Announcing... "The Time to Act Is Now -- a Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change" just launched by our new friends at the Buddhist Climate Project.  This is a truly profound statement (and website, if you ask me).  And it's most especially exciting to see the Dalai Lama's official endorsement of the 350 target!

Here is what the www.ecobuddhism.org website says in the introduction to the declaration:

"In the run-up to the crucial U.N. Climate Treaty Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, the Declaration that follows will present to the world's media a unique spiritual view of climate change and our urgent responsibility to address the solutions. It emerged from the contributions of over 20 Buddhist teachers of all traditions to the book A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency. The Time to Act is Now was composed as a pan-Buddhist statement by Zen teacher Dr David Tetsuun Loy and senior Theravadin teacher Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi with scientific input from Dr John Stanley.

The Dalai Lama was the first to sign this Declaration. We invite all concerned members of the international Buddhist community to study the document and add their voice."

Click here to read the full declaration, (which includes specific mention of the 350 target), and share it with any Buddhists you know!

There is much to report this week about communities of faith joining in the movement for 350 (sneak peak). If you're not Buddhist, stand by for more interfaith action, but for now, enjoy this news from the Buddhist world.

UPDATE: The Buddhist Declaration -- "The Time to Act Is Now" -- has generated 800 signatures in it's first five days online, including 25 Buddhist teachers from all traditions and many countries!

On 7th May, New Delhi--the National capital of the world's largest democracy--went to polls. Voters turned up in large numbers at the polling booths to excercise their right and in the process elect the government of their choice.

The polls this time in India were even more interesting for campaigning saw the use of every mode of communication. Notable among these were mobile smses and the use of Internet, especially targeting the youth. Google ads placed on most Indian sites talked of a strong(er) leader of opposition who deserves to be the Prime Minsiter. Google itself partnered with a leading national daily to make useful information about candidates and the polling process, available to users in classic Google 'info at the click of a mouse' style.

Even as the entire election process unfolded, some of us have been planning of a Rally for Forests which was at the back of our minds even as we cast our votes. The elections will see a new government being formed at the Center, or the older one refreshed. None of these parties talked about a clear green agenda in their campaign. Not many of them talked about saving our forests or the natural resources and even fewer (if any) talked about the threat of a global climate change.

It if for this reason that a massive 10,000+ rally is being planned at the India Gate on the 24th of July this year, to lobby for forests and to get across the message to the political galleries--of the urgency of the situation and the need to act today, and act in the right direction. The event will also be a pre-cursor to the global 'October 24th' call for the International Day of Climate Action. Media, eminent personalities, political figures, citizens, students, children all would come out and demand a Right to Future. And in the process, generate the political will to act, among the elected members who would by then be working to frame the policies and practices towards good governance. 

Jon and I are on the ground in Sydney Australia and making great progress--but we've just come from a magical week in New Zealand and wanted to send out a salute to all our friends there, and thanks for their great organizing.

We covered the country south to north (which down here in the southern hemisphere means cold to warm--hard for an American to remember sometimes). And everywhere we went, big crowds understood what we were up to, and immediately started planning for Oct. 24. From beautiful mountainous Wanaka to coastal Dunedin (where they're going to put 350 surfers out in the water!) to Christchurch and Wellington and Raglan and Hamilton and Waiheke and Waitakere and downtown Auckland, our NZ crew led by Aaron Packard was signing up actions left and right. We had huge support from big groups--Oxfam, Greenpeace--and from small community groups (the potluck at Whaingaroa was epic!) and from the amazing youth movement that stretches across both islands. Aaron's mates Jinty and Carl and so many others are making 350.org.nz the local organizing hub for action planning--we have no doubt that they will have truly epic results.

Which is awfully important, because New Zealand is where the sun will rise first on October 24. Some Maori friends are hoping to make sure that the dawn will find suitable ceremonies underway on the high mountain peaks. Whatever happens, we're certain New Zealand will be one of the great peaks of our big day of action. So many thanks to all!

It's tremendously exciting to start hearing more and more stories from people around the world who are brainstorming and sorting possible action plans for 24 October.  One such story I picked up not from the organzers contacting us by email but from reading the news! (with a little help from Google)  The Sun Journal newspaper of Farmington, Maine, USA, published a story about The University of Maine at Farmington Sustainable Campus Coalition hosting a meeting to discuss plans for October 24th. (The image on this post is the group's logo -- I like it.)  Click here to read the story.

Full plans aren't in place yet for what they will actually be doing in Farmington for 24 October.  But that's completely ok.  In fact, the way these students are approaching their planning process is just right.  Here's what I mean:

First, it's always wonderful to see groups commit to take the lead and activate their community for the day of action -- really, it's what keeps us going here at 350 headquarters in the face of all the bad news from the climate science world.  This is the only way for the movement to grow -- an individual or a group stepping up to take action and inviting others to get involved.  Second, with enough time to do some good planning, these students are inviting participation from the broader community and engaging the local media with the story!  For this movement to have the largest impact possible, we need to invite everyone imaginable to be involved, and sharing the story of our work and our activism within the media increases the chances that those who aren't directly engaged can hear our message and take up the cause.

So, let these young climate solutions leaders of Maine be an example to all of us as action organizing and planning continues in the coming months. 

We've done our best to write up a simple 9 Step Organizing Plan for folks who might be new to community organizing.  You'll see some strong similarities, but also differences, in the approach we oulined and what the students in Maine are doing now.  None of this is an exact science, and we mostly just ask that everyone invest whatever creativity and energy they can.  In the work we have been doing coordinating 350.org and Step It Up before that we have heard story upon story of different ways of effective action and community organizing (in fact, at one point we wrote a whole book about it).  In the end, do what works for you and for your community, in your own place.  And if you think you have tips and ideas that will be valuable to other organizers in your part of the world or anywhere, by all means, please get in touch.  Onwards!