We Can Make a Difference

I changed the phrase after the Stop Global Warming title so that it was more encouraging. I was reading a book yesterday and it posed the question, what if the "I have a dream" speech by Martin Luther King had been replaced by a "I have a nightmare" speech instead. One would inspire people; the other would make them depressed or angry. Inspired is better.

I sincerely believe individuals can make changes in their own lives which impact those around them and their workplace.

One of my co-workers begged our manager to set up a Green Committee for our unit. The Committee (I'm on it, too) organized a showing of An Inconvenient Truth for about fifty people, who had never seen the movie before. The Committee has also reminded people that we should be using double-sided copies and that any draft letters or other documents could now be double-sided. There are now posters and articles up on bulletin boards in the unit (recycling, changing light bulbs, etc.). Those are some of the examples of what was done just because of one person, my co-worker.

Another thing the co-worker did was to change my mind about what should be my first priority. Before I was on the committee, human rights and child poverty were the issues that concerned me most. However, through reading books on global warming and related issues, I started to realize just how important it was for everyone to start doing something about global warming. I still write Amnesty International letters and sponsor four boys in Armenia through World Vision, but my main focus is definitely global warming now. If we do not fix that problem, we may make not only most animals extinct but also humans.

Because I was on the committee I started to make changes at home as well. My electricity is now from Bull Frog Power, which provides 100% green electricity into the power grid for the electricity my family uses. I have started to buy organic food where I can and also more gentle cleaning supplies. I have changed most of our lightbulbs; we're now just looking for a weird combination tri-light and some other unique bulbs.

Because I was on the committee and started to make changes at home, I also decided to write to all the federal politicians, to let them know I was concerned about global warming and to ask what they did in their personal lives to reduce their carbon impact. The results so far have been very encouraging. A number of the politicians have hybrid cars or walk or bicycle to work.

One politician (not even in my province) gave me a phone call at home, which lasted about half an hour. I was flabbergasted that I was able to provide my feedback to a live politician.
I have also started to do blogging and realize that newspapers allow bloggers to provide comments on various issues, which is another way to let a number of people know what you think about global warming.

I like to write individual, handwritten letters, but I have also sent emails where I want to ask a question or have something to comment on.

Because of what my co-worker started, and how he started me to get involved in the problem of global warming, I can say I definitely believe that I can make a difference.

Afterall, you would not normally think that Prime Minister Harper and his government would be at all interested in global warming. But because of polls showing it was the first concern that Canadians had, it had to be put on their agenda. The government does care what voters think, as they want to get voted in, or stay in, the government.

You can make a difference!