350.org is building a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis. Their online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions are led from the bottom up by thousands of volunteer organizers in over 188 countries.
On 24th September, 350.org launched Moving Planet - a global day of events focused on moving the planet away from fossil fuels towards a safer climate future. Hundreds of thousands of people in over 150 countries called on their leaders to end our reliance on dirty energy and take immediate steps to transition us towards clean energy. During the day people all over the world created ways to move without using any fossil-fuels: from 350 hour bike rides to kayak races, campaigners will be showing that the world is ready to move in a new direction.
To mark the Moving Planet global day of action in Worthing, we went for a spin along our sunny promenade on a very warm September day.
The ride had been advertised locally in the town newspaper and on various mailing groups but turn-out was disappointingly low. We did a quick stall for the Fisheries campaign and got some letters for the PM signed. Next to us the local 20's plenty campaign group were running their own stall getting signatures on a petition. They're asking to reduce the speed limit on residential roads to 20mph across the town.
A couple of police officers were also present security coding bicycles, and the nearby cafe was offering free lollies to any children that completed the cycle ride! We decorated our bicycles with pennants that one of our members, Pam, had created, displaying messages from the Moving Planet campaign.
We set off soon after and completed the four mile round trip along Worthing's shared use promenade, to the sound of bicycle bells ringing and a fabulous panpipe-style instrument made by another one of the riders. It was quite busy with people making the most of the warm spell and we were heard and seen by many.
We sent our photos in to the Moving Planet gallery where you can see some impressive actions other cities and countries have organised. See the best shots from around the world.
“The planet has been stuck for too long with governments doing nothing about the biggest problem we've ever faced: the climate crisis,” said Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, the international climate campaign coordinating Moving Planet. “This is the day when people will get the earth moving, rolling towards the solutions we need.”
The Moving Planet campaign was timed to take place in the middle of the UN General Assembly and in the lead up to the UN Climate Talks in Durban, South Africa, that will took place in November.
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