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The good news is, there is a solution to our problems. In fact, the solution is obvious. We need to use less energy and we need to stop burning coal, oil, natural gas, and wood. HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THAT? The sun shines. The wind blows. Why do we need to burn stuff to create energy? We don't. We just need to switch to other sources of energy. There are plenty of them. Solar. Wind. Nuclear. Hydroelectric. Geothermal. Ethanol. Biofuel. Hydrogen fuel cells. We don’t have to invent these things. They already exist. But up until recently oil has been cheap and the world became addicted to it, like a person becomes addicted to drugs. The way to kick that habit is to change attitudes. And this is where YOU can have a big impact. ME? I’M JUST A KID! What can a kid do? When you’re a kid, you sometimes feel powerless in a world run by grownups. You can’t even stay up past your bedtime. You can’t get your allowance raised. But kids CAN change the world. It was kids who--to a large extent--put an end to the Vietnam war. It was college kids who invented the personal computer, started Microsoft and Google. It is mainly teenagers who fight our wars, create our music, and determine what kinds of TV shows and movies get made. Politicians listen to voters. Business leaders listen to customers. Teachers learn from students. And parents can learn from their children. Kids often teach their parents how to use computers, cell phones, DVD players, and other technologies so many adults find baffling. Parents need to be taught about the looming environmental crisis the same way. And kids are the ones who need to teach them. Kids need to convince grownups that conserving gasoline and switching to other sources of energy should be a national priority. We need Congress to pass laws requiring carmakers to build more fuel efficient cars. We need laws that reward cities and companies that switch to renewable sources of energy. We need laws that punish companies and governments that cut down rainforests, pollute air and water, drive animals and plants to extinction, and threaten the very existence of the human race. NO WAY! IT’S IMPOSSIBLE! Oh yeah? When I was five, President Kennedy said America should send a human being to the moon within ten years. It sounded like science fiction at the time. Man hadn’t even been into space yet. But Kennedy’s words captured our imaginations. A massive national effort was undertaken, and when I was fourteen, Neil Armstrong put his foot on the moon and said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Now we need to undertake ANOTHER massive national effort. America needs to switch from burning oil to using renewable sources of energy. That would be an even bigger leap for mankind than putting a foot on the moon. And it can be done. HOW? First by changing attitudes and then by changing laws. Attitudes can change. When I was a kid, there were still places in America where black and white people were not allowed to drink from the same water fountain. Can you believe that? There were separate hotels, restaurants, and bathrooms for blacks and whites. There was blatant discrimination against minorities, women, the handicapped, and gay people when I was a kid. Our society isn’t perfect today, but doesn’t it sound UNTHINKABLE that people would be forced to drink from separate water fountains? Attitudes about prejudice and discrimination have dramatically changed, and laws along with them. Attitudes and laws about the environment can change too, and kids can lead the way. | |
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Don't Stop! |
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