Crowds pack Hult Center for 350 Artists for Climate Change event

Saturday, October 24 was National Day of Action for Climate Change and Eugenians turned out in droves.The Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene, Oregon was packed with people eager to learn how to do their part to reverse the greenhouse effect currently threatening the health of our planet. Bicycles overflowed the racks. People lined the balconies. Children darted between adults trying to get a better view of the performers. Seating room was at such a premier that ushers allowed visitors to sit on one aisle of the stairs while busily keeping the other aisle clear for safety.
Twelve musical groups representing a wide range of genres from jazz to rock to tribal folk performed in areas throughout the auditorium. Both Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy and Commissioner Rob Handy spoke in support of earth-friendly alternatives to cut carbon emissions. Professor Mary Wood speech rallied the crowds to make personal changes and demand action from politicians to combat the rising levels of greenhouse gas concentration. Cheers rose from an audience that was ready to answer the call to action.
Many participants were already making changes to reduce their carbon footprint. Studies show that even small changes in choices of transportation and diet add up to big reductions in carbon emissions when spread across continents. "It is important to remember that it was adding these changes that got us into this mess in the first place," said one audience member.
Large changes on a global scale are being proposed in Copenhagen, December 7-18 of this year. The United Nations is holding an international conference regarding the crisis of climate change familiarly known as COP15. Governmental representatives are already selected to gather to establish how much change each country is willing to implement and how these changes will be financed.
As the United States is a major contributor to the climate crisis, Professor Woods hopes that our country will be a major contributor to the solution. She reminded participants in the crowded Hult Center that although our atmosphere currently registers 390 parts per million (ppm) carbon dioxide molecules, this number can and must be reduced. The United Nations recently released findings that 350 ppm was the safety cap number for carbon in our atmosphere before we suffer more catastrophic effects. For the volunteers organizing 350 Artists for Climate Change, reducing these numbers was what this event was all about.