AU’s club for environmental sustainability, EcoSense, set up camp on Oct. 23 across the street from NBC Studios to spread knowledge about climate control and participate in Global 350 Day.
The group was counting down the time until Oct. 24, Global 350 Day, also known as the International Day of Climate Action.
The group planned to be outside NBC from 3 p.m. on Friday to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, but its action was shut down by the Secret Service after four hours. Alex Thorp, a sophomore in the School of International Service and the congressional watchdog for EcoSense, said the Japanese Embassy allowed them to stay but the three Secret Service agents that arrived told them they had to cross the street and get off of Japanese Embassy territory.
“With the Japanese security head deciding not to correct the Secret Service agents, we had no choice but to pack up and take all the stuff back,” he said. “We returned a few minutes later with only the poster-board signs and stood outside of NBC.”
Thorp said EcoSense stayed there for a few more hours and talked with several NBC employees who agreed to mention the 350 March to people who were higher up in the station.
People in 181 countries participated in over 5,200 350 Day events around the world. This was the “most widespread day of environmental action in the planet’s history,” according to 350.org.
In Washington, D.C., a march was organized from Malcolm X Park in Columbia Heights to Lafayette Park. Participants marched through the pouring rain with signs, megaphones and a 350-foot fabric banner signed by people all over the country and stretching.
Thorp explained why the number 350 was emphasized.
“[Three hundred fifty] parts per million of carbon dioxide is the safe level for the atmosphere to avoid catastrophic climate change,” he said. “[Three hundred fifty] parts per million is what scientists are saying is a necessary level but in international negotiations they believe 450 will still be safe.”
EcoSense President Drew Veysey, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Public Affairs, is frustrated that people are not taking the 350 level seriously and choosing to disregard what scientists have announced.
“We should have scientifically based targets, you can’t bargain science,” he said.
EcoSense chose to set up across from NBC studios Oct. 23 to raise awareness that climate control and the 350 level have been lacking media coverage. The group’s tagline was “This is what’s happening around the world, why aren’t you covering it?” The screen projected images of other groups’ actions around the world, and they continued adding more as the movement grew.
On Oct. 24, EcoSense participated in the march in the heart of the city. The march to the White House on Saturday included hundreds of supporters and many environmental groups. Before the march, people gathered at Malcolm X Park and listened to speakers and performers while also getting more information from the environmental groups that set up tables in the park.
One of the organizations, Friends of the Earth, is a national environmental organization dedicated to preserving the health and diversity of the planet for future generations.
“We have a high level of ambition for all the countries involved [in the Climate Control actions]. We know we’ll have to keep fighting for many years to accomplish an effective global climate,” said Elizabeth Bast, a member of Friends of the Earth.
The group marched through pouring rain down 16th Street, chanting phrases like “Rain or Shine! We’ve got 350 on the mind!” or “Come on Obama! We’ve got to save our mama!”
Amanda Becker, a freshman in the School of International Service, said the march through the rain was inspiring.
“Even though it was raining, everyone was really into it and that was pretty cool to see,” she said. “Right behind me was a six-year-old boy chanting at the top of his lungs. That just shows how important this is, that people of all different generations have been affected by climate change and they realize that it is such an important part of our lives. It’s more important than anything else; I mean there won’t be anything else to worry about if we don’t even have a planet.”
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