Fladshmob350

FLashmob350 is about climate change. October 24th is Climate change Action week and to create awareness we're creating 350 flashmobs on this day to have the world sit up and take notice.

350 refers to the safe amount of Parts Per Million (PPM) of CO2 in our atmosphere. At the moment it is 387 PPM. If it gets to 400, then it basically irreversible, and global weather patters with catastrophic consequences will change our world forever.

So, have you ever thought about how you could impact this situation. Well first we start by raising awareness, and create a positive virus, through communication that enters the towns, cities and communities around the planet and speaks into existence what is possible to reverse this process.

So we've created this project to start the conversation.

We want you to create a flash mob to happen on the 24th October 2009. It can be anything relating to the number 350.

Be imaginative and think out of the box. Document it and preferably get the press involved and make a statement.

SO I'm proposing a ride and am up for suggestion of what that could look like, but incorporating the number 350, eg 350 cylcists, a 350 mile ride, 350 cyclists make the number out of bikes on a big hill somewhere.

Im in for a starter.

Geoff

Do you have any idea how long a 350mile ride is?
You'll struggle to get many of the people on this forum to ride 35.0 miles.

oooh. I'm up for a 350 mile ride

That's just short of 600k. If you make it 372 miles, some audax riders might be interested although they would need to do it in a set time limit.

Perhaps a Climb Eight Ride where 350 cyclists climb eight hills.

Worth noting that a 350 mile ride could never really be called a flashmob.

It could be a 350-metre ride. Or a 350cm ride. It only has to have the number 350 in it. I think we should easily find 349 forum members to ride one of those, and for the 350th we could ask a random passer-by in the street.

As a bike ride, perhaps a ride of 350 chains would be appropriate.

I bet you can find 350 forum members who couldn't give a fuck.

^ That sounds like an excellent action. Well done for thinking out of the box. ;)

I aim to please :-)

that the equivalent of the oxford street ride 700 times
not that far really

if we get 700 takers we could have sprints up and down

A good idea for hippy would be to make 350 posts on the subject of climate change.

"Climate change is not happening"
"yes it is"
"no it's not"
repeat until 350 posts achieved.

I thought it was going to be 350 pictures of sunburnt midgets

"Climate change is not happening"
"yes it is"
"no it's not"
repeat until 350 posts achieved.

"Most sincere anti-climate change post wins"

Oh wait, that's hippy out, then.

is that anti-climate change as in "There is no climate change" or "I disapprove of climate change"?
See how easily this debate gets confused!

It's more a 'down with this sort of thing' thing.

^ See what I did there? ;P

350 flashmobs

That's 350 too many.

When I begin my Pol Pot style cull, flashmobs will be the number one way to identify those who should go.

It can be anything relating to the number 350.

350 separate threads asking which OTP should I buy?
£350 BLB special deal for one Arrospok, one day only discounted price on 24th October.
350 people, the number of people OOL can upset with one single post

350 cyclist roll up to london fields would be a statement.

Its easy to be cinacle about this but someday it will affect us all so make a statement.

Just riding a bike ain't enough

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.

Isn't a flashmob where everyone pretends to be statues or something?

cos they are a bit naff.