Ringing for Climate Change Awareness
There is an organization (or, maybe a better way to put it would be, an international movement) concerned with climate change that has chosen as its name 350, denoting the number of parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere, which is the limit scientists have determined to be the maximum for our continued safe lives on the planet (we're at about 387 ppm now).
Last year the Diocese of Massachusetts organized ringing in churches as part of the commemoration/outreach. At Old North, we rang a touch of 350 Grandsire Triples, and got our picture in the Boston Globe as part of its coverage of the event. This year, congregations were encouraged to do something on October 24th as part of the international 350 day of action, but nothing was specifically said about bells. As it was a Saturday, our regular practice day, we decided to repeat the performance of 350 Grandsire Triples. Six regulars and two visitors made up the band.
Responses
Margaret KetchenNov 19 2009, 4:09 pm
Six ringers at Victoria's Christ Church Cathedral rang a specially composed touch of 350 Grandsire Doubles. We also had the local TV there - CHEK 6 - and were broadcast from inside and outside the tower. We had been asked to do this by KAIROS which apparently would like a repeat performance during the Copenhagen meeting. Several other churches in Victoria tolled their single bells.Sign in to post your own response to this article.