I'm in Boston (more or less). I've been visiting Dewey Square a few times a week, doing some graphic design, attending some GAs, but most importantly at the moment, I'm one of the members of our Winterization and Fire Safety group.
In addition to contacting other people I know with architecture experience, I've also taken on the (terrifying) task of contacting other Occupy groups dealing with cold weather issues, so that we can share ideas and help each other out. Solidarity against the cold!
People in Denver are already dealing with hypothermia and snow (SNOW. ALREADY.); we're expecting freezing temps tonight out here, and I've heard horrible rumors that winter this year may be a bad one, because last year wasn't bad enough, I guess.
So, onward!
In Boston, we're lucky because we've been able to set up tents; other groups may have to come up with even more creative solutions to resist literally freezing to death. My goal here is to get as many people dealing with the cold sharing solutions as possible.
While we're definitely considering creative structural solutions (domes? tiny insulated "houses" on wheels?), there are things that will help immediately (and I'm willing to bet other groups dealing with the cold have the same needs):
Warm blankets - I see more requests for blankets on Twitter than anything else.
Warm socks
Gloves, mittens
Hats
Scarves
Warm, water resistant footware
Clothing that resists water and WIND. I know from experience that basic wind blocking pants help A LOT in the winter.
Please no cotton, but you already knew that.
In the interest of sharing solutions across all groups, I have started adding information to a page on the Occupy Together Field Manual. And Boston's Winterizaton page is here, for those of you local to us.
If you have useful information to add, please do so! ETA: Something that would really helpful on the information side is for more people to find information and consolidate it in one place.
And please spread the word. Proven solutions for surviving outside in the winter, that we can implement quickly, will be highly, highly appreciated.
You can also contact me on Twitter (@jfeathersmith) or via message here.