3Qs with Michael Silberman of 1Sky

The 1Sky campaign, a coalition of environmental organizations, leaders, and everyday people fighting for “bold federal action” on climate change by 2010, has devised innovative ways to inspire, motivate, and engage Americans. They’ve put out a call for short video messages for our next president, created a simple way to communicate with the candidates, lent support to the Green Jobs Now national day of action on September 27th, and collected nearly 75,000 emails of supporters.  They also maintain a blog.

Michael Silberman, 1Sky’s Internet Director, is uniquely equipped to help build a national, Web-powered movement to combat climate change.  His experience straddles the virtual and the environmental: he is a co-founder of EchoDitto, an Internet communications strategy firm, who graduated with dual degrees in Political Science and Environmental Science from Middlebury College and cut his teeth on Howard Dean’s ground-breaking presidential campaign in 2003.

“1Sky takes the view that climate change cannot be solved from an environmental standpoint alone,” Michael said, “It’s a global and societal issue.  Its impacts are felt across culture, class, and age.  We can’t approach climate change in the same ways that we attacked the environmental problem, with legislation like the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts.  We need to build a movement that combines personal commitment, coalition-building, and legislation.”

Next week, Michael will take part in the Brita Climate Ride, part of a three-person 1Sky team.  Support their effort here.

Michael recently sat down with me to answer a few questions — three, to be exact — for the first in a 2050AD series with climate change innovators.

1. What was your environmental epiphany?

Between high school and college, I spent a semester studying resource management in Utah and southern Arizona.  It gave me an appreciation for the natural landscape and how people use it.  It’s not just the beauty, but the resources, and tensions between human needs and desires, and the preservation of the land.

2. Who or what are you inspired by right now in the green movement?

There’s a leadership void right now, and a lack of inspiration and trust in our political leaders.  But the youth-led climate movement is very inspiring.  It’s pragmatic, optimistic, and efficient.  Organizations like the Energy Action Coalition, which has registered one million young voters and is building a movement of young people who will vote for clean energy, is working with a proven concept.  They’ve been doing this work for years, and it shows the power of young people to inspire.

3. What are three ways you actively reduce your carbon footprint and one way you don’t?

The way I don’t is all the flying I do for my job.  But on the upside, at EchoDitto, as consultants we write it into our contract that our clients must share the cost of carbon offsets for our air travel.  And as for how I do actively reduce my carbon footprint: first, I don’t have a car. I made the conscious decision to live in an urban environment where I wouldn’t need one.  Second, I’ve been a vegetarian for more than twenty years.  Third, I’m very good at turning off the lights.  Oh, and I take short showers.