Keep the Momentum of Live Earth Going!
July 15, 2007 by Epiphany
Filed under Going Green, Inspiration, What I'm Doing
On 7.7.07 Live Earth used the global reach of music to engage people on a mass scale to combat our climate crisis. The concert was fantastic and the effort was a resounding success! Please keep the momentum of this effort going. For a problem that seems so incredibly monumental, global warming can be fought on a wide-scale by everyone in many small but important ways. Our earth is crying out for help and you can do your part by making some minor changes in your life. Cameron Diaz drives a Toyota Prius and turns off the water in the shower when she shaves her legs. Great idea! Here’s a few things I’m doing:
- I’ve changed the light bulbs in my home to GE Energy Smart CFL Bulbs.
- I turn off my computer and lights when not in use.
- I keep my A/C temperature at 78 degrees.
- I’ve been buying Silk Soy Milk for their Green Caps campaign.
- I use dish towels instead of paper towels as much as possible to cut down on trash.
- I try to raise awareness by posting on this blog!
These are small changes I’ve decided to make because I believe the one person can make a difference. It’s the sum total of all of our efforts together that will change the world. Please join us.
Here is a message from Al Gore:
“All of the actions we take from here on out to solve the climate crisis will be based on a simple premise: our home, Earth, is in danger. We don’t risk destroying the planet, but instead risk making it inhospitable for human beings. We have put so much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that we have changed the heat balance between Earth and the Sun. And if we don’t stop soon, the average temperature will increase to levels that will end the favorable climate balance on which our civilization depends.
The world must come together and direct our governments to take on a global challenge. Our leadership is a precondition for success. We need to demonstrate that we have reached the tipping point where political will demands our representatives take action to solve the climate crisis.
That’s why it’s so vital that millions of people sign the Live Earth Pledge. Ask five of your friends to sign the Live Earth pledge today by visiting www.liveearthpledge.org.”
I read this article in Newsweek a couple of days ago about major corporations and their plans to derail the efforts to fight global warming. I got pretty bent out of shape.
My anger turned into a desire to do something. This morning I was checking out Google’s new “Google base” and came across this article:
http://base.google.com/base/a/.....0951623104
The thing I found interesting was not so much the article itself, but the website it was referring to. I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences, with regards to that site, in a way that might move others to action. (BTW: The article in Google base is actually amusing and is worth a read)
I spent my lunch break going through the entire website and, let me just say, these guys seem to have something here. They have a pretty extensive FAQ page that I found very informative.
At first, I thought that it was a joke or maybe even a scam, however, I was persuaded otherwise. In their F.A.Q. page they addressed the fact that there are scam artist that prey on the naive. They actually gave links to the authorities, the FBI and their state’s Attorney General’s office, to use if participants feel they have been defrauded!
I want it to be understood that I am a skeptic and pretty tight with my financial resources. I am also EXTREMELY environmentally conscious. That being said, I really felt that this might amount to something. Other green skeptics should browse though the F.A.Q. page as well as the rest of the site and see if they come to the same conclusions.
I showed the site to several of my co-workers and they all searched through the site, as well. At last count, myself and about 30 of my co-workers have taken part in their program.
What this organization, the Adopt the Atmosphere Foundation or ATAF, offers is sponsorship or what they call “Adoption” of the Earth’s atmosphere. They have divided the atmosphere up into “columns” that are each 400 Kilometers high with a 100 square Kilometer base. People can adopt or sponsor an atmosphere column and become a member of their organization for a nominal, and 100% refundable fee.
There are several graphs on their site that clearly explain what the fee is spent on. About 85% will go towards environmental charities, environmental lobbying, and environmental issue awareness campaigns . The rest is divided up in administrative office expenses.
The thing I thought was so intriguing about ATAF was that they are hoping to eventually register the adoption/sponsorship of the entire atmosphere! I guess they plan to use the registry of adopters as a platform to be heard in the international community.
That’s kind of interesting! If the entire atmosphere is divided up and sponsored by environmentally concerned individuals and the concise, detailed records of these designated sponsored columns are kept by an organization in a database registry, the members of that organization would have some real clout.
Even if the only outcome of a massive registry of adopters is a raised level of environmental awareness, than I say, “Good on ya!” to those who’ve orchestrated such a thing.
FYI: The ATAF website is http://www.adoptatmosphere.com
When you don’t have a clue on the topic, don’t even try to write anything! First find out what people are talking about, and then write what you think!!!