From rural Guyana to the world on 10/10/10

As my inbox continues to swell with reports, videos, photos, and links to media articles about 350 events throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, this one from Guyana really struck a chord. This rural event was signed up early on when we put out the call to action for 10/10/10, but after that, I had a hard time contacting the organizers, and began to assume the event might not happen. Then, early on 10/10/10, we received this beautiful photo of secondary school students in Rupununi:

Someone said to me recently, "the meme, 'think globally, act locally' no longer applies. We have to think and act locally and globally". This action in rural Guyana, and the attitude of the local organizers expressed just that to me: "As we support the 350 movement, the Indigenous people of Guyana and moreso the youth of today is in full support of this event and hope that we can make a huge impact on the fight against climate change."

And then, more on their plan for local action:

We, Indigenous Students & Youth of the remote Rupununi villages in Guyana shared a 350 lesson, made a living 350 pledge and committed our youthful energy and vision to shaping our national Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). We pledge to protect and wisely use our rain forests, savannahs and wetlands. We believe our rain forests are more valuable standing tall and alive that cut down and dead – and that alive they help protect the Earth from global warming. Guyana's LCDS lays out framework to develop our country and our economy in balance with nature by providing eco-system services to safeguard our planet from the ravages of global warming and to follow a low carbon pathway ourselves.

Report from Rupununi, Guyana on 10/10/10 events:

300 Indigenous Secondary School Students organized by Youth Leaders from the Bina Hill Youth Learning Center in the remote North Rupununi District, which is located in the heartland of Guyana’s tropical rain forests, savannahs and wetlands held a special 350 "learning by doing" activity.

The interactive 350 Lesson at the Annai Secondary School included the following;

What is 350 and Importance of 350
Comparison between 275, 350 and 392 ppm
Elements of Climate change and Global warming
Impact of Climate Change and Global warming & Natural disasters as a result of climate change
Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy

Then the 300+ Annai Secondary School students formed a living 350 pledge in front of the School joined by the headmistress and staff and our Youth Leaders. The students then moved to the Youth Learning Center of the Bina Hill Institute, which we are proud to say is completely powered by solar energy, where we were joined by leaders of the North Rupununi District Development Board to make another living 350 pledge, in full view of our precious community forest and savannahs, which we have helped preserve.

As leaders of tomorrow and voices of today, we are keeping our Indigenous culture strong and proud and our vision sharp and clear for a better balanced world, with more justice and less poverty and we commit to the “need not greed” principle as our guiding light for development.

Our Youth Leaders also made a little film of our 350 event which will be shown in our villages and our message will be carried over our solar powered community radio station, Radio Paiwomak. We are also sharing this report our National Office of Climate Change and with the national, city-based press and media.

Thank you for the opportunity to be part of the global 350: 10.10.10 event!