Press Room

WHAT'S ALL THAT RINGING?

[INSERT CITY, STATE], [INSERT DATE]-What's that ringing in your ears? If it started at 3:50 pm and continued for 350 chimes it was probably [Insert your Name], 350.org, and countingprayers.org wanting you to know what the number 350 means.

That is the number every person in the world should know. 350 is the upper limit of CO2 parts per million for the planet to sustainably support life as we know it. CO2 levels are now at 385 and climbing, and you might have noticed weather around the globe is starting to get very strange. The polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate.

Every child knows that you put ice in a glass to keep your drink cool. When the ice melts the drink gets warm so you get more ice. What do we do when our planet runs out of ice?

"The world now has the means to end global warming, we pray we will have the will." This is the new Counting Prayer for the Environment, and each bell ring can signify this prayer if you make that pledge on countingprayers.org. It's sister prayer, "The world now has the means to end extreme poverty, we pray we will have the will", has been offered almost 1,000,000 times so far it's first year.

All this bell ringing is just a rehearsal. There are two Worldwide Bell Waves scheduled for this December. The first is to witness and support what the negotiators at the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) meeting in Poznan, Poland are doing. These folks will be doing the heavy lifting preparing a treaty on what to do about climate change-to be signed a year later in Copenhagen.

There is discussion amongst environmental scientists that this is the last political chance to stop global warming. If it is not successful the scientific discussion will shift to adaptation. Things like mass migrations of people inland away from rising waters-think Katrina, just global.

The second Worldwide Bell Wave will be on DAY 350 (December 15th, 2008). Bell Waves start at the international dateline at 3:50 pm when we ask everyone, especially spiritual institutions, to ring their loudest bell 350 times. As 3:50pm arrives at every new time zone the sound wave will shatter the greenhouse of inaction around the planet with prayer, hope, and meaningful agreements to save the earth.

"Solving the world's climate crisis will take a communion of humanity, faith based groups, educational institutions, governments, family households, workplaces, corporations, multinationals-everyone working together to save the precious gift of this planet", says Jon Denn, author of the Counting Prayers. "These two vigils to end extreme poverty and to end global warming are inextricably linked, as global warming will impact the world's extremely poor in catastrophic numbers-we need to act now, please make some hopeful holy noise, and sign up today at countingprayers.org, and/or 350.org."

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Call [Insert your info] or Jon Denn (860) 672-1000 x 260, or Will Bates at Will@350.org.