According to the website, the 350.org mission is “to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis - to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.”
Their focus is on the number 350, as in parts per million, the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in the atmosphere.
To tackle climate change global citizens need to move quickly and act in unison. This December, world leaders will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to create a new global treaty on cutting emissions.
The problem according to the website is, “The treaty currently on the table doesn't meet the severity of the climate crisis. It doesn't pass the 350 test.”
Accelerating arctic warming and other early climate impacts have led scientists to conclude that we are already above the safe zone at our current 390 ppm, and that unless we are able to rapidly return to 350 ppm this century, we risk reaching tipping points and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost melt.
For all of human history until about 200 years ago, our atmosphere contained 275 parts per million of carbon dioxide. This is a useful amount. Without some CO2 and other greenhouse gases that trap heat in our atmosphere, the planet would be too cold for humans to inhabit.
Beginning in the 18th century, humans began to burn coal, gas and oil to produce energy and goods. The amount of carbon in the atmosphere began to rise. Many of the activities we do every day like turning the lights on, cooking food, or heating or cooling our homes rely on these energy sources that emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The result being that are planet is currently registering 390 parts per million CO2. This number is rising by about two parts per million every year.
So on Saturday, 350.org hopes to have actions at hundreds of iconic places around the world - from the Taj Mahal to the Great Barrier Reef in an effort to send a clear message to world leaders.
This message being, “the solutions to climate change must be equitable, they must be grounded in science, and they must meet the scale of the crisis.
“If an international grassroots movement holds our leaders accountable to the latest climate science, we can start the global transformation we so desperately need.”
In Bayfield, the Trinity Anglican Church building with over 150 years of history can be considered iconic and the perfect place for a day of action. The bell ringing initiative shall begin at 10 a.m. and run through the day until 3:49 p.m. All in the community are invited to drop by and offer their support of the project and maybe even ring the bell for climate change.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD TRADITION FOR CONGREGATION
Trinity Anglican Church has some big shoes to fill – well, shoe boxes that is. The congregation has 100 shoe boxes to fill as part of their annual Operation Christmas Child project for Samaritan’s Purse.
Operation Christmas Child has become a tradition at Trinity since it was started about five years ago under the direction of Marla Dykstra and the Outreach Committee.
The campaign will be kicked off at Trinity on Oct. 25. Participants are asked to take a box and fill it with gifts and necessities for either a boy or girl in one of three age categories: 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14. Instructions are provided as to what will and won’t be accepted in the box; a well-balanced selection of such items as, school supplies, hygiene items, small gifts and toys are acceptable. A donation of $7 per box is also appreciated as this helps with shipping costs.
This year boxes from Trinity and churches throughout Southwestern Ontario will go to Argentina, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissua, Haiti, Cote d’Ivoire, Nicaragua, Senegal, Sierre Leone and Uruguay.
Filled boxes should be returned to Trinity on or before Nov. 15 as they will be blessed at the church service that morning.
EXTENDED FALL TURKEY HUNT CLOSES WOODLAND TRAIL UNTIL OCT. 25
The Woodland Trail is currently closed due to the new extended fall turkey hunt.
The Bayfield River Valley Trail Association (BRVTA) has closed the trail from now until October 25th. By agreement with the Woodland Trail's landowner partners, this trail is closed during deer and turkey hunting seasons because of the danger to hikers.
No hunting is permitted on the Sawmill and Heritage Trails and they will remain open all year.
A local art gallery and a renowned artist are offering their resources to support one of our areas greatest natural resources: the Bayfield River Valley Trail Systems.
Throughout October, “Wild by Nature” an exhibition by artist, Robert Bateman, will be held at the Marten Arts Gallery on Main Street in the village.
From now until Nov. 13, raffle tickets will be sold giving people the opportunity to win a valuable, signed publisher's proof Bateman print entitled, “First Arrival – Killdeer.” There are only 20 of these prints in existence. The proceeds from the raffle will go to the Bayfield River Valley Trail Association (BRVTA) for trail development. Tickets are $10 each or three for $25.
Tickets are available at Marten Arts, Plover's, Outside Projects, Sugar, Pharmasave Michael’s Pharmacy and Brandon Hardware.
The draw will be made at the "Lighting of the Lights" ceremony in Clan Gregor Square on the Friday night of the Christmas in Bayfield weekend.
Members of the BRVTA will automatically be entered in the draw if they renew their Trail Association Membership and fill out the required forms before Oct. 31.
For more information on the raffle and to help sell tickets please email Helen Varekamp, trail association fundraising and membership chair at hvarekamp@tcc.on.ca.
AREA GIRL GUIDES TO CONVERGE ON TOWN HALL AND UNITE IN SONG
A chorus of voices will be heard emanating from the Bayfield Town Hall on the evening of Oct. 21 as area girls and Guiders unite their voices in song in celebration of their 100th anniversary.
That same evening, all across the province, celebration campfires will be held both indoors and out marking an early start to the 2010 festivities.
Girls and Guiders from such communities as Goderich, Clinton, Exeter and Bayfield will join together at the hall to share in the singing of some old campfire classics such as “Tall Trees” and “Barges.” The event has been organized so that the membership across the province will be singing the same songs at the same time.
This event is open to the public and both past and future members of Guiding are most welcome. The doors to the town hall will open at 6:15 p.m. Please note that seating will be limited. Song books will be provided so that all in attendance can join in the singing.
Chocolatey Mint Girl Guide Cookies have arrived in Bayfield. These cookies are now available for $4 a box from members of Bayfield Guiding or the Bayfield Village Inn.
The Centenary Celebration Calendar 1910-2010, created by members of Bayfield and Clinton Guiding, and for sale in Mid-western Ontario, is also available. The calendars are selling for $10 each.
Locally, calendars are available for sale from members of Bayfield and Clinton Guiding as well as The Village Book Shop, Bayfield Village Inn, Interior Trends and Drs. Haney and Van Maanen’s Dental Office in Clinton.
REMEMBER ME?
There are countless photographs of people in the Bayfield Historical Society’s Archives collection, but sadly their names were never recorded. In this section we will showcase an image with the hopes that one of our subscribers might be able to identify the individual(s) in the photo. Please email your information to the Editor’s attention at the address listed near the bottom of the page in “Submissions”.
In this week’s “REMEMBER ME?” we have a photo taken in front of The Hut, the oldest building in the village still standing. It was built in 1836 of cedar logs. It served as the first school in all of Stanley Twp. However, the history of the building, as interesting and lengthy as it is, is not what we seek in this feature. We would like to know who any or all of the six individuals are in the photograph. Bayfield’s Volunteer Archivist, Ralph Laviolette, believes the image was taken in the early 1900s. Anyone remember them?
If you recognize any of these people, please share your knowledge by emailing The Bayfield Breeze! Click image for larger version.