town, culminating in a hike to the top of picturesque Table Mountain.  
 
North America:
 
Ringing 350 at the Liberty Bell: 
Bookended by the Liberty Bell on one side, and Independence Hall on the other, the giant 3,5,0 planned for Philadelphia’s Independence Mall will be one the most iconic in the country. 

Circle of Hope at the White House: 
Washington DC organizers have joined together to organize a major action to address the related issues of global warming pollution and poverty. After a march to Lafayette Park they will form a giant “circle of hope” across from the White  House. This “O” will also serve as third in a series of 3, 5, and 0 photos taken from around the world on October 24. 

Protect the Great Lakes for 350: 
Hundreds of citizens will gather on the shores of Lake Michigan in Traverse City to highlight climate impacts and call for 350. Interfaith Rally in Denver, Colorado: At 3:50 pm, Congregations from across the Denver area will gather for a large rally at the state capitol led by interfaith organization Eco Justice Ministries. They will take a photo of 350 rising above the green mountains–an image inspired by the Colorado license plate. 

All Routes Lead to San Francisco: 
“Ride 350” cyclists will coast across the finish line of their 350km route to converge with surfers, artists, poets and activists at the historic Ferry Building for a vibrant rally and a scenic aerial 350 photo with the beautiful San Francisco bay in the background.  

350 on the Screens of Times Square: 
At this capstone media event, the 350 global organizing team will display stunning visuals from around the world on the giant video screens of Times Square and then hold a briefing for US and international press. 
 
Latin America and the Caribbean:
 
Tegucigalpa, Honduras: 
In the midst of political turmoil and repression, Hondurans want the world to know that they care about the issue of global warming. Tunza Honduras and Universida Nacional will lead a 5 km march culminating in a 350 Honduras photograph. 

Aymara Shamans in the Andes, Bolivia: 
High in the Andes, indigenous Aymara shamans will hold a ceremony where Chacaltaya, the first South American glacier to completely disappear, vanished earlier this year. 

Mexico City, Mexico: 
Members of GEO Juvenil Mexico, Presencia Ciudadana, IMJUVE, the Scouts of Mexico, and over a dozen universities will convene a large crowd in Mexico City’s Venustiano Carranza Plaza for a concert and a giant 350 aerial photograph. 

Sailing into the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia: 
From Ushuaia, the southernmost city in South America, members of Fundación Väinö Auer will clean up their coastline and then sail into the Beagle Channel under a 350 banner to decry the climate change impacts on Tierra del Fuego. 

Stark Contrast on an Oil-Stained Beach in Chile: 
To demonstrate that fossil fuels not only impact our atmosphere but also our land and sea, over 250 activists wearing white will spell out a giant 350 against the backdrop of a black, oil-stained beach near the city of Concepcion. 

Kuna Yala, Panama: 
A group of indigenous Kuna youth will hold a moonlight vigil for 350 from midnight until sunrise. They will clean beaches, teach locals about the importance of 350ppm, and form the number 350 with candles and people. Kuna Yala is an autonomous region of small low-lying coastal areas and islands in Panamá which is extremely vulnerable to climate change.  

Port Au Prince, Haiti: 
Haitian fisherman and farmers already seeing their livelihoods impacted by climate change will hold a citizen’s summit to mobilize a response and call for 350. 

St. Kitts and Nevis: 
In the tiny island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Caribbean Youth Environment Network will stage a round-the-island relay race on October 24th, passing through every community along the way to let them know the importance of 350ppm for their future. 

Human Tideline on the Galapagos: 
Local environmental and ecotourist organizations will march through native forests to highlight the threatened biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands, and will form a human tideline to demonstrate the effect of rising sea levels.  
 
Europe:
 
350 Swing Dancers and one world-renowned climatologist in Amsterdam: 
350 dancers will gather at the central square in Amsterdam in a massive swing dancing celebration for climate action. They will be joined by Dr. James Hansen, one of the world’s top climatologists and the author of the original 350 scientific paper.  

Beautiful Noise in Barcelona: 
After a day of speeches and climate roundtables during the day, churches throughout the city will ring bells 350 times at 20:00, and 350 Percussionists will gather at Las Ramblas 7 to sound the demand for 350 loud and clear.  Bring your sound recorder and capture the sounds of people demanding a safe climate in Barcelona! 

London, UK: 
The New Economics Foundation will host The Bigger Picture summit, the Big Blow brass orchestra will march along the Thames, and the big finale comes as the two groups combine forces at the London Eye to form a big… aerial “5” – just before a concert by Groove Armada helps the crowd “get down” to 350.  

Copenhagen, Denmark: 
In the host city of the upcoming and critical United Nations Climate Conference, Danes will gather in a massive circular bike parade to create a giant “0” that will link with giant 3′s and 5′s around the world to demonstrate the global cooperation that will get us back to 350.  

