Climate change bike ride coming to Iowa City and two student contests

The Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency and University of Iowa passed along the following:

The Solid Waste Agency's 2010 Calendar Art Contest Entries are due at noon on Friday, October 23, 2009. We've upped the ante this year... with one lucky student winning a cool $500 for their school art department in addition to other cool prizes! 2010 Calendar Art Contest information can be found on-line at: www.MrEarth.org

 Info on another student contest, as well as Saturday's bike ride is below:

Engineers for a Sustainable World at the University of Iowa has organized a 3.5-mile bike ride through downtown Iowa City on Saturday, Oct. 24 as part of an international campaign to raise awareness on climate change issues.

The event is one of 2,000 events worldwide for 350.org, an international organization dedicated to the creation of a global climate treaty at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in December that lowers carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere below 350 parts per million. That's the number leading scientists have affirmed is the safe upper limit to prevent runaway climate change.

The UI bike ride is from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on the UI Pentacrest, Iowa Avenue at Clinton Street. At the end of the ride, around 3:30 p.m., participants will be asked to help form "350" for a symbolic photograph on the west side of the Pentacrest. Non-bike riders are encouraged to show up for the group photo.

ESW has organized the event with the support of Eco-Iowa City, the UI Office of Sustainability, Iowa Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility, Iowa Renewable Energy Association, Johnson County Public Health Department, and the UI International Programs Environmental Committee.

Other events related to the 350.org day include a screening of "The Age of Stupid," sponsored by ECO Iowa City and the Environmental Film Festival at 4:30 p.m. in Meeting Room A at the Iowa Public Library.

Physicians for Social Responsibility is sponsoring an essay contest for junior high and senior high school students, with three $50 prizes awarded for each group. Essays will be judged by UI students on the theme of "Understanding 350 and Global Food Production" for junior high students and "A Youth Perspective on 350" for high school students.

Entries are due Oct. 24, and essays should be dropped off at the Iowa City Public Library's Youth Section or with Andrea Niehaus at the United Nations Association office, 20 East Market St., Room 200, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Alisa Meggitt will take entries also at North Central Junior High. For more information, contact John Rachow at mickiq@southslope.net.

For more information, see http://www.350.org/node/6718 or contact Jonathon Durst at jonathan-durst@uiowa.edu. Bike ride participants can either RSVP in advance or show up the day of the event. There is no cost to participate.