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@The_Seldom_Killer
One of the annoying thing about flashmobs and Earth Day style events is that they end up being worse for the environment than doing nothing at all. People oft interpret participation in these kind of statement events as doing something towards saving the environment and use it as a justification for counterproductive behaviour. It also pushes the burden of obligation onto a substitute figure, which is just poor thinking. A common argument for not doing something about CO2 production is that there's no point in doing anything because the government isn't. I won't deny that it's tremendously important that governments across the world do more, but their powers are limited. They can't come round to our house and turn things off standby, nor can they sit next to you in your car and tell you when the best time to change gear is. The importance of government action is easily equalled by the importance of individual action. By no means will the actions of one person save an entire planet, but the power of social and cultural normalisation will always be greater than any act of parliament. The government certainly should be leading us as a nation, but by the same token, we should be telling them where and how we want them to lead us.
Another downside of flashmobs is by their very nature they are fleeting and immemorable. I'm not saying that people will forget that they were there and took part, but society will not hold it in focus for long. 350 flashmobs may make the headlines for a day, it may even dominate the frontpages, but that isn't enough. A catastrophe or scandal somewhere else in the world will swiftly knock this off the top spot and into swift decline where people can ignore it. On top of that, the self-perceived moral superiority of the media will work against you. Even the smallest chink in the armour will cast the entire work into a negative light and render it counter-productive.
It isn't enough to just capture attention, it must be retained. If you really want to make a difference with flashmobs, my advice is this. Plan carefully and never leave home without well prepared arguments and retorts. Then, instead of 350 flashmobs in one day, orchestrate 350 days of flashmobs, don't even break for Christmas or new year. Don't let up for a moment, because the moment you do, you'll be tomorrows news and that doesn't even get torn into squares and hung from a nail anymore. It becomes meaningless and you will have wasted your time.