Brussels: 
Youth activists will lead an action that combines the seriousness of climate impacts with the drama and creativity that only youth can provide. At 2pm on the dot, a small water balloon will fall on the floor of the Grasmarkt in Brussels, and people will fall to the ground around it in a dramatic attempt to bring the realities of climate-related deaths to the attention of Belgians. This is one stop in a series of similar actions around the country that will take place on the 24th.  

Paris:
The largest climate coalition in France, Ultimatum Climatique, will organize a new-style ‘flashmob’ event in front of ‘La Bourse’ de Paris, close to the Museum Le Louvre.  

Berlin: 
Pushing the boundaries of social political engagement, Berliners will participate in a “Silent Climate Parade” on the 24th. 350 ravers will form a dancing parade through downtown Berlin listening to what appears to be… nothing. The music they’ll dance to will be piped directly into their headphones from a top Berlin DJ at the front of the line. Watch a true visual spectacle take place as they dance to their own music, together. 
 
East Asia:
 
China Youth Climate Action Network Mobilizes Hundreds of Campuses: 
The China Youth Climate Action Network is partnering with 350.org to make Oct. 24 a big success on campuses across the country. Students at hundreds of campuses will take part in the day of action, holding lectures, planting trees, and hosting iconic events and landmarks such as the Great Wall.  

350 Person Bicycle Ride through Downtown Beijing: 
350 cyclists will ride through the streets of Beijing on October 24, starting at the iconic Bell and Drum towers, passing the Workers’ Gymnasium, and arriving at the Beijing City International School. Co-sponsored by the artists group, Greening the Beige, the bike ride will culminate in an eco-hip hop event that will be broadcast around the world.  
  
Cambodian Youth at Angkor Wat: 
Youth from across Cambodia will gather at Angkor Wat, one of the most iconic places in all of Asia, to send a message to the world that we need 350.  

350 Bike Parade in Hanoi: 
Students from across Vietnam will meet for a three day climate action conference in Hanoi over the weekend of October 24. On Saturday, 350 students will jump on their bicycles to parade through downtown Hanoi with banners and placards, circling Hanoi’s central lakes and other iconic landmarks. The conference will be the first such gathering in Vietnamese history, uniting students from across the country to plan an ongoing clean energy campaign to help make Vietnam, one of the most vulnerable country’s to climate change, a leader in the search for climate solutions.  

350 “Non La” Hats in Saigon, Vietnam: 
Organizers will be gathering hundreds of students to decorate 350 “non la” hats (the traditional leaf hats that are one of Vietnam’s symbols) and listen to live music and speeches from local environmental leaders. 

Transforming Trash in Mongolia: 
Students will spend the morning collecting trash from the streets and then use it to form a giant 350 in Ulaan Bataar. 

Flash Mob Dance in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 
The Malaysian Youth Climate Justice Network will surprise the world with a flash mob dance party for 350 in front of the Petronas Towers, the most recognizable symbol of Kuala Lumpur. 
 
South and Central Asia:
 
Monks Call for Action in Kathmandu, Nepal: 
Over a thousand young people and monks will march from Thamel to the Swayambhunath world heritage site temple where they will form a large 350 with traditional lanterns.  The event will be following a day of other actions including cycle rallies and tree plantations across the city.  

Afghan Youth on a mountain near Kabul: 
In some of the first ever grassroots mobilization on climate change in Afghanistan, Afghan Youth for Social Development and Tolerance will create a message for the world and 350 on the slopes of Paghman Mountain, “mother” of the Kabul River.  

Iranians Take Action for 350: 
Groups are coordinating across all of Iran in unprecedented ways on climate change to spread the 350 campaign to all corners of the country. In the West Mohammad and his friends will have lectures at least in 10 high schools which can inform hundreds of high school students and their families about climate change and 350. In the East, a group of postgraduate students from environment and natural resources faculties are preparing to have an educational event in Mashhad, the second biggest city of country, which can notify thousands of Iranians about climate change and 350. Also, another group has announced that  they are going to spread the word by cycling in Torghabeh, one of the main tourist attractions in North East of Iran. 

Rahul Gandhi at the Red Fort, New Delhi, India: 
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi is expected to preside over the creation of a giant “5” human formation at the Red Fort. This formation would be a part of the Global 350 with 3 being formed at Sydney Opera House and 0 being formed in Copenhagen.  

350 at the Taj Mahal: 
Early in the day, after a tree plantation drive, hundreds of school children dressed in the colors of the Indian national flag will form a human 350 chain on the sand flats of the disappearing Yamuna river directly beneath the Taj Mahal.  

Kashmiris at Dal Lake: 
Dal Lake, the pride of Srinagar, will witness a massive cleaning action by Srinagar civil society and then a floating 350 formation of 32 shikaras, the local, traditional boats. 

Marathon in Dhaka, Bangladesh: 
The Bangladesh Youth Climate Network will host a marathon run from Shangshad Bhaban, the national parliament, to the Shahid Minar national monument. 

