This only happens once every 100 years. And the last time it happened, the Internet hadn’t been invented so nobody really gave a damn. People were too busy herding sheep or playing Minesweeper or doing whatever people did B.G. (Before Google). Today, do-gooders the world over are rallying around the numerical syzygy of October 10, 2010. Here are ten ways you can participate:
Ryan Sutter’s 10.10.10 Challenge – USA
Winning Bachelorette suitor and Vail fireman Ryan Sutter will have traveled more than 8,500 miles and climbed the equivalent of 4 Mount Everests by the time 2010 ends. He’s doing it all for First Descents, a nonprofit that alleviates young adult cancer with outdoor adventure. By 10.10.10, Sutter hopes 10,000 people will have donated $10 each to First Descents. To contribute, click HERE.
World’s Biggest Party – Worldwide
On Sunday, 350.org is throwing a massive international event. Actually, it’s more like 7,000 events, in more than 180 countries, each of which sends the message that the world is ready to take on global warming. Join Pakistani flood victims in Booni, Spanish bicyclists in Barcelona or anti-fossil fuel activists in Los Angeles to show stuck-in-their-ways politicians that the world cares about climate change. Or RSVP to one of thousands of events a bit closer to home.
Ovarian Cancer Research Benefit Concert: 10.10.10 Imagine Hope – New York
New York City music and stand-up comedy in the name of a very unfunny cause: Ovarian cancer. The 10.10 Fund was created after Brooklyn woman Susan Kwartowitz lost her battle to the disease earlier this year. On Sunday, the inaugural benefit, featuring Guilia Rozzi and the Adam K Projekt, will take place at Joe’s Pub. Reserve your seat HERE.
CicLAvia 10/10/10 – Los Angeles
If grassroots nonprofit CicLAvia had its way, Los Angeles’ notoriously traffic-snarled streets would go car-less every Sunday. Mayor Villaraigosa won’t yet go that far, but this year he offered a fair compromise. On Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 7.5 miles of downtown asphalt will turn into one big bike lane. This one’s a can’t miss for auto-weary Angelinos.
Dunedin’s 10/10/10 Big Green Challenge – New Zealand
The seventh-largest city in New Zealand is one of the most eco-friendly cities in the world. On Sunday, the city will sponsor 13 community projects promoting sustainability including a beehive-making workshop, a local food giveaway and a city-wide “gardening gang” assault on unseeded green space.
Meet Your Food & Help Your Farmer – Chicago
Hop on a biodiesel bus with descendants of some of Chicago’s original agricultural settlers and zoom south 100 miles to Spence Farm in Livingston County where you’ll learn how to harvest organic crops like Iroquois corn and sorghum. Sign up on Facebook. Catch the Bears game on your smartphone.
Coast-to-Coast Bike Ride – Japan
It would take you nearly two months to ride a bicycle across the continental United States. Japanese bicyclists can ride across their country in two days. On Sunday, dozens will push off from Nagoya towards Tsuruga, where they’ll arrive 90 miles later. Sign up here, and don’t worry about missing work. Monday is Japanese national holiday Health and Sports Day (taiiku no hi). Seriously.
Get Down and Dirty Oakland! – Oakland, Calif.
A free performance by Pete Rock & CL Smooth should be enough to get you out to Laney College’s community garden this Sunday. It’s rare that hip-hop legends grab the mic over a bed of organic greens. But if that doesn’t do the trick, maybe the event’s slate of speakers will. Probably not.
10/10/10 Green Drinks Climate Action Party – Philadelphia
Booze and schmooze responsibly at this monthly gathering of eco-proactive Brotherly Lovers. This Sunday’s “Climate Action Day Afterparty” takes place at Mace’s Crossing from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Check out Green Drinks Philly’s Facebook page for further details.
Guerilla Gardening Paris – Paris
You don’t have to speak French to know that Paris’ Guerilla Gardeners wear berets, smoke cigarettes and parkour across the cityscape, affixing orchids to monuments like the Arch du Triomphe and Eiffel Tower. Actually, you do have to speak French to know just what they do. The rest of us can only guess, though the cool pic to the right gives us an idea. Join the Guerilla Gardeners’ 10/10/10 event here.
Photo 1 by NASA via Wikimedia Commons, photo 2 via Guerilla Gardening Paris.