Photo by Danielle KlockThomas Hoebbel on the rooftop of Center Ithaca

Greg and I made our way downtown from the "We Make Our Future" Conference to be part of the local effort to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to the magic number of 350 parts per million, which is identified as the tipping point that must be reached in order to begin the reversal of global warming.

We arrived on the Commons just in time to stand as part of the number 350, which was outlined in blue masking tape on the promenade pavement. People stood on the tape to form the human 350, as Tom Hoebbel took a photograph of the moment from the roof of Center Ithaca to be posted on the 350.org Web site for the October 24 International Day of Climate Action. 

Photo by Danielle KlockBob Rossi helps fill in 350

The Fall Creek Brass Band played some jumping tunes, while Shira Golding and Ari Moore of Share Tompkins hosted the sixth in an ongoing series of swap meets where people can share goods, services, and labor. This type of sharing not only promotes the reuse of goods and reduction of consumption, but also helps establish an equitable platform where everyone is recognized as having a contribution. They cheerfully shared information on a variety of free resources available to the Ithaca community, including Ithaca Freeskool, which strives to equally redistribute knowledge (for free!) through classes, workshops, projects and more, and is fully driven by the offerings of local people who want to share their interests and knowledge.

Photo by Danielle KlockShira Golding and Ari Moore of Share Tompkins

There were several other groups, including the Finger Lakes Cycling Club, who offered information on ways to reduce our carbon footprints to help reach the 350 goal. Even the tape that was used to form the 350 was reinvented as a soccer ball by Bob Rossi of the Green Resource Hub, and others.

TAGGED WITH: 350, global warming, international day of climate action, Ithaca Commons