- When Brian Williams is asking me about what’s a...

When Brian Williams is asking me about what’s a personal thing that you’ve done [that’s green], and I say, you know, ‘Well, I planted a bunch of trees.’ And he says, ‘I’m talking about personal.’ What I’m thinking in my head is, ‘Well, the truth is, Brian, we can’t solve global warming because I f–––ing changed light bulbs in my house. It’s because of something collective’.

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Barack Obama, “How He Did It,” Newsweek.

When I do my “3Qs,” I ask people the top three things they do to actively reduce their carbon footprint and one that they don’t.

I do this because I want to illustrate the personal commitments of these environmental leaders along side their political and philosophical groundings. To humanize and collectivize the process. And to remind us that these small things aren’t the change we need — so if we fly long distances without buying offsets or eat red meat — well, that’s okay. So long as you are working for the cause.

But I agree with Obama — global warming is fucking big. And that’s why I do the work that I do, that’s why I write about it, and that’s why I’ve got my sights set on DC, where I can help put Obama’s New Energy for America plan, including 5 million new green jobs, into action.

November 8, 2008

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November 8, 2008

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