Rocket launch for "Moving Planet" climate change solution

This Saturday, 24 September, community climate change organisation 350 Aotearoa will attempt to launch the world’s first manned inter-planetary spaceship. Robustly constructed from chicken wire and duct tape, what could go wrong? The parody space launch is part of “Moving Planet” – a global day to move beyond fossil fuels. Lift-off is scheduled for 1.30pm from Waitangi Park on the Wellington waterfront, and 350 invites people to cycle, walk, skateboard, push a pram or take the train into town to help send-off the shuttle.

“The notion behind the global Moving Planet event is to get people moving on bikes and on foot and call for our leaders to start moving beyond fossil fuels. But in Wellington we’re having a bit of a play with it. The rocket launch highlights that literally moving planet is an absurd notion - most of us are here to stay on planet Earth. That means we actually have to deal with climate change, so we have developed a plan B for folks staying on Earth – the ‘Renewable Race’ ” says 350 Aotearoa spokesperson Aaron Packard.

The Renewable Race will offer an immediate option for people to help move the planet beyond fossil fuels, by jumping on bikes, skateboards or walking around the central city for 2 hours to visit a series of checkpoints offering up free or low-cost activities including learning to rollerblade, making a take home veggie planter, trying an electric bicycle or car, having your bike fixed-up for free, and tasting sustainable wines at Logan Brown restaurant.

Saturday the 24th, Wellingtonians will be joining hundreds of thousands of people in more than 150 countries, including over 30 events around New Zealand, to show government leaders their support for the many options available for moving beyond fossil fuel use. Photographs from around the world will be shown outside the UN in New York. In NZ, 350 Aotearoa and its partners are also launching a petition calling on central government and local council members to develop policy that gets us moving in the right direction as soon as possible.

For full details on Moving Planet Wellington, including how to join a group of cyclists or walkers heading to Waitangi Park from your suburb, visit www.moving-planet.org/wellington.

Moving Planet events are being organised around New Zealand by 350 Aotearoa in collaboration with a host of other international and New Zealand organisations including WWF New Zealand, Generation Zero, Unicef, The Coal Action Network, Cycle Advocacy Network and more. 350 represents 350ppm (parts per million), the maximum safe concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. We’re at 392ppm and rising, which is why 350 Aotearoa works with communities, government and businesses to inspire solutions to bring us back to the safe zone.

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For more information about Moving Planet Wellington please contact Ashlee Gross at ashlee@350.org.nz or 0272626121. Or visit www.moving-planet.org/wellington