Istanbul, Turkey:
While wind surfers with 350 on their sails surf the Marmara Sea, hundreds of people will participate in a mass silent march on the streets of Istanbul. 
 
Middle East:
 
Palestinians, Jordanians, and Israelis on the shores of the Dead Sea: 
Concerned citizens will put aside political differences and to spell a trans-boundary 350 on the banks of the shrinking Dead Sea. Aerial photographs will show three gatherings of people, each forming either a “3”, “5”, or “0” on the shore, and will combine to form a shared 350.  

350 at the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Iraq: 
Students of Babel will be holding an October 24 event in front of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the old world seven wonders, to call on all government leaders to take action on climate change.  

School kids in Algiers, Algeria:
More than 900 students at a government school in the country’s capitol will create aerial art by spelling ’350′ with their bodies. 

Cairo, Egypt:
A group of youth activists and their friends and families are gathering with a 350 banner at the Pyramids in mid October. On October 24th the same youth activists are organizing a festival with music, film screenings, and performances to spread awareness on climate change and its effects on Egypt’s resources. 

Green Carpet Cinema in Beirut:
350.org partner IndyACT and other groups will come together for a green-carpet screening of Age of Stupid, a climate change documentary, in the presence of celebrities, politicians and media. Earlier in the day, youth climate organizers will walk through the ruins of Roman Baths in the center of Beirut with goggles and 350 materials to highlight the danger of sea level rise in the coastal city. 
 
Australia, Pacific Islands, and the Polar Regions:
 
1st Action on the Planet: Sunrise Action at a Wind Turbine in Wellington, New Zealand: 
Citizens in New Zealand are gathering before dawn next to a wind turbine on a picturesque mountaintop overlooking Wellington. 350 banners and signs will be held high, and drums will beat to greet the planet’s first rays of sunlight, as the group offer a blessing for the opening ceremony of the global day of action.  

Bike-rides, Local Food Festivals, and Big Screens in Wellington, New Zealand: 
Wellingtonians have the chance to join a massive bike ride leading to a joyful celebratory climate festival on the waterfront, where visitors will sample local foods, listen to live music, and watch screens showing 350 actions from around New Zealand. At 3.50pm there’ll be a public participatory human sculpture depicting 350–expected to be one of the largest in the world.  

Carbon Scales and Surfing in Dunedin, New Zealand: 
The World’s Steepest Street becomes a Carbon Scale as 350 Surfers Ride the Waves in Dunedin, New Zealand On the other side of Dunedin, the world’s steepest street will become a scale showing the levels of carbon in the atmosphere. Over at St Clair Beach, 350 surfers will ride the waves and taking 350 photos with their surf boards.  

Aerial Art and Tall Ships at the Sydney Opera House in Australia: 
At Australia’s most iconic location, thousands will gather at the Sydney Opera House for music, and speakers, and the creation of a gigantic “human-banner”–a “3″ that will be knit together with other numbers from around the world. Just after the event, a Tall Ship will embark on a climate tour around the harbor, sails emblazoned with the message “350 For a Safe Climate.”  

Bottle-top Art in Nelson, New Zealand: 
In beautiful Nelson, local residents intend to collect 1 million plastic bottle tops, create a piece of 350 art, and display them on the Cathedral steps at the top of Trafalgar Street. Nelson’s strong and creative 350 action will be reinforced by the fact that Nelson’s local MP who is participating in events is also Minister for the Environment and Climate Change. 

Pedal-power, Kayaks, Comedy, and More in Melbourne, Australia: 
Kicking things off on Friday the 23rd of October will be a “pedal powered launch party,” a day of environmental activities and entertainment with Comedian Rod Quantock and hundreds of students followed by a 350 photo with kayaks on The Yarra River. The next day will have everything from bike-rides to lantern sculptures, with some more events in between.  
 
Underwater SCUBA Event at the Great Barrier Reef (Port Douglas, Australia): 
Reef Check Australia is assisting with the creation of an iconic action at the Great Barrier Reef 350.org, featuring a giant underwater banner held by SCUBA divers on one of the GBR’s most beautiful sites. NOTE: this event already took place on 10/17.  

Sparsely Populated Nation of Niue Plants Trees and Takes a Stand for 350: 
Despite Niue’s small population (with 1500 inhabitants, it’s the world’s fourth-least populated nation) it will take a big stand on October 24th. Residents, including members of parliament, will bring down CO2 emissions with tree-planting and a 350 group photo. 

Impacted Island Nation of Tuvalu Celebrates its Climate Leadership: 
Despite the fact that tiny Tuvalu is feeling climate impacts here and now, their action will be a celebration and not a protest. Islanders will take part in a climate action festival including tree planting, and the re-introduction of solar energy and the introduction of wind energy.

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One more time, keep your eyes on 350.org for all the footage of the actions coming in on 10/24.