Be Part of the Solution – Join the Global Work Party on 10/10/10

The world is gearing up for the Global Work Party on 10/10/10. Here in Canada October 10 falls on Thanksgiving weekend, which is a busy one for many of us. The Green Committee in my community has signed on to the 10/10/10 initiative and broadened it into an “Earth Action Month”. Local schools have been invited to take up the challenge, and will be awarded a $100 prize at the end of the month for participating. In our household, we are working on installing our 7kW set of solar roof panels during the month of October (see update at below), and when they are up we will celebrate by throwing a party.

In the spirit of 10/10/10, a local business in my community of Red Lake has launched an initiative that asks people to share one strategy that they would like to commit to, to reduce their carbon footprint. The goal is to collect 350 local commitments/ initiatives. The business owner, Donna Christofferson, runs Junk ‘n Java, second-hand store that also offers fair trade organic coffee, tea, sugar, chocolate, local eggs, and environmental inspiration. Donna wants the “350 Low Carbon Ideas” to celebrate solutions to the problem of climate change, as well as to inspire change. She plans on sharing with the ideas by posting them in her store, on her Facebook page, and in the local newspaper. As Donna says,

“By sharing our commitments to tackling climate change, we can help each other follow through with our commitments/initiatives.”

Everyone is invited to do celebrate climate solutions by submiting their ideas to Donna by email at:

junknjava@sympatico.ca

or go to the Junk ‘n Java Facebook page and send her a message.

Also, on Saturday, October 9th, Junk n Java will have samples of local food recipes to celebrate 10/10/10. Stop by, have a snack, share your idea with Donna and pick up some new ones. You are all invited to be part of a movement – join the growing momentum – it’s time to tackle climate change!

Just a quick update on our family’s participation in the Global Work Party on 10/10/10, our solar panel installation. Up to now, it’s involved a huge amount of legwork and preparation – permits, phone calls, inspections, as well as reading on-line pdf installation  instructions. It seemed like my husband had done all the prep work and was ready to complete the installation, but the project has just hit another snag. The Hydro One Electrical Safety Authority (E.S.A.) electrical inspector emailed Mark last week asking for a photo of the Canadian certification sticker which the supplier had assured us would be on each of the panels. It turns out they are NOT there! At this point, we’re not sure if this can be dealt with relatively easily or whether our plans for putting the panels up in the next 2 weeks are wrecked. Several emails have been exchanged with the company we bought the solar panels from in Southern Ontario, but there has been no resolution of this problem at this time. When there is, I will share it. Keep your fingers crossed for a quick and easy fix – the weather forecast for this week is good, and Mark has taken time off work to finish this project.

0 thoughts on “Be Part of the Solution – Join the Global Work Party on 10/10/10”

  1. Hope Mark will be able to get through the red tape necessary to get those panels up. Its not easy being a trail blazer but you have the best view when you get there. Hang in there and thanks for your incredible efforts!

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  2. Red lake huh? for some reason I thought it was Winnipeg (?)

    yep 10/10/10 is comin’ up, my son and I are going to hang out in the park and give away (hopefully the entire remainder) 350 buttons and I got a little flyer printed up to go with them, I posted it at 350.org ( http://www.350.org/celebrate-learning ) and lo and behold! someone actually used the 350 interface to let me know that he and his family will at least pass by sometime, that’s one out of 3 million but ok 🙂 and I think my son’s girlfriend may come along too, bit of a family Thanksgiving 🙂

    like the man said, “wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there”

    McKibben is “appalled and aghast” at the 10/10 video of exploding school children, am I the only one or do your alarm bells go off when you see the word “appalled?” I watched the video, it is in poor taste, I won’t put the link, you can find it on YouTube if you want, but appalled? puh-leeze! there are sure enough things which appal me but that video’s certainly not one of ’em

    and since my presence on the 350 schedule makes me an “organizer” I got an email instructing me on the official party line of what to say if someone from the media asks me what I think of this video, hahahaha, it’s been a long time since I took a party line 🙂

    yeah, CSA stickers … bummer, sorry to hear about it, I used to sell windmills & solar panels back in the 80s and I know the drill, I hope it works out, bureaucracy is a curse, good luck 🙂

    be well, David.

    Reply
  3. Thanks for the encouragement, Bill and David – we aren’t ready to throw in the towel yet! And have fun with your 10-10-10 event, David – small is beautiful, especially when there are over 5000 other events happening around the world at the same time. And you’re right, I’m hard to keep track of – I was in Wpg with my daughter last year, but now am back in Red Lake full time.

    Now it’s time to go put up a sign on the highway announcing Red Lake’s 350 events – catch you later!

    Reply
  4. Sign’s up!

    @David, I have watched the video and have chosen not to put the link up on my blog. I think it is in questionable taste, but I also think the denial-sphere that’s making a big deal out of it are a bunch of hypocrites. As Fanny Armstrong, the director of Age of Stupid, who was involved with the video has said “we pretended to blow up 5 people in the video, while there are 300,000 people a year already dying of climate change.” But I understand Bill McKibbon’s need to distance himself, and 350.org, from the tastelessness of it. Just a blip in the growing movement to address this issue, and certainly one that’s generating a lot of heat, just not much light.

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  5. Hey, did you know that Bill McKibben is going to be here in Albuquerque for 10/10/10? He’s speaking at a Cut Carbon Rally at Albuquerque Academy. I’m hoping to go, but it coincides with Steve needing a ride to the airport, too, so we’ll see!

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