Traverse City Joins Biggest Green Action Day in History

climate change. Those at the park will arrange themselves into a giant number, 350, and pose for an aerial photograph, which will then be beamed to Times Square in New York City. There it will be displayed on the Square’s signature giant video screens, along with similar photos from 2,250 other such gatherings occurring in more than 150 countries that same day. The Traverse City event, which will continue with an afternoon and evening of activities at the Traverse City Opera House, is being organized by a local group, TC-350, which is a branch of 350.org, an international campaign aimed at inspiring the world to meet the climate change challenge. 350 stands for the atmospheric concentration, in parts per million, of carbon dioxide that scientists say we must quickly return to if the world is to avoid catastrophic climate change. Currently, due to more than 100 years of industrial emissions, Earth’s atmosphere has 387 ppm of CO2. That, scientists say, means that immediate action is necessary to cut emissions of the heat-trapping gas from coal-fired power plants, gasoline-powered cars, and other technologies that burn carbon-emitting fossil fuels. “October 24 is lining up to be the biggest, most significant day of environmental action in world history, and it’s focused on solving global warming,” said Brian Beauchamp, TC-350s coordinator and Michigan Land Use Institute staff member. “We have been looking forward to this day for a long time, mainly because the people of northwest Michigan have been lending such strong support.” Following the group photo at the Open Space, organizers will host a reception at the Traverse City Opera House, emceed by former Channel 9&10 News Chief Meteorologist Dave Barrons, a local climate change awareness advocate. Mr. Barrons said he’s looking forward to Saturday’s festivities. "Climate change is real,” he said. “It's happening now, and there are things that we can all do to help solve this growing problem. I’ve predicted weather as a meteorologist for over 25 years and have a very deep understanding of how climate impacts weather and how our climate is shifting. “October 24 is going to be another big step toward solving the problem,” Mr. Barrons added, “and I am thrilled that we in northwest Lower Michigan are going to be heard and make a difference." The day’s events also include local elected leaders, musicians, restaurants, bands, and DJs. For example: · State Representative Dan Scripps (D—Northport) will lay out his vision for how Michigan will benefit economically from a global response to climate change. Rep. Scripps is a leading legislative voice for building the green jobs sector; he will share what’s happening with the emerging green economy across the state. · Singer, songwriter, and Earthwork Collaborative musician Jen Sygit will headline with her soulful songs that speak to all ages and walks of life. · More than 20 downtown restaurants will offer “350 Discounts” that day to support the event. · An evening ball for all ages begins at 7:00 P.M. WNMC, 90.7 FM, will broadcast the ball live, and include both the live music and DJ dance music from Viridian, DJ Ras Marco D, and DJ Nesta. The International Day of Climate Action is pointed directly at influencing the coming international climate treaty conference, which is scheduled for December 7 to 18 in Copenhagen. 350.org, the national group coordinating the Oct. 24 gatherings, has no specific proposals for how best to lower CO2 levels; but it does have one extraordinarily urgent message: Our leaders must act now, without further delay. Traverse City launched its own 350.org-affiliated group just over a year ago, after world famous author and climate change expert Bill McKibben spoke at a local school auditorium to almost 700 people. Mr. McKibben announced that he was launching the world’s biggest campaign to increase awareness of the importance of addressing global warming, which he called www.350.org. Since then, TC-350 has assembled a group of people who are working to make Saturday’s gathering a success and engaging more northwest Michigan residents in the international dialogue on solving climate change. Since visiting Traverse City, Mr. McKibben has traveled worldwide spreading the 350 message. He will address the crowd at the Opera House with a special recorded greeting that talks about the Grand Traverse community and the time he spent here last year.show less...