Today is Blog Action Day and bloggers everywhere are writing about the environment. I can’t help but wonder if the organizers of Blog Action Day purposely chose Monday, October 15, knowing that it would come on the heels of the announcement that former Vice President Al Gore and the United Nation’s Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Just curious, but I’m glad to be a part of a group of people who want to promote sustainability in the United States and beyond.

I’ve been reading editorials on Gore’s win (as well as the many entertaining comments that go with them) and while many are quick to say Gore is simply trying to repair his own political image, or that global warming is a farce, what people forget to note is that by complaining OR applauding his work, they are helping Gore accomplish what, even a year ago, many would’ve called impossible: People are discussing global warming.
At the very least, Gore’s work has helped to shed light on the fact that many Americans DO care about the environment, the future, and our effects on the rest of the world. 
The first time I visited Europe, I remember how shocked I was at the efficiency of the public transportation systems – not just the subways, but also the buses that took us from country to country. I remember wondering why we didn’t have similar systems at home. Granted I come from Albuquerque, a sort-of big city in the middle of nowhere, but why is it that America is SO far behind our European counterparts when it comes to environmental responsibility? I’m willing to bet it’s got a lot to do with money and even more to do with the fact that the United States is notorious for laziness (in more areas than one). 

Here at Eastwick, we created a Green task force to provide recommendations for how we could make our new home in Mountain View more earth friendly. We’ve got CFL’s, our lights are on timers, and, we recycle. While these are small steps, they most certainly make a difference. 

2007 Nobel Peace Prize, Al Gore, Albuquerque, blog action day, cfls, Eastwick, Global Warming PR, Inter governmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, United Nations, Vice President Al Gore