2010 is the year we
Get To Work.

With ideas and input from thousands of organizers from around the world, we've formed a strategic action plan for 2010.

We'll get to work to start changing our communities, and get to work to make our leaders realize that they actually need to lead. It's a plan that may well break the logjam and get us moving. But only, of course, if we work together to make it happen.

Read the Full Letter From Bill McKibben »

Hello, I’m from
,
and I am ready to get to work solving the climate crisis. Send updates to me at
and let me know how I can make a difference.

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Africa | S.Asia | E.Asia | Europe | N.America | S.America | Australia & NZ | Pacific

Register a work party in your community for 10/10/10 » Explore ideas for a local work party on 10/10/10 »

350 Updates

Web Thinking and 350.org - Letting Go of Control

Today, 350.org was cited in a "Web Thinking Manifesto" as as an example of "an organization that seems to consistently and dramatically win online."

And while we at 350.org pride ourselves on real-world activism and always work towards transitioning people from the web to the streets, we were honored and humbled to be in a list of online campaigns as game-changing as the Obama campaign and the Basta Dobbs initiative.

The writers of the "Web Thinking Manifesto" (full disclosure--both are friends and colleagues of ours at 350.org) outline "ten proclamations for the next generation of movement leaders."  Each of these ten proclamations are provocative for people that work to harness the power of the internet for social change--but the one 350.org is cited for is "Proclamation #6: We Will Let Go of Control."

Click below to read more...


Getting to work in Nigeria and the Philippines

No sooner had we sent out our plans for the year, then a few of the most dedicated organizers worldwide got to work planting trees. Below is a photo from Bauchi, Nigeria, where Usman Inuwa of Forward in Action for Conservation of Indigenous Species (FACIS) planted tree seedlings in the shape of a 350.

  

And here is the Rotary Club of Tagum North, in Tagum City Philippines. They, too filled bags of soil for a tree planting project:


Europe

Working on an Around-the-World Sail

 

How does one travel in a 350 world?  Arne Reuter has one solution.

Arne, from Germany, has just launched the 350 Sailing Challenge - an attempt to fund and race a 350 sailboat in one of the around-the-world sailing regattas.  His goals are many, but they all seem right on target with the challenges of 350 we have moving forward.  One of those goals is in demonstrating that sailing around the world is hard work - it's not like taking a cruise. But that's ok with Arne, because it's also many times more rewarding.  


The ideas are flowing in

Every few weeks, it's someone's turn at 350 HQ to monitor the influx of emails to our general account.  It's not an easy job to keep up, but I'm especially grateful to be the one with that special task right now, as ideas are literally pouring in for the 10/10 Global Work Party after our initial call to action just a few days ago.  It gives me great hope to see that this movement is so creative, committed, and ready to get to work this year all around the world.  Here are just a few ideas coming in, either for the big day itself, or to generate momentum in the lead-up:

- get a bike-to-school and bike-to-work program started for students and workers in Jakarta, Indonesia

- going door-to-door to help people understand their energy use and weatherize their homes in cold climates

- bringing a 350ppm resolution to local city government

- friendly competitions amongst neighbors about eating locally, making sustainable improvements to your home, transporting your family sustainably

- hosting a garden work party - and get the White House organic garden going too!

... and here are some great work party-style events that happened on 24 October - check out the photos and write to us with your plans, or possible collaborations:


Asia

Maldives Eyes "Floating Islands" Construction

There's always interesting news coming out of the Maldives. Today, in a design blog, I learned that the Maldives government is embarking on construction of "floating islands" as one of their moves to combat sea level rise. Floating islands may be familiar to you, as they're featured in Dubai. The interesting fact is while Dubai has made islands in the desert, the planned construction in the Maldives will help house inhabitants of an exising island, alread coping with climate impacts.

Learn more here.


Putting It Behind Him

One of our great organizers in the midwestern USA Paul Thompson raced in America's biggest cross country ski race last month, carrying the 350 message. He's fast--but anyone who passed him knew the most important number in the world!
 


Getting to work in 2010: Our new plans...


After a month-long retreat in the mountainous US state of Vermont, and following much reflection, listening and movement-storming with allies & organizers from around the world, we're excited to share our new plans for 2010 -- and can't wait to learn what you think! Bill's letter below is about to go out to our entire list -- make sure you're signed up for more exciting updates in 2010!

Dear Friends,

Well, no one said it was going to be easy.
 
Last year, thanks to many of you, we built up enormous momentum for climate solutions. The global day of rallies you pulled off on October 24th turned out to "the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history," according to CNN, with 5200 actions in 181 countries.
 
And in Copenhagen that translated into 117 countries--most of the world's nations--supporting a tough 350 target. 
 
But it didn't translate into political victory. The biggest polluters wouldn't go along. So we still have work to do.
 
