More than 100 people gathered for the SUNY-ESF Alumni and Family Fall Barbecue on Saturday afternoon to join the Moving Planet global initiative.

Attendees stood in the formation of the number 350 on the college’s Quad. The human 350 figure was created to send a message demanding action against the increasing levels of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere.

Moving Planet’s goal is to raise awareness about climate change and demand political and community leaders all over the world to make larger efforts and investments in renewable energy forms, said Samuel Gordon, Central New York Energy Smart communications coordinator. State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and CNY Energy Smart made sure Syracuse was part of this international movement, he said.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that occurs naturally in the atmosphere. But human activity — especially the use of fossil fuels — has caused the levels of the gas to quickly rise. These emissions are partly responsible for the increasing temperatures the planet has experienced during the past few years, according to the Moving Planet website.

Specialists recommend 350 parts per million as the upper safety limit level of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, according to the website. Levels have escalated without decline since 1988. Gordon said the 350 human figure was a way to send a message to political and community leaders that people are concerned about climate change.

Cornelius Murphy, president of ESF, emphasized the importance of demanding local and national government for a shift toward a sustainable economy.

‘There is a perception that climate change and taking action against it carries a significant cost. Therefore, there seems to be a push back in the investment on that area, but the reality is that it is fundamentally a national security issue,’ Murphy said. ‘We can do this and we must do this.’

Andrew Maxwell, director of the city Syracuse’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, talked about the efforts their offices are making to reduce global warming.

Maxwell said his department is developing a sustainability plan for Syracuse that will help it do their part for the city.

Kaley Freund, a senior conservation biology major, said she thinks steps taken by the local government are just the starting point for all the work that needs to be done.

‘I think there is definitely a big want for (sustainability), but I don’t think we’ve done that much so far,’ she said. ‘We’re just starting to set things in motion now.’

Gordon closed the event by asking all of those present to take a pledge encouraging people to take simple actions at home to reduce their individual energy consumption. Changing light bulbs for energy efficient ones, cleaning the home’s air filter more often and turning off the lights when unneeded would make a difference, he said.

Patrick Carroll, a senior environmental studies major, took the pledge and was helping to get others to sign.

‘As a student at ESF I understand the imperative of solving climate change and increasing our awareness of this at the local, state and national levels,’ Carroll said. ‘So when I heard about Moving Planet Day, I was very interested to try to help bring this awareness to fruition.’

Murphy said ESF has already started taking action toward increased sustainability. The school hopes to be carbon neutral by 2015 with the installation of renewable energy sources on campus.

Said Murphy: ‘I think it’s fantastic that the community would come to our campus and celebrate with us both the need to move forward and the fact that we can actually turn this picture around and start changing things.’

vymagan@syr.edu

Published on September 25, 2011 at 12:00 pm