Hi Kiva and the web editorial staff!

I am working on a story about an organization that is raising awareness of current environmental concerns called 350.org. This group is trying to make people realise that the levels of carbon in the atmosphere are currently toxic and have to be lowered (to 350 parts per million...now currently at 389 and rising, I think) for life to be sustained on earth long-term. To this end they have arranged a "day of action" on October 24, slightly in advance of a a climate meeting of major nations in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December. The group is inviting community groups and small groups of individuals worldwide to create a performance piece of some kind (an "action") on that day, to show support for the belief that governments need to take rising carbon levels seriously. They've currently had 1006 actions registered worldwide for that day. I have attached an email I recently received to give some you background.

Anyway, I was thinking that this has a lot of potential for our website--since it's all about engaged activism, and works via the web. I will interview someone from 350.org this week and can have an informational article ready for the website fairly soon. I was thinking that possibly an element of the website could be built around this coming event--?? Just an idea!

I have come up with an action that could be based within The Mindful Word community and that I am happy to market within Toronto (and to try to carry out myself)--which is to commit to 350 days of cycling and public transit next year, in support of 350.org. On the day, there needs to be a tangible event, too, and I'm still coming up with ideas for this...

Anyway, apart from supporting an (I think) crucial movement, I was thinking that if we have this to market on the web, and a deadline for involvement, we could have a blog on the web, too. If we market this well, we could bring a whole lot of traffic to the site, which would help raise interest in The Mindful Word across North America and globally. In Toronto, at least, there is an avid cycling community (that I'm on the fringes of) and I know many people who ride 350 days in the year anyway, who might get involved. I can tap into this group. Our particular action can be based in the blog at Mindful Word and people will be directed there when signing up, thus creating traffic.

The reason I think that this has to do with mindfulness is that it's based in peaceful activism which is at the heart of the mindfulness community's mandate.

Let me know what you think.

(Kiva and/or Laura I might need to talk to you via email about this soon. I am supposed to be sending interview questions to Joanna, at 350.org by tomorrow and I'm wondering, if you are interested in my idea, whether there are any questions you'd like me to ask.)

Here are the backgrounders.

Joanna

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...It's going to be HUGE.

As of two minutes ago, the 350 Day of International Climate Action is 1006 actions strong. We flew past the 1000 action mark sometime this morning, and the number continues to grow. Two more came in as I wrote this. This is incredible progress--so incredible that our website can't keep up with it. Our counter is frozen at 999, as high as it can go:



We'll be fixing it ASAP, but I have two things to ask you right now, one big and one not quite so big.

First the big one: What kind of iconic or meaningful action can you take in your community?

If you haven't registered your action already, click here to get started: http://www.350.org/oct24

We're a little less than five months away from the 24th of October, when all kinds of creative, meaningful, powerful actions and events will occur in every part of the world showing the number 350 - the safe upper limit of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere measured in parts per million.

On October 24th, we're giving that number meaning, from the heart of Mexico City to the heights of the Himalayas. If enough of us stand together, world leaders won't be able to deny our call for strong, immediate climate action that gets the world back to 350.

We're already well on our way--from the sounds of church bells ringing 350 times to the smell of 350 paellas cooking with solar energy, this promises to be a day for the record books.

If we can mobilize this kind of power and creativity together now, five months out from the big day, there is no limit to the possibilities for how big October 24th can become. You don't need to know every detail now. Type in your best idea, and then talk it over with friends, neighbors and colleagues - the best thoughts often come in conversation.

If you're ready to get your community on the map, here's the link to register an action in your community for October 24, the International Day of Climate Action: http://www.350.org/oct24

Now the easier question: Can you help make 24th of October not just big--but HUGE?

Once you have registered an action or planned to help out a friend or acquaintance, the second best thing you can contribute is people. LOTS of them.

Take the next five minutes, five hours, or five months and invite everyone you can think of to organize an action on the 24th of October--I included a sample e-mail to send to your friends below this letter.

