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Five College campuses take action against climate change Frisbees, bicycles and paper cranes will be the order of the day on October 24, 2009 as the Five College area participates in the International Day of Climate Action. Organized by 350.org, the day is meant to draw attention to the need for an international climate treaty in advance of the international climate conference in Copenhagen in December. The term "350" refers to the highest level of parts per million of carbon dioxide that many scientists believe can be in the atmosphere before a destructive level of global warming occurs. The Earth passed the 350 mark in 1985, and is now at about 385 ppm. Five College Energy Manager Todd Holland is coordinating campus events for October 24 and the week leading up to it. He said lectures at Mount Holyoke and Amherst colleges last spring by writer and environmental activist Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org, "really hit a nerve with people who saw him." With students on each campus organizing events for October 24, Holland notes that "it’s easier to motivate a student to turn off a light because it will keep carbon out of the air than because it will save money." Holland notes that all October 24 events are open to the public to participate in, not just watch. "One of the things that we’re trying to get out there is there are a lot of ways to have an impact and be visible. Grab a Frisbee and go to the Amherst Common for the 350 Frisbee toss, or help the students at Smith make 350 paper cranes, or ride your bike from UMass to town. The idea is to call attention to the issue, and have an impact." For more information on campus events, visit the Five College 350 Web site. For questions about campus responses to climate change contact:
Originally posted 10/16/09 Home
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