International Climate Day was founded by 350.org,
a grassroots organization whose name and mission reflect the scientific
claim that the safe limit for atmospheric C02 is 350 parts per million.
According to their website, the earth is currently at 387. The
worldwide event was created as a way to raise awareness about climate
change and C02 levels, and strategically falls less than 2 months ahead
of the 2009 U.N. Climate talks in Copenhagen. 350.org is pushing for a
more ambitious version of the climate treaty, one that they hope will
make carbon emissions costly enough to bring CO2 levels under 350, but
without stifling the progress of developing countries.

"The
vision behind 350 was that instead of a single march on Washington,
every community can do something useful to raise awareness" Vanessa
Rule, an organizer from the Somerville Climate Action (SCA), said of
the approach. Somerville was one of the many communities in 181
reported countries that participated in International Climate Day.

Maureen
Barnillo, the SCA volunteer who organized the ride, spoke to the
participants before their departure from Prospect Hill about the
appropriateness of the historic site. "We'll follow the path of freedom
fighters before us, starting here at Prospect Hill," she said, "we now
need our own revolutionaries who will stand up and fight against our
dependence on fossil fuels."

Barnillo just got rid of her own
car, replacing it with more frequent bike rides and a Zip Car
membership. "But safety and comfort is an issue," she said of her
reluctance to bike on snow and ice. Since biking is not always a viable
option for everyone, she hopes that the city will come up with other
green alternatives to encourage people to put down their car keys.
"We're an 'All-American City', we need to be coming up with our own
innovations" she said. Last year at ArtBeat's "Future of Somerville"
contest, Barnillo submitted an idea for a trolley that went around the
Somerville loop and charged less than the T, encouraging residents to
take public transportation for shorter trips, where they might see
driving as more practical. Anyone who has handed over $1.50 for a two
mile bus trip from, say, Union Square to Davis Square, might see the
appeal of such an alternative.

"The ride went really well,"
said Barnillo afterward, "we just had one flat tire." The group
included recreational bikers, bike commuters, and even one former
competitive cyclist, Constantine Psimopoulos, who was there with his
wife Calliopi Dourou-Psimopoulos.

Barnillo and Ron Newman of
the Somerville Bicycle Committee led the way way from Union Square to
Christopher Columbus Park on Boston Harbor, passing through freedom
trail sites including Bunker Hill, Copp's Hill Burying Ground, and the
U.S.S. Constitution.