S.

It wouldn't be possible two years ago.
It has sprung from commitment of individuals in every corner of the planet.
It was organised by word of mouth and via internet.
It was amazing and I was glad to be a part of it.

Yesterday, 24 October 2009, was the most widespread day of political action the world has ever seen - the International Day of Climate Action, when at over 5,200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis.

It was broadcast in media around the world, became front page news in NY Times, BBC, CNN to name a few, and was the top news story on the planet on Google.

It is amazing how widespread the movement became. In one day, thousands and thousands of people came together to show they care. There were over 5,200 events in 181 countries - from New Zealand to Iceland, from Mongolia to Guatemala, from Canada to Zambia; and even in Belarus there were over 10 different actions (I'm very proud).

The day showed it's not only active young people in developed countries, but EVERYONE and EVERYWHERE is demanding action on climate change. Old ladies in Bangladesh, teachers in Ghana, parents with their kids in Sydney - everyone is coming together, because it matters.

Photos and videos from the day will be compiled and delivered to the world politicians in Copenhagen and prior.

This International Day of Climate Action was organised by 350.org, a movement calling on global leaders to reach a deal in Copenhagen in December, that would bring the level of CO2 in atmosphere to 350 parts per million (the safe level) from 387ppm we have now already (unsafe level). More info on the science and the day is on 350 website.

Of course, I couldn't be a passive observer, and took a part in a few events here in Sydney: twitter hour (sending messaged to the prime minister demanding commitment to 350 target), carrotmob in Surry Hills, and the biggest of all, forming 350 at the steps of the Opera House (it's me at the bottom of 5, can't really see but I'm there! :)


We had Sydney's lord-mayor C.Moore speaking, scientists, musicians (Felix from The Cat Empire); all major media including TV networks were covering the event - here is a write-up in Sydney Morning Herald today.

Labels: 350ppm, action, climate change

Here's where I'm at with 3 more days to go:

(you can donate on my special page HERE)

1. Have offset my 2 tonnes of CO2 with Greening Australia - check out the certificate:

2. Have switched my superannuation option (like a pension fund) into a sustainable investment fund.

I'm so excited about this one, feels incredibly good to know that my super investments do not contribute to any evil corporations (hopefully). I've switched to AMP Capital Responsible Investment Leader Fund through my provider Sunsuper, more info about the option I chose, HERE

3. Still going vegetarian, no plastic bags or cups consumed (perhaps it helps I'm mostly at home this week hehe), and power switches (all, including even wifi!) are off at night.

4. I've requested a renewable gas option for our apartment, however the whole building is locked into an exclusive gas provision with AGL, who don't have any green gas options - boooo! so that's my challenge done but un-executable unfortunately...

and the only task left is to buy a bike this week! I'm still looking for the best option...

Please support me on my greener journey :)

You can donate on my special page HERE

Labels: challenge, climate change, enviroweek, excited

I confessed earlier that I'm a bit of a greenie, nothing too radical but trying to do my bit.

I've never really done anything public, but today I heard about Enviroweek in Sydney, 11-17 October and decided it's time to do something more active, plus it's fun.

I'm fundraising as part of Enviroweek dare, and have set myself the following challenges, all to be completed in the next 5 days:

1. Offset my 2009 household emissions (2 tonnes)
2. Request to invest my superannuation (like a pension fund) into more sustainable industries
3. Go vegetarian for a week, until 19 October
4. Decline all plastic bags when shopping and plastic cups when drinking (means no takeaway coffee or drinks)
5. Turn off all power switches at night
6. Switch to renewable gas if I can (already have 100% green electricity)
7. Buy a bike to ride everywhere.

If you would like to see all of the above becoming a reality, please donate.
http://www.everydayhero.com.au/svetlana_zhukova
It might seem a lot but I'm fully committed and hopefully will get your support along the way!

GO BETTER PLANET!

I'm trying to raise as much money as I can, and I only have 5 days. Please PLEASE support me! :)

Click on the link below to read more and to donate to my challenges: http://www.everydayhero.com.au/svetlana_zhukova

Please dig deep or however much you can afford to sponsor me. It only takes a few seconds.

Spread the word and forward to as many people as possible.
thanks in advance :)

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/svetlana_zhukova

UPDATE

Have just offset 2 tonnes of CO2 with Greening Australia, so that's Number 1 done. Going for the 2nd day of being vegetarian, no plastic bags or cups consumed so far. And everything was off at night at powerswitches, apart from the phone & the fridge.

Labels: challenge, climate change, enviroweek

I tagged everyone who can attend the premiere event in their country

The first successful dramatisation of climate change to hit the big screen. - The Guardian

Think an inconvenient truth but with a personality. - LA Times

here, here - my bit in helping to promote this great action on climate change.

The Age of Stupid is a climate change movie, and the best part is, it shows different perspectives from around the world, and motivates you to do something - even if simple things on a personal level, but most importantly, creating noise for Copenhagen talks making sure we have a chance.

I saw the movie here in Sydney and it's great, check out the reviews and blog posts about it below. It's a one-day only event, and it's now or never!

Read on.
And get your tickets - with 50+ countries it's very very likely you can attend.

If you can't attend, you can still watch the premiere event live the next day, and you can buy a dvd and watch a movie with your friends. Make a wave.


Join Moby, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Gillian Anderson, Kofi Annan, Mary Robinson, Heather Graham, people in 50+ countries and over 700 cinemas for the cinematic event of a lifetime.

