Everywhere you turn this summer, conversations, both private and public, seem dominated by the topics of the environment, global warming, carbon footprints, living greener. Besides changing lightbulbs, reducing driving, and saving water, though, what can a crafty person really do? Turns out we can do a lot.We can use our craftivism to spread the word about the importance of the number 350.

Bill McKibben has started the website 350.org to encourage us all to work toward a a global CO2 reading of 350 ppm. How better to spread the word than through art and craft activism.

First, there is the 350 postcard project. (an example of these postcards above)

Though we strive to keep our campaign up to date with the most cutting edge, open-source, web 2.0 organizing tools, we've decided to start out the 350.org campaign by getting back to basics. So to launch the global open source movement to spread this number, we’ve begun an experimental project to spread the word through one of the oldest forms of communication – the mail. In words, collages, drawings, or any other form on the back of a postcard, we want to hear from people all around the world, why it’s worth it for you, your community, and the rest of the world to aim for 350 parts per million?

More importantly, though is Creativity 350:

a partnership between five craft- and DIY-themed websites who are looking to help creatively spread the word about the important new climate change awareness group called 350.org.

The websites are familiar ones:

Craftster (who is hosting the site)

Etsy

Craft:

Burda Style

Thrifty Fun

To get us all involved in spreading the word and having some craftivism fun, Creativity 350 is hosting two wonderful contests at the moment.

The first is creatively called Creativity 350 Craft Contest. Make a project that expresses the importance of 350 using any technique or materials that you wish. Upload a picture of your project between July 15th and August 15th. Then from 8/16-8/31 vote on your favorite projects. The winner will receive a wonderful pack of prizes!

Looking for something to keep your school age kids busy for a while this summer? I'd think having them craft about the environment would be a great busy-time activity.

The Creativity 350 T-Shirt contest runs in the same frame. Come up with a completely original design that will help spread the word about 350.org, upload a GIF or JPEG file of your design and let the public vote. Another fabulous prize pack is being offered (I so want to win this!).

The word is already spreading. 

Rob Walker of Murketing wrote:

One of the reasons I devoted one of the closing chapters of Buying In to the DIY/craft/handmade scene is that while it’s clearly a material-culture phenomenon, it’s a material-culture phenomenon that seems to have, on some level, an ideology....
(The Creativity 350 Craft Contest is [author edit]), in other words, about getting the word out, on a subject of greater significance than most of consumer/murketing culture,...

Kelly Rand blogged the news for Crafting a Green World.

Pumpkin Girl admits she's a "Lazy Man's Contest Lover".. but maybe we can encourage her to enter this one too!

image source: 350.org Flickrstream.

Debra Roby blogs her creative life at A Stitch in Time and her journey to fitness at Weight for Deb.Come talk with her at the Birds of Feather breakout session at BlogHer Con, Saturday, July 19, from 10:45 until noon.