Media Release
For immediate release
19 September 2011
“Moving Planet” offers up climate change solutions
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.
ENDS