Global Warming - Three Ways to be Part of the Solution

This is something I would not normally do but I am going to allow myself to rant, just a sentence or two, just to relieve some of the pressure I'm feeling. Okay, here I go.

Global Warming is real, the decline of our natural environment is real, industrialized society needs to step up and take it's share of the blame. What really gets me going are the Anti-Global Warming, Global Warming is hoax websites that perpetuate our problems and coddle the big businesses who are creating the majority of our greenhouse gases.

Alrighty then, I feel better...if you agree with me I hope you feel better, too. If not, I certainly invite your comments. Now on to a few words about solving the crisis instead of ignoring it.

Leonardo De Caprio currently stands on the forefront of this issue
with his new narrative documentary, "The 11th Hour". One reviewer says that the scientists and thinkers steal the spotlight from the charismatic actor. He becomes the narrator and not the focus. The most inspiring take on our situation in the movie comes from Paul Hawking, "What an exciting time to be alive. All human systems are so bankrupt that they all need to be redesigned if we are to survive. How fun!"

The movie debuts this weekend in Los Angeles and New York. It will open in a growing list of cities during the subsequent weeks. Go to http://wip.warnerbros.com/11thhour/ for a complete list and to view the trailer.

Recently, while surfing through blogs and discussions, someone (I wish I could remember who because I'd give them credit here) suggested the website, http://myabodo.com/. It's a fun tool that is almost like a game. With myabodo you build your own house, making decisions about energy, the kind of car you drive and how you will acquire food for your family. With each decision it shows you the impact you are making on the environment. When you are finished you can join an abodo neighborhood and start making some "real" changes in your "brick and mortar" abode.

The third recommendation I have is for each of us to accept Al Gore's Global Warming Challenge. The pledge consists of seven points that if pushed for and implemented by the world's people could change the tide of our future very quickly. Here it is:

1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next two years that cuts global warming pollution by 90 per cent in developed countries and by more than half worldwide for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth.

2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crises by reducing my own CO2 pollution.

3. To fight for moratorium on construction of any new facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2.

4. To work for a dramatic increase in energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school and transportation.

5. To fight for laws and policies that expand use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal.

6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests.

7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment.

I took the pledge by email but that's not necessary. Print it, cut it out, and paste it to your bathroom mirror, corner of your computer screen, anywhere so that you are reminded to follow through. If you feel you can't do all of them, then cut out the few you can and concentrate on those.

Every bit helps and this is one area where momentum matters. Playing with abodo and watching The 11th Hour may sound more like entertainment than activism but that is how it starts. If we begin to play with the concepts and think about innovative ways to make a difference before long we will find ourselves effortlessly living the changes.