350 Climate Change Sing-Along

On Saturday October 24, at the Odd Fellows Hall in Eastsound, we’ll gather to raise our voices in song in a Climate Change Sing-Along to Stop Global Warming!

Our event is an official part of the International Day of Climate Action coordinated by 350.org, a nonprofit organization started by renowned environmentalist Bill McKibben, to give voice to communities around the world to help solve the climate crisis.

So many people in our community love to sing, whether in a chorus or in the shower! What better use of our voices than singing to preserve the planet we love and cherish as home for ourselves, our kids, their kids and THEIR kids!

There is very little work involved in preparing to participate in the Sing-Along.

We’ll be singing one short song called “The Balance” from the climate change musical Penguins on Thin Ice. You can listen to and download the song so you can get to know it over the next 4 weeks.

Just go to www.PenguinsOnThinIce.com and under "Songs" click on "The Balance". The lyrics are there as well.

If you can't listen to the song on the internet, you can request a CD of the song by calling Sharon Abreu at (360) 376-5773 or sending an email to sharmuse@gmail.com.

We’ll gather at the Odd Fellows Hall in Eastsound on Saturday October 24 at 4:30 pm, run through the song a couple of times and then videotape it. That’s it!

Don’t worry about the harmony part you’ll hear. Just sing the melody, unless you want to sing the harmony, which you’re welcome to do.

The Sing-Along is for people of all ages! Last year, we had some little kids dancing at our first climate change sing-along on the Village Green in Eastsound.

If people and choruses in other communities would like to join us, that's fabulous! We can link our performances of the song!

You can R.S.V.P. that you’ll be participating in the event right here on this page!

Ideally, we will have 350 people singing together, so PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!

Why 350?

350 parts-per-million of carbon dioxide is the maximum safe level we can have in our atmosphere. When the number goes above 350, it creates instability in the atmosphere, resulting in the warming of the planet and global climate change. Right now the level in our atmosphere is 397 part-per-million.

350.org will deliver our messages to the media and world leaders. Together, we can show our world and it's decision-makers just how big, beautiful, and unified the climate movement really is. All our messages together will send one very loud message to the governments that meet at the next United Nations Climate Meeting (COP16), taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark in early December this year.

The Odd Fellows Hall can’t hold 350 of us all at one time, but there’ll be plenty of space outside the hall as well, with the beautiful view of the Sound. Realizing that it may be cold or rainy that day, we’ll have warm cider for everyone, so if you’re outside, you can come inside for a bathroom break and some cider. We’ll videotape everyone, inside and outside the hall!

Over 1,500 actions are now planned in over 119 countries around the world. Our contribution will be a part of an exciting and powerful global movement.

Our country has been putting more CO2 in the atmosphere than any other country for decades, leading the industrialized world in per capita emissions. We not only need to speak to this, we need to SING to it, with our spirits high and voices strong!