ESPN Snowboarding

Mark Maziarz

350.org with a message at the peak of McConkey's at Park City, Utah: "9500 feet, our snow line will be here in 2075."

You've heard plenty about the threat of global warming. Want to do something about it? This past weekend people across 181 countries did.

350.org is an international movement that boosted global awareness and action to an all-time high with the first ever International Day of Climate Action, on October 24th, 2009. Named 350 for the safe limit of atmospheric CO2 the earth can sustain without severe climatic impact (think melting snow; we're at 385.92 now), the program is backed by numerous top scientists, writers, and political figures. Over 5,200 actions took place all around the world, and snowboarders were right up in the mix.

Sustainable Wanaka

Riders at Treble Cone, NZ, form a human "350," to raise awareness for the organization.

Known for it's aggressive jump and jib lines, and its Olympic-spec superpipe, Park City Utah stepped up with Save Our Snow II, a progressive and impactful human display of where the snowline would shrink to if carbon emissions aren't curbed.

In 2007, PC became the first Utah resort to commission a study on how climate change would impact their snowline and season length, and the results were frightening. Since then, PC has launched numerous initiatives, the latest being the Park City Green website: funded in part with a grant from Protect Our Winters, and set up by the Park City Foundation and the Park City Municipal Corporation, the site is the interactive face of the resort and town's efforts to save its snow from rising global temperatures. It allows users to upload utility data, measure their footprint on a month-to-month basis, and access hyperlocal information on reduction strategies.

Mark Maziarz

"Reduce your heat, save our snow." More signage at Park City, Utah.

On the other side of the world, shredders at Treble Cone resort, organized by Sustainable Wanaka grouped up in a human stencil to spell out "350," another 350.org action event.

Check the 350.org site for an impressive show of climate change actions around the world, and for more information on how to get involved.

And with the UN Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen looming in December of 2009, there's no better time to make that message heard. Scientists, environmentalists, politicians and everyone that has a care about climate change will be wringing their hands over the proceedings. Copenhagen represents a crucial opportunity for the US and other major players to agree on how to get the world out of it's warming and weirding crisis -- some would say, our last chance.

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