Hamilton 350 is a grassroots group based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and affiliated with the world-wide 350.org network. Our mission is to build an engaged, aware local movement for urgent action and advocacy on the climate emergency that all of us face.
We are committed to supporting Indigenous self-determination, incorporating anti-racism and anti-oppression into our work, and continuously educating ourselves and each other. Everyone is welcome in Hamilton 350, including marginalized peoples and students/young people, who are likely to bear more of the brunt of climate change.
We acknowledge that we are on the traditional lands of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Mississauga peoples, which are governed by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Agreement and are covered by the Great Lakes Purchase of 1792.
350.org was founded in 2008 by a group of university friends in the United States along with author Bill McKibben, who wrote one of the first books on global warming for the general public. The goal was to build a global climate movement. 350 was named after 350 parts per million (ppm)—the safe concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. 350 is now international, with a national chapter in Canada and local chapters throughout the country.
The Hamilton 350 Committee* began in June 2009 in response to a call issued by 350.org to organize a world day of climate action in October of that year. Numerous local organizations came together at the urging of Environment Hamilton and a substantial event was organized that featured educational workshops in and around Gore Park on Saturday, October 24, followed by a march to the Federal Building at Bay and York that had 350 participants. A canvas banner signed by several hundred people was presented at the rally to three federal MPs who delivered it to Parliament.
As of the beginning of 2021, there had been over 100 meetings of the Committee, along with frequent meetings of subcommittees, resulting in numerous public actions in Hamilton and the surrounding area. These have included presentations to city council, numerous rallies and marches in response to 350.org calls or other events, as well as film showings and speakers, media releases, and co-sponsoring of public events by other groups such as Environment Hamilton, the Council of Canadians, the Hamilton Blue Dot Movement, Democracy Probe International, Dundas in Transition, KAIROS, Fossil Free McMaster, Friends of Red Hill Valley, Ontario Climate Consortium, and Extinction Rebellion Hamilton.
* Although Hamilton 350 responds to many of 350 Canada’s calls to actions, we are an independent chapter and will not always endorse the same positions as them. We also have a strong local and provincial focus.
We are a grassroots organization made up entirely of dedicated volunteers committed to environmental integrity and addressing the climate emergency. We embrace diversity and treat each other with kindness, respect, and integrity. We work with one another to create a lively and caring environment. We operate with the best intentions, fully recognizing that our words and actions might have a different impact and result in misunderstandings. Since we all come with our own identities and experiences, we understand that we might unconsciously make mistakes toward one another.
We commit ourselves to:
Thank you for strengthening Hamilton 350’s fight for a just future!
Statement of the Hamilton 350 Committee, endorsed by ACORN Hamilton, Environment Hamilton, the Hamilton and District Labour Council and the Hamilton Council of Canadians
The extreme temperatures Hamilton has already endured and may face again this summer demand immediate relief action for those in our community who lack access to air conditioning. We know that extreme heat can severely damage health and even have fatal consequences.
Fortunately, the city has large mobile air-conditioned units better known as buses. The Hamilton 350 Committee, ACORN and Environment Hamilton propose they be used to provide emergency heat relief.
Specifically, on days when the city declares a heat emergency, we propose that the city supplement its cooling centres by making HSR and DARTS fare optional.
Buses are already available across the entire urban area that is most affected by extreme heat events, and are available for at least 18 hours a day, much longer than other cooling centres.
This temporary relief program would allow residents to minimize their heat exposure when getting to where they need to go, or just to obtain temporary relief from the heat. We would expect that the financial cost of this program would be minimal by encouraging regular transit users to continue to pay fares, and hopefully that the number of heat emergency days are limited.