Here we are at good news Monday. This is a very important day because it is the eve of our opportunity as proponents of green living to celebrate and commit to a greener life by casting our votes for green initiatives. This past week was historical for the green movement because with the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy and the Frankenstorm, we finally witnessed major political players in large cities and public policy makers acknowledge the reality of climate change and the need to seek real solutions to the problems of extreme weather conditions caused by global warming.
Now that we have a listening audience, it is time to take the steps to enact the needed changes. Tomorrow we can make a difference at the polls. To do this,it is mandatory that we get out and vote. This message is particularly important for the younger set, ages 18 to 30. While we have been deluged with so much information, some fact and some fiction, it is important that we peel back the layers on all the hype and examine the facts. Realize first of all that the younger voters hold the power in this election, particularly in green matters. Reject the positions that attempt to dichotomize voters into two major groups, Democrats or Republicans. Read the ballot and vote your conscience, not the straight ticket. Do your homework and pay extra attention to local and/or third-party candidates on state and local ballots who are committed to green issues. Try googling green ballot issues for your particular state to learn about these candidates, whose voices have been drowned out by the clamor over national issues. Consider that change often works its way up faster than it does down because there usually is less bureaucratic gridlock on the local and state level, and local officials often are held more accountable by and accessible to their constituents.
It is important for each of us to realize the role we play in this election to advance green initiatives. Scientific evidence consistently points to the need to reduce our carbon footprint. Conservatives and many older Americans discredit or ignore these theories partly because research shows that reclamation of a healthy Earth is a long and arduous process. It could take as many as 20 years to reduce the level of carbon dioxide (the most common greenhouse gas) to an acceptable limit of 350 parts per million (http://www.350.org/n/node/48). Perhaps those over the age of 45 feel that this will not apply to them as they may even be here. So just live for today. However, for people 30 and under, this is your tomorrow. Invest today with your vote for the dividends for yourself and your future family. You do have the energy to this as evidenced by your being the market sector that has made Apple the company it is today. Transfer that energy that empowered you to stand in line for hours to be one of the first one or two million people to get that new IPhone or IPad to be that savvy determined voter willing to stand in line tomorrow to vote for your candidates that will advance the green causes.
The older voters committed to the green movement also have a mission to accomplish tomorrow. Speak up for your children at the ballot box. Do your homework tonight and look carefully at the candidates, especially on the local and state ballots who are fighting to save our planet. Champion the green movement, and your children will do so likewise.
As proponents of an environmentally healthy and safe world, let’s make tomorrow a historical day for the green movement. Let’s vote to “be the change we want to see”. As always, let’s live green, be green!