Last week, I rented the documentary film, “An Inconvenient Truth”. As an admitted global warming skeptic, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with this movie, which centers around former Vice President Al Gore’s oft-given presentation on climate change and our role in its cause and effects – and resolution.
The movie was, in large part, as I expected. Gore presents the data gathered by scientists over the past 40 years as proof that humans have pumped so much pollution into the air, in the form of carbon dioxide and methane (and though he didn’t mention it, tons of hot air spewed by politicians), that there have been profound changes, beyond the planet’s natural cycle, to the environment in which we live.
I’m an engineer, by trade, and my education and work experiences have taught me to appreciate information developed by well-thought out, scientific means. As presented, there seems to be little doubt as to the cause of the observed changes. (Yes, I still have a two pages of questions I wrote down, most starting with the phrase, “But how do they know…”)
Yet the item that caught my attention wasn’t one of the charts showing increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and global temperatures. Nor was it one of the many pictures of the rapid change in the landscape of various mountains and forests and glaciers. It was a quote, of sorts, displayed on the screen during the closing credits.
“When you pray, move your feet.” - African proverb
The prayer, like the film, is a call to action and the unintended reference to the Breast Cancer 3-Day was unmistakable. Move your feet. Make a change.
I don’t think I’m spoiling the ending to “An Inconvenient Truth” by telling you that it offers a suggested list of ways each of us can make a difference. Some of these are things that many of us are already doing, some are things we should be doing more of, and some are things that we may not be doing at all. Here are a few of the easy ones:
· Recycle every scrap of paper, shard of glass, piece of plastic, and metal can. Every item thrown in the trash ends up buried in a landfill. As citizens, we generously fund the facilities that recycle everything from appliances and old televisions to computers and phone books and cardboard boxes. Make use of these places.
The movie was, in large part, as I expected. Gore presents the data gathered by scientists over the past 40 years as proof that humans have pumped so much pollution into the air, in the form of carbon dioxide and methane (and though he didn’t mention it, tons of hot air spewed by politicians), that there have been profound changes, beyond the planet’s natural cycle, to the environment in which we live.
I’m an engineer, by trade, and my education and work experiences have taught me to appreciate information developed by well-thought out, scientific means. As presented, there seems to be little doubt as to the cause of the observed changes. (Yes, I still have a two pages of questions I wrote down, most starting with the phrase, “But how do they know…”)
Yet the item that caught my attention wasn’t one of the charts showing increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and global temperatures. Nor was it one of the many pictures of the rapid change in the landscape of various mountains and forests and glaciers. It was a quote, of sorts, displayed on the screen during the closing credits.
“When you pray, move your feet.” - African proverb
The prayer, like the film, is a call to action and the unintended reference to the Breast Cancer 3-Day was unmistakable. Move your feet. Make a change.
I don’t think I’m spoiling the ending to “An Inconvenient Truth” by telling you that it offers a suggested list of ways each of us can make a difference. Some of these are things that many of us are already doing, some are things we should be doing more of, and some are things that we may not be doing at all. Here are a few of the easy ones:
· Recycle every scrap of paper, shard of glass, piece of plastic, and metal can. Every item thrown in the trash ends up buried in a landfill. As citizens, we generously fund the facilities that recycle everything from appliances and old televisions to computers and phone books and cardboard boxes. Make use of these places.
· Reduce home energy use by replacing regular light bulbs in lamps and ceiling fixtures with compact fluorescent bulbs, which use less the ¼ of the electricity used by a standard bulb and last more than four times as long. Replacing one standard bulb in each of the 110 million American households is equivalent to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by taking 1.3 million cars off the road.
· Speaking of cars, it easy to suggest that we need to drive less, though it may seem difficult to do in practice. It isn’t that hard. And when you do drive, do yourself (and me) a favor – slow down. Gas mileage decreases upwards of 20% or more at speeds of more than 60 mph. And from personal experience, I can tell you that reducing my speed from 65-70 mph to 60-65 mph also reduces one’s stress level dramatically. I’m sure we could all use that.
· While I’m on the subject, more of us should be driving more fuel-efficient vehicles. Why the bloody hell do you need to drive a Ford F350 super-size pickup or GMC Yukon XL extended SUV for your 30-mile commute to an office? Such vehicles gulp gas by the tankful, increase wear and tear on our roads and increase traffic congestion.
The Breast Cancer 3-Day consists of thousands of people doing the equivalent of replacing light bulbs and conserving gas. They are raising millions of dollars to make real changes in people's lives. The money goes to research, conducted by doctors, in order to develop new treatments for their patients, resulting in more survivors. Ultimately, these continued incremental changes will bring a cure to breast cancer.
And all we have to do is say our prayers and move our feet.
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