Paul E McGinniss
Think it's possible? Recently, I co-organized a community screening of Chasing Ice, a mesmerizing film about global warming and the melting arctic. During post screening discussions about the frightening implications of climate change, everyone, young to old, right to left, had similar questions.
How do we address climate change? What steps can individuals, businesses and world leaders take to address the most pressing and often interrelated problems facing us, such as water and energy challenges?
Chasing Ice producer, Paula DuPre' Pesmen, Skyped in from Boulder, Colorado. Live on screen, she spoke with our engaged audience, all of whom were blown away by the film and hungry for dialog.
In answer to the questions on how to address our pressing challenges, Pesmen said something simple yet profound: “We all need to take what we are best at and apply that talent to solving the world's problems.”
Within six degrees of separation, our mutual networks can inspire and build momentum. It's already happening. My editor at EcoWatch, Stefanie Spear, is media savvy and a passionate advocate so she started a grassroots environmental media platform inspiring millions to take action to protect the environment. Actor Matt Damon found it unacceptable that so many people lacked access to clean water so he started a charity, Water.org, which has transformed communities in Africa, South Asia and Central America by providing access to safe water and sanitation. After witnessing deplorable conditions at a Nigerian hospital, including sporadic electricity which impaired maternity and surgical care, Dr. Laura Stachel and her husband, Hal Aronson, co-founded WE CARE Solar to bring off-grid electric solar systems to hospitals in regions without reliable electricity.
What we need ASAP in pursuit of a "collective seoul"—pun intended—is to manifest a worldwide "Psy of Relief." Unified, we need to save the world Gangnam Style. Create a phenomena—of us—to viral out everywhere and break into a global dance of action to change the world in a rave that never stops and never disappears.
I’m thinking of putting an ad on Craigslist to find our “Psy of Relief.”:
Desperately Seeking World Savