BEING GREEN

Inspired by an upcoming conference at Chapman University BEYOND COPENHAGEN), which is an after-gathering of the COP15 in Copenhagen, Denmark that took place this past December '09, I have decided to develop a documentary about the Youth who are already taking a stand with regards to climate change. Thanks to the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, I learned from their podcast specific details about COP15 that there were none of the expected results, no treaty or agreement made with the UN to formally establish"green" nations in order to save our planet Earth and the young people, their children, and their children's children.

The fact that Chapman is holding BEYOND COPENHAGEN on a university campus to help bring an awareness to all the thousands of young students who exist on their grounds daily, makes me wonder just how many will show interest and actually attend. I bet if they had some idea of the world leaders who will be speaking at this conference, they might ....

Haha, at that point in my sentence, I stepped away from the blog because a light bulb went off in my head and finally after days of brainstorming, at that very moment of typing, I was able to come up with the outline for the documentary and what it's going to be about...but, I'm back.

Where was I? Oh, yes. basically, the youth can have the most influence when it comes to climate change - not just with reaching out to today's leaders, but because they are tomorrow's leaders. We learn that in church - get them while they're young, and they'll make a real difference. So it's important that if Chapman students are aware of the conference on their campus and the speakers there, that already is a good chunk of future leaders who, if inspired, no matter what their career choice, they can make a significant impact on developing "green" societies.

Hopefully, I do not sound like a radical, but when you get to researching, that's one thing, but when I listen to the radio news everyday on the way to work and hear more and more about volcanos erupting and cooling climates because of the ash clouds, and yet the heat melting snow in Iceland therefore causing the waters to rise, and then of earthquakes in Japan, Haiti, Cuba, Baja, China, as a result of the tetonic plates shifting under our oceans, and then of the flooding in California, and in New England where such natural disasters are not a rarity like in the midwest, and of snow in Dallas, Texas - how can I not take climate change seriously.

And sure, I know we do not entirely control our destiny, God controls our destiny, but he also gave us brains and skills to adapt to the ever changing enviornment from the beginning of time. We now wear clothes to keep ourselves domestic, warm, cool, comfortable; we travel with trains, planes and automobiles to visit our loved ones, get somewhere fast in an emergency, to make that next business meeting which can save our house, we use cellphones to get in touch to let a loved one know we're safe in a disaster, to call 911, to say goodbye to a spouse when our plane is being taken down by terrorists. And yes, with advanced technology comes the possibility of more ruin to ourselves. But life, whether with advanced technology or not, is going to happen, and we all eventually die. But while we are alive, we have to survive on this Earth where God put us. And if he inspires in us ideas of survival, do we not have a responsibility to act?

It's like food. Many watched the documentary, FOOD NATION. I, personally, choose to eat organically and feel all the better for it. I eat naturally and often times like a vegan, though I am not, and all for the result of being healthy. But the second I put a burger in my mouth, a french fry, even a slice of wheat toast (which is bad for me because of sylliac disease) I feel sick. If I eat wheat and gluten, if I have dairy, I lose energy, I get bloated, I therefore cannot work out, I feel bad about myself, my skin breaks out...where is the good in any of this? If I avoid those foods, then the exact opposite. I can be active, my skin looks good, I have energy to go and make documentaries, work hard in the studio, and still come home and make dinner or go salsa dancing. My point is that, food is something we all can relate to when it comes to making choices about our survival on this Earth and being healthy by what we eat.

So what is so wrong with taking action to make myself more healthy? Maybe I won't live longer, maybe I will. But what matters is how I feel while I am living on this Earth. And while I am living on this Earth, I want a healthier climate. I want my kids and me to be able to drink water, to breathe and play outside. My duty therefore is to recycle, conserve energy, take shorter and fewer showers, eat organically, and make a documentary to bring awareness of a major issue affecting me and lives worldwide.

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Signed,

Marcieanna