Freeze!
Home » Blog » Sophie Barclay » Freeze!Mark it in your calendar: Friday 5 June, 1pm, help freeze climate change.
On June 5th at 1pm, hundreds of people around the country will freeze for five minutes—and not just because of the icy front inching its way down the country. These people will be freezing to raise awareness of the impact of climate change.
Freeze also marks World Environment Day, which this year celebrates the theme of ‘Uniting to Combat Climate Change’.
Freeze, organised by the mysterious Mr Freeze, with help from the sustainable social networking site Intersect and the 42 Collective, will see people converge at a secret location (disclosed via email the day before, or on the website on the day), freeze in their tracks for five minutes when a signal is given, and then walk away.
It is inspired by flash mob movements in the US, where large groups of people meet at a designated place, do something unusual and then disperse. After the event in Wellington last year, information was handed out about climate change, connecting the freeze action with people stopping and thinking about climate change.
Nick Potter, one of Mr Freeze’s aides, says that this year “part of the process is that just through the organisation of the freeze event we’re raising the awareness of the fact that it’s a very important year for climate change, and everybody needs to come together to do something.”
This will be the capital’s second Freeze. Last year’s attempt attracted a frozen mass of around 200 people along Lambton Quay. This year looks set to be even bigger, and organisers are expecting between 3 and 500 people in Wellington including some exciting freeze action from local cycle enthusiasts, Frocks on Bikes! There are also events also organised for all over Aotearoa/New Zealand, including Auckland, Nelson, Dunedin and around the country.
Nick, who froze last year midway through a swig of water, advises that you consider your freeze position before the event—and make sure you that you can hold the pose for five minutes.
“I realised about a minute in I’d chosen the wrong thing when I almost started choking … Five minutes is quite a long time to go in that posture! Or at least swallow, and don’t crank your neck on it like I did!”
Last year, one freezer froze near the road, another faux pas, as it was “possibly a little bit close to buses," says Nick.
So this World Environment Day, take a five minute break from your busy day, grab a bunch of family, friends or workmates and help freeze climate change.
Thu May 28, 2009 @ 05:09 PM
