350 Elginites with 350 Trees

First, we’d like to say thank you – you’re part of something very large today. There are more than 4000 events like this happening in more than 170 nations, in every time zone and on every continent, in the heat and the cold, under sun and pouring rain and snow. And we share one thing that it is up to us, at this exact moment in our history, to come together in defense of this planet and the people on it.

We rally around the number 350 because it is the safe limit of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. 350 Defines what is necessary for the earth to continue as we know it. We have relied upon the patterns of rainfall, ice and sea level that have marked this world for the ten thousand years of human civilization. If these patterns shift dramatically, the first victims will be the people living closest to the edge–people who have already begun to suffer from drought, from flood, from the spread of disease. We will not stand by and let that happen.

Second, you’re part of something that matters. The climate crisis is such a huge issue that it’s always hard to see what difference any of us can make–especially when our foes include some of the most powerful entities on earth. We can’t match them in money, but they can’t match us in numbers, in spirit, in dedication. Also, we have a secret weapon, which is the power that comes from science. Today we are taking the number 350 and making it the centerpiece of the debate over climate. We are reminding the world’s leaders that they can give all the speeches they want, but that won’t change the way that physics and chemistry operate. We are standing up for scientific reality, and in so doing reframing this debate in a way that will echo through the UN Climate Talks in Copenhagen and beyond.

The last thing we’d like to say today is more personal: it’s a great privilege to be able to get out of bed this morning and say, “There’s nothing more important that I could be doing today.” Take a moment to think about the amazing fact that across the globe today, people are doing just what you’re doing, hoping just what you’re hoping, believing just what you’re believing–and together we are making these deeds, hopes, and beliefs add up to something truly transformational.

 Right now, today, October 24, there is nothing more vital to the planet’s future that you could be doing–no deeper way to honor those who came before us, or to show your love for those who will come after. Thank You on behalf of ECCO, LWV, Davey Tree & Gail Borden for being a part of us!