On the morning of October 24, 2009, as people rallied in thousands of cities across the planet, a young woman named Ola walked alone to the center of Babylon, Iraq, took a deep breath, and unfurled a 350 banner, joining a worldwide call for climate action.
Ola had worked for weeks to try and convince her friends to join her, but in Iraq, taking action on climate change is a risk few are willing to take. Ola's was one the smallest actions that day, but one of the most powerful.
And she didn't stop there. Determined to make a difference, Ola overcame even more challenges to go to Copenhagen for the UN climate negotiations in December and call for action on behalf of millions of people in Iraq and around the world.
Unfortunately, politicians in Copenhagen didn't share Ola's bravery and failed to deliver a fair, ambitious and binding international climate treaty steering us towards safety below 350ppm.
So Ola went back to work.
I spoke to Ola on the phone last week, and she relayed the news that she's found a group of friends who were inspired by her actions, and together they're planning an event for the Global Work Party this October 10th, one of nearly a thousand now registered at 350.org.
10/10/10, the Global Work Party, will be a chance for all of us to show what leadership really looks like—together, we'll get to work creating climate solutions from the ground up and demand our politicians do the same.