The Age of Stupid - Global Premiere

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Republic of, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

Watch Trailer

Read Press Reviews

Get your tickets and Help spread the word

Labels: climate change, movie premiere, the age of stupid

A couple of weeks ago I've attended a really cool event - Australia/NZ premiere of a climate change movie "The Age of Stupid" www.ageofstupid.net

(interesting how the news about the event reached me - through a newsletter of 'green pages' publication I'm subscribed to :)

It's like 'An Inconvenient Truth", but more personal, with several stories spanning across continents

Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man born in the 2000s, now living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking back at "archive" footage from 2007 and asking why we didn't stop climate change when we still had a chance?


The 92 minute film was filmed on location in America, the UK, India, Nigeria, Iraq, Jordan and the Alps. In addition to Postlethwaite, it "stars" a 92-year old French mountain guide, an entrepreneur starting a low-cost airline in India, a Shell oil man who rescued 100 people after Hurricane Katrina, an African woman living in Shell's most profitable oil region in Nigeria and two Iraqi refugee kids trying to find their brother.

It sounds very cliche to say the movie acts like a wake-up call, but in many senses it does. I came out reaffirmed in my career decisions and determined to make a contribution in demanding a global climate deal in Copenhagen. It's not enough to change the light bulbs anymore, time to make decisions on policy and economy levels. Or else it will to be too late.

-> GO AND SEE THE MOVIE - AND PLEASE READ ON

http://www.ageofstupid.net/global_premiere

After months of extremely hard graft, Global Premiere tickets go on sale today. We're aiming to break our own Guinness World Record and launch the film in 600+ cinemas in 50+ countries on September 21st and 22nd September. We may even beat Star Wars to the biggest global film screening (though have to reach 800 or something cinemas for that (how ludicrous would it be if our little climate change doc beats Star Wars?!?)).

Check out the events in your country on The Age of Stupid website. The movie will screen in:

Antarctica, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Federated States of Micronesia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazahkstan, Kiribati, Latvia, Lebanon, Luxemburg, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, S Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UK, USA, Venezuela, Wales, Zimbabwe

SPREAD THE WORD!

There are slight variations in the different countries, but the gist is:
- Solar-powered cinema in New York beaming by satellite to 50+ countries
- Cinemas round the world watch the green carpet arrivals (15 mins), The Age of Stupid (90 mins) and the live event afterwards (40 mins)
- Gillian Anderson, Pete Postlethwaite, Kofi Annan, Mary Robinson, Ed Miliband MP and Franny Armstrong speaking
- Thom Yorke from Radiohead singing live
- Live link-ups to a melting glacier in the Himalayas and a destroyed rainforest in Indonesia
- Top celebs arriving on bikes, rickshaws, electric cars, sailing boats, rowing boats and public transport before braving the papparazzi on the green carpet (which is made of recycled soda bottles)

Other highlights include a beautiful 280 seat theatre in Hong Kong,13 screens in Brazil, a live TV broadcast in Thailand to 4.5 million homes, a green carpet & candles event in Madrid, and a 585 seat cinema in the Maldives with the President as special guest

-My pics from the movie premiere in Sydney-
Green Carpet etc



If you are thinking of going, please could you book your tickets (by going to your country page above) within a week, as the distributors are going to assess how much interest there is and then pull any cinemas which don't look popular. Oh, and we're only on for one night, there isn't a week of screenings or anything, so if you miss it on the 21st/22nd September, then you've missed it.

Short film about UK premiere to give you a taste of what's in store: http://vimeo.com/6048944

Please help
As ever, we have zero dollars advertising, so please help get the word out.
1. Buy tickets to your local cinema for you, your mum, your boyfriend, your boyfriend's hairdresser and all their friends
2. Put together an outing for your school/sports team/church - make an evening of it by arranging a meal before or after the event (after may be better, as you'll all hopefully be inspired to start discussing how you can get involved in climate actions in your area)
3. Send the info round on any mailing list you are part of
4. Go onto the listing page (http://www.ageofstupid.net/globalpremiere), look through the locations and then send the details direct to your friends in whichever country/town/city they're in. There's an easy widget on each individual theatre's page, which lets you send the details without faffing around with emails.
5. Go mad on Facebook
6. Go mad on Twitter

Global Premiere page: http://www.ageofstupid.net/global_premiere
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122440801800

Labels: climate change, go and see it, movie premiere, radiohead, the age of stupid

I've participated in Earth Hour since it's beginning in Sydney in 2007, and this year I was lucky & active enough to get involved more than usual. I think it's such a simple yet powerful idea, and it's amazing how a team's simple thought to increase awareness about climate change has become a global movement. Here's my 2009 Earth Hour story:

1. With the help of several people from my company Adshel I've managed to organise a national media campaign pro-bono, which was pretty cool. We've also run an internal competition for the best version of the Earth Hour posters, even IT and financial departments got involved :) It was great how everyone got on board. More info HERE and HERE



2. I distributed a few Earth Hour cards at my apartment block, and my friends got their share too:



3. I wore the EH t-shirt and answered questions of people in the shops and on the streets about the event



4. During Earth Hour itself I participated in the EH themed treasure hunt at Circular Quay, which involved jumping into the water taxi without support exactly in the moment when the harbour went dark for Earth Hour; convincing bus drivers to let us sit in the driver's seat; hunting policemen to take a picture of; etc etc etc. Lots of fun :) MORE PICTURES


Our team - room #6 (palata nomer shest :)


Opera House during Earth Hour

5. and I've blogged, twittered, flickered :)

I think Earth Hour is a great example of how a modern campaign and movement spreads - via social networks, people, talks, videos, it's web 2.0 initiatives it its best. Everyone can do, entry cost is zero, effort is minimal and its fun!

Here's to Earth Hour, let's hope its message is heard when it's needed - in Copenhagen this year.

Labels: action, climate change, earth hour