In fact, our slogan for 2010 is "Get To Work." Get to work to start changing our communities, and get to work to make our leaders realize that they actually need to lead. We've sifted through thousands of your emails from all over the world, and come up with an action plan for this year that we think may break the logjam and get us moving. But only, of course, if we act together to make it happen.
 
The first date to mark on your calendar: October 10. Working with our friends at the 10:10 campaign, we're going to make the tenth day of the tenth month of the millennium's tenth year a real starting point for concrete action. We're calling it the 10/10 Global Work Party, and in every corner of the world we hope communities will put up solar panels, insulate homes, erect windmills, plant trees, paint bikepaths, launch or harvest local gardens. We'll make sure the world sees this huge day of effort--and we'll use it to send a simple message to our leaders:  "We're working--what about you? If we can cover the roof of the school with solar panels, surely you can pass the legislation or sign the treaty that will spread our work everywhere, and confront the climate crisis in time." 10/10/10 will take a snapshot of a clean energy future -- the world of 350 ppm -- and show people why it's worth fighting for.  It's not too early to sign up here: www.350.org/oct10
 
Every nation is not created equal in this climate crisis, of course. If we can't get the biggest polluters and the biggest economies to change, then we'll never win. So we're going to focus some particular attention on China, the United States, and India with a Great Power Race--college and university campuses will compete to see who can come up with the most, and the most creative, climate solutions. We hope friendly competition will help governments see that they have a lot to gain by diving into clean energy--and a lot to lose by missing this opportunity.
 
And we'll keep figuring out ways to apply political pressure where it counts--in the U.S. Senate, say, where we're joining a group of our best allies in backing the proposed Cap-and-Dividend approach that would stop letting big polluters pour carbon into the sky for free. In other parts of the world, we'll hold more of the climate leadership workshops that produced so many great leaders last year.
 
And as the next UN conference approaches in Mexico in December, we'll stage the largest piece of public art in the planet's history--a reminder that we have to bring passion to bear along with science and economics if we're going to move this process.

We know, from the calls and emails we've been getting, that people all over the world are ready to go to work. We think this plan can increase the odds of real action. We know that we have no choice. When, years down the road, the next generation asks what we did to save the planet, we want to be able to say: "We rolled up our sleeves and got to work."  There's no guarantee we can beat the rich and powerful interests that we're up against--but thanks to you we've got enough momentum to have a real chance. Let's use it now.

Onwards,

Bill McKibben and the 350.org Team

P.S. We've learned that there's great power in pictures, and so we decided to make an audio slideshow that walks through our plan for 2010 and how we got here.  Please watch it here, and share the piece with family & friends by spreading this link: www.350.org/audio-slideshow. Also, please forward this message far and wide--2010 needs to be a year of unprecedented growth for this movement. 

P.P.S. We want to know what your reaction is to the plan for 2010--will you share your ideas and thoughts with the Global 350 Facebook Community by leaving a comment in the latest message? (www.facebook.com/350.org)


Asia

Nepal is ready to Get to Work

Our friends in Nepal have been busy these last few weeks extending the Nepali youth climate movement to all regions of the country.  The Nepalese Youth for Climate Action emailed this morning explaining that they just wrapped up Western and Far-Western Regional Youth Climate Summits. Abhishek wrote, "Now NYCA has its network almost in every region of Nepal!" And as you can see from the photos below the 350 number is spreading to ever more reaches of the world...


North America

An old and dear friend

Doris Haddock, better  known as Granny D, passed away yesterday at the age of 100--she was a dear friend and a great organizer! 

At the age of 90, she walked across the entire continental United States to demand change in the corrupt way America finances its elections--she understood that as long as corporations controlled the process, it would be hard to make progress on any of the issues that matter. A few years later, she and I were arrested in the first civil disobedience about climate change seen in America--we spent an enjoyable day with a few allies locked up in the Capitol Hill jail. I remember what she told me that day: "I'm 93 and I've never been arrested before--I should have started long ago!"
 
She kept marching and fighting--a couple of years ago she joined many of the 350 organizers for the last mile of a march across her native state of New Hampshire. She is a great hero, and we will carry on her work.

Africa

Clean Energy for South Africa, Not Coal


A few weeks ago, while our team was planning out exciting new campaigns for 2010, we heard something and we couldn't quite believe our ears: The World Bank has proposed to give a US$3.75 billion (R29 billion) loan to Eskom to build a number of new dirty coal-fired and nuclear power plants. The World Bank has a history of financing more fossil projects than clean energy, all in the name of reducting poverty. St the same time, Eskom plans to raise electricity rates 25% annually over the next three years. Big polluters are getting cut-rate electricity - the world's cheapest - while the poorest will face the highest rates in the country.

Dozens of South African environmental, community, church, labour, academic and women's organizations have mobilized, but we need your help sending a message to the World Bank that we won't accept a dirty loan.

Click here to say NO to the dirty World Bank loan to Eskom.