10-10-10: A Worldwide Day of Action

Rob Olason is a lifetime resident of Whatcom County. He grew up on a dairy farm, moved to the big city, but continues to struggle with his garden because he thinks growing your own is a good thing. robolason@aol.com (360) 296-3548 (cell); Work (Weds/Thurs/Sat) 671-1478.

Bill McKibben likes to think globally, using a long-term perspective.

“Twenty years ago, in 1989,” he states in his latest book, Eaarth, “I wrote the first book for a general audience about global warming, which in those days we called the “greenhouse effect.”

“That book,” he said, “was mainly a philosophical argument. It was too early to see the practical effects of climate change.

“In the ensuing two decades,” he said, “global warming was no longer a threat; it had become our new reality.

“We’ve changed the planet in large and fundamental ways ... for some (this will be) an excuse for giving up.” McKibben sees a different path, “We need the opposite--increased engagement.”

McKibben sees this increased engagement happening on the local level, building the type of communities that can withstand the new world our industrial civilization has generated. Two years ago he helped launch 350.org as a way to nurture local awareness and action across the planet in an effort to start reining in our civilization’s production of carbon dioxide.

“350” refers to 350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide. Scientists view 350 ppm as the upper limit of the “safe” range of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. The Web site at http://www.co2now.org pegged the level in August 2010 at 388.15 ppm.

Last October, 350.org created its first worldwide day of environmental action. The results caught the attention of the global press. This small organization achieved high praise from Foreign Policy magazine for creating the “largest ever coordinated global rally of any kind” on any issue. There were 5,200 demonstrations in 181 countries, 2,000 of them in the United States and one here in Whatcom County: The Perennial Project.

The Perennial Project brought together members of Transition Whatcom, the Bellingham Urban Garden Syndicate (BUGS), The Whatcom School Gardening Collective, parents, students and volunteers at ten area schools. Joining forces they created school food gardens by planting the food-bearing trees and bushes that were donated and purchased for the project.

Travis Linds, a parent volunteer, became deeply involved in the project. “I donated blueberry plants and volunteered time to plant a garden at Roosevelt Elementary School. My whole family was involved,” he said, adding that he “enjoyed meeting and working with other like-minded individuals in our community.”

His concerns about the future were a strong motivator for helping with the project.

“Having two young daughters just starting school, I was very interested in combining efforts of raising awareness for global warming AND providing an educational garden for children to learn about gardening and also be able to provide some healthy food for them to eat,” he said.

Another participant, Kate Clark, liked being part of a community-wide effort, “All of us on the same day, spreading out and getting something DONE by the end of the day. I also loved the idea of using all that public space for plants that come back again and again, some for years! In the case of trees and berry bushes, they’ll get bigger every year; some of these we can all still be proud of in 2030! We can tell our grandchildren, I was there when they planted that tree!”

Tristan Jens Bach, who was one of the organizer’s of last year’s Perennial Project, returned to work on this year’s Perennial Project. The project was again a local effort to contribute to 350.org’s 2010 “Day of Action” on October 10, 2010, which has been dubbed “10-10-10.”

This year’s local 10-10-10 event began on the steps of City Hall on Sunday morning, October 10 with music followed by a kick-off program. Mayor Dan Pike planted the first tree by the Public Library. Then the donated trees and bushes were loaded up on bike-pedaled trailers and other alternative transportation devices. Volunteers chose one of the eleven school gardens to work at and the 10-10-10 planting party began.

Bach said last year’s 2009 project resulted in some amazing school gardens. He cited the Roosevelt and Squalicum gardens as examples of how the school gardens can transform the landscape and become “community centers” for the students and parents of a school.

Parent volunteer, Travis Linds echoed that sentiment. “You just can’t go wrong planting edible perennials. They just keep giving and giving healthy food year after year.”

Linds saw an added benefit to digging a hole with a neighbor to plant a tree that will be a part of the food mix for the students. “To also be able to get out in your community to help raise awareness of global warming at the same time makes for a win-win scenario.”

To learn more about this year’s Perennial Project and other local 10-10-10 projects go to 350.org and type “98225” into the search box. Can’t find a project in your neighborhood? The Web site has lots of good suggestions. If you find one you like and decide to do it yourself, you can register your own project next year and be a part of a worldwide event--without even leaving your neighborhood. §