An Inconvenient Truth

This is a longer post so if you aren't brave enough or dont have the time - here is my main point: Go get a copy of this movie - purchase, rent, or borrow it from your library but you need to see it!

I am going to share something that may surprise you: I never knew what exactly Global Warming is - until today. Now, I am worried. Of all places to be educated...the Oprah Winfrey show. Of all the people who I could have learned this from, who taught me? Al Gore.

I knew he had been doing "something" about the environment, but I chose to ignore what it was. Today, somehow my attention was captured by the above picture of the Earth. The show that followed had me sitting wide eyed staring at the TV thinking, oh my goodness. This is real. This not only COULD happen, this IS GOING to happen in MY lifetime. OUR TIMEFRAME to be able to contain and reverse this process is said to be 10 years. 10 years. Think about how quickly your child went from birth to age 10. That went pretty quickly for me. It may as well be tomorrow. Think about it.

That picture made it real for me.

It is a computer generated rendering of what will happen to Florida in 45 years if we dont stop this. I can see the area that I used to call home, Tampa, and it is under water. This picture is nothing compared to Singapore, San Diego, and Manhattan. There will be hundreds of millions of people that will be displaced because of the rising sea level. There is already a village in Alaska where homes have been lost to the sea or have had to be relocated because of the rising sea level. The cost to relocate the entire village is estimated to be $100 million.

Global warming is caused by an excess of CO2 emissions. The sun heats the earth and the earth emits infrared rays and some are naturally trapped by the earth's atmosphere. CO2 emissions are causing a thickening of the atmosphere therefore trapping more of the infrared and creating Global Warming. The photographic and scientific proof presented to me and anyone that watched Oprah today was astounding. Once you watch it, you can't ignore it. You WANT to do something, thankfully they gave us 5 things every household can do to decrease their CO2 emissions.

• use compact flourecscent lightbulbs and/or use outdoor solar lighting- the result of doing this alone is staggering
• switch to a programmable thermostat that reduces your energy use while you are not home
• change your air/furnace filters regularly
• wrap your water heater in a specially designed water heater blanket
• purchase energy star appliances

You can also balance your CO2 emissions with the planting of trees. If you plant 4 trees per month it balances the emissions that you produce. You can go to americanforest.org and purchase trees to be planted. For every dollar you spend a tree is planted. There is a $15.oo minimum donation.

I plan on still being alive in 45 years. Not only do I NOT want to see this. I don't want this to be the legacy left behind by my generation for my children and grandchildren.

Educate yourselves. Do something now:

An Inconvenient Truth

Al Gore's documentary, directed by Davis Guggenheim, is now available on DVD.www.climatecrisis.net. (I have checked and it is available at our local libraries)
Proceeds from the purchase of the book or DVD - 100% go into supporting a non-partisan organization that continues education of global warming.

Earth 911

Earth 911 seeks to empower the public with community-specific resources to improve their quality of life. Find information about recycling your Christmas tree, too.www.earth911.com

Sierra ClubSierra Club is the largest and oldest non-profit environmental organization working to protect the planet.www.sierraclub.org

Stop Global Warming Virtual March

The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a non-political effort bringing Americans together to declare that global warming is here now and it's time to act.www.stopglobalwarming.org

Paporganics

Paporganics creates stationery and gift wrap made from organic cotton, hemp and recycled fibers.www.paporganics.com

Tree Hugger

Tree Hugger is a Web magazine with tips and advice on living a sustainable lifestyle, and seeking environmental solutions and initiatives.www.treehugger.com

American Forests

American Forests is an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring trees and forests. A minimum donation is $15. Every dollar you donate plants one tree.www.americanforests.org