Ten-foot Yellow 350 Sign

Local Effort Echoes International Calls for Climate Change Action

May 15, 2015
By: Stephen Kent

On Saturday May 16, the Saginaw Valley Sustainability Society of the Lone Tree Council will gather in Bay City's Veteran?s Memorial Park to call attention to climate change. Joined by Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination (CACC), the groups of teachers, students, activists, and first-timers will hold their sixth annual "STAND AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE" event.

So what's the 350 all about. Drivers have seen the huge numbers at the top of the sledding hill in Vet's park for a few days now and many have wondered.

The answer is explained by Patrick Race's rainbow colored "talking stick". According to Race, "The green is the thousands of years humankind has lived on the earth at about 275 parts per million of the global warming gas carbon dioxide. The black is the Industrial Revolution, the burning of fossil fuels, and the accompanying rise of carbon dioxide to 400 ppm. And the yellow - the time we have to bring the planet back to a livable 350 - the red is the consequences if we don't."

"Polls tell us that people are concerned about contaminated water and air, but not about climate change," said Lone Tree Council's Terry Miller. "But everything we hear suggests water and air, our very food supply, will be much worse if we don't take action soon - this is our local effort at raising the alarm."

Mariah McClean, president of SVSS, and founder of community gardens in Bay City, will talk to the group about individual choices and actions that can be taken. "Gardens, planting trees, preserving forests, all help, plants take in the excess carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming," notes McClean.

Those who are interested and want to show support should gather at 11:45 AM Saturday at Veterans' Memorial Park on the west side of the river.

The annual group picture will be taken at noon along with talks and dialog.