The Daily Orange

A handful of Syracuse University students stripped down to bikinis, shorts, boxers and swim trunks for a silent flash mob demonstrating the warm weather Wednesday at noon.

The volunteers gathered to raise awareness about global warming on the 53-degree day by using a flash mob - a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place.

"We're trying to emphasize the effects of global warming," said Joe Misiewicz, the event coordinator and president of The NewHouse, a student-run advertising company. "If we can sunbathe in November, than that shows that something is definitely going wrong."

The group also hoped to promote student involvement in influencing the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held Dec. 7-18 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference will discuss new and existing global environmental regulations.

The global leaders within the UN are not passionate enough about saving the environment, Misiewicz said. To make an impact, unity within the community is needed, he said.

"The great thing about this campaign is that it allows people to stage their own vision of hope. All little acts can come together to make a huge impact on the world," Misiewicz said.

The protesters are affiliated with Hopenhagen, a national grassroots organization that promotes change toward a cleaner environment. Hopenhagen plans to send a petition to global leaders at the environmental summit, said Emily Hicks, a senior advertising major and director of The NewHouse.

"Most global initiatives are centered on negativity, claiming that the world is going to end," Hicks said. "Hopenhagen is centered on hope, and the entire goal of our campaign is to get people to work toward a better environment."

The students have partnered with numerous campus figures and organizations to help with the issue, including Chancellor Nancy Cantor, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry president Cornelius Murphy, and SU Sustainability.

"We want this to be a people's movement," Hicks explained. "Through the petition we can lead the leaders so we can make the right decisions about the environment, not just the same ones over and over again."

The NewHouse will continue its advocacy for the remainder of the month, with information tables set up in the Schine Student Center Atrium on Tuesday, Nov. 23 and Nov. 30. There will also be petitions available for anyone interested to sign. In addition, the group hopes to promote the cause during the SU basketball game Nov. 30, Misiewicz said.

"These events are geared toward getting interest up in the student body about the environment," Misiewicz said.



kebanjok@syr.edu

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