The vigils are to raise awareness of climate change and the ongoing climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Just because it is bitterly cold now doesn’t mean that our climate is changing for the warmer, said Sandy Kaptain, co-chair of the Elgin climate change group. “Climate change is not about the weather,” Kaptain said. “It is about climate change overall.”

Following Friday’s vigil, Kaptain planned to upload pictures of the event to the www.350.org Web site. The organization uses the number 350 because, according to its Web site, “many scientists, climate experts and progressive national governments are now saying that 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.”

All organizations who held vigils are also uploading photos and stories to the site.

Groups like ECCO and events like the vigil want to focus attention on climate change and away from controversies “that get people’s attention off the issues,” Kaptain said.

She was referring widespread reports regarding e-mails that were released that may indicate that climate change researchers were tweaking the numbers.

“The North Pole is still melting; the arctic ice cap is still melting. There have been major climate changes in the past two years,” Kaptain said.

Grassroots campaigns like the vigil — cosponsored by ECCO and the Elgin League of Women Voters — “keep the passion going locally,” Kaptain said.

Those who braved the cold are passionate about climate change and included students and bus drivers from the school district, as well as ECCO members.

Now, Kaptain said, more people are concerned about the future cost of energy and have gotten busy on their own, finding ways to cut their energy use.

“People are afraid that energy is going to cost more” and have done small things to decrease those costs, Kaptain said.

“If we create reusable energy, we all save money,” she said.