My Inspiration

I'm no saint by any means, not even close. I do recycle, I drive a fuel efficient car, I take the subway when I can, I don't litter and I donate to a few enviornmental groups. I want to do better because I know in my heart it's the right thing to do.

Traveling to 3rd world countries made me realize how good I have it. Anyone who was born in America is automatically better off than most people in the world. I went to Africa where the women carry their newborn babies to work on their back with a basket of goods to sell at the market on their head. Here, I have the security of knowing even in the worst of times, I can get a job at McDonalds and work my way up to manager. As an American I feel obligated to give back to the world because I have the luxury of being able to spend my time doing that. I just haven't really found out how to do that exactly.

It really dissapoints me that our country, supposedly the leader of the free world, can't get on the environmental band wagon and set an example for the rest of the world. When the Bush administration declined to sign the Kyoto treaty because it wasn't "fair" to us, I knew we were in trouble. Now Global Warming is a serious issue and it's almost too late. Almost.

There's a lot of hype about it, but who's really acting? Magazines like Vanity Fair, Sports Illustratd and Outside are publishing "green" issues to raise awareness. That's great, but I want to know, who else is taking action and what can I do?