Share your ideas, and encourage them to organize an event where they are for a safe climate, whether they live across the street or across the ocean. This is how we're going to multiply these 1000 actions and take a stand that's big enough to matter.

We are incredibly excited to have reached the 1000-action landmark so early in the project, and continually energized by the passion, creativity, and meaning you bring to to this movement.

Onwards,

Jon Warnow and the 350.org team

P.S. Below is a sample e-mail you can send to your friends and family. But remember--the most powerful messages are personal, so feel free to customize this as much as you want.

--------------

Hey everyone,

Most of you know that I'm committed to solving the climate crisis. If you're like me, you're convinced about the urgency of this problem, but don't know what you can do that will make a real difference. That's why I'm writing you today.

I just joined a really important effort to stop global warming at www.350.org. It's a new global campaign focused on making sure the world takes the kind of big, bold, fast action that we need to solve this crisis.

Here's the situation:

- The science of climate change is getting darker by the day. The Arctic is melting away with astonishing speed, decades ahead of schedule. Everything on the planet seems to be melting or burning, rising or parched. No surprise there--scientists tell us that the safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 350 parts per million, and we're at 389 and rising.

- But there's good news: we're not cooked yet, and THIS YEAR we have an opportunity to make a real impact. In December, the nations of the world will be meeting to craft a global treaty designed to help the world act together to solve global warming. The terms of this treaty may well determine whether we actually save the planet from climate change, so it's up to all of us to make sure we get it right.

- But nobody's going to do it for us--we all need to step up here. Here's how you can help: people all over the world are coming together to create an International Day of Action on October 24th through the website 350.org. The goal is to take a united stand to get the planet--and ourselves--back to 350 out of this huge mess. If we're loud enough all over the world, we can really make a difference.

- So, if you live near me, e-mail me back and we'll start organizing a local event. If you live far away--even better. We need as many events as possible, all over the world! You can register your event at http://www.350.org/oct24

- Why 350? Find out in this fun 90-second video clip: http://www.350.org/animation

Thanks everyone--with your help, 2009 is going to be BIG.




350.org is an international grassroots campaign that aims to mobilize a global climate movement united by a common call to action. By spreading an understanding of the science and a shared vision for a fair policy, we will ensure that the world creates bold and equitable solutions to the climate crisis. 350.org is an independent and not-for-profit project.
350.org needs your help! To support our work, donate securely online at http://www.350.org/donate

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Hi Joanna

Fabulous idea! It totally falls in line with the collective's vision of doing activist work and I think you have a really good handle on it. So move forward with this in whatever way you see fit. The same goes with the interview questions. Let me know when you're ready and we'll make accommodations for the blog on the website.

Quite synchronistically, I just received an email from a volunteer named Andrew who is interested in joining the collective to do engaged activist work. Prior to now we didn't have anything on the go as far as our engaged-spirituality initiatives, so this is a great and timely first project! I'm going to have him read this and help out in any way possible.

Also, can you post your idea in the "Engaged-spirituality/participatory initiatives" forum as well. Focus that thread as an interactive discussion to generate ideas and as a way of outlining what and how action can be taken. We'll leave this thread as is in this forum.

Hi Kiva:

Here is my first draft of a semi-informational semi-call to action article on the 350.org day of action. Once it's been tweaked do you think we can put it on the website? I can provide text for links to create background and depth for the event and for all the other stuff that's happening around it. (There's quite a bit planned already, including a peaceful rally outside parliament in Ottawa on 24/10).

I've included in the article the action I wanted to raise interest on here in Toronto and within the online community--cycling or taking transit for 350 days out of 365, as of 24/10. My 350.org contact Joanna loved this and said that she'd take up the challenge and spread the word about it as much as she could too. We could have our facebook site and website as central communication point for this action.

BTW I'm copying this mail to the engaged spirituality page of the forum and also to Andrew.

Joanna

Here's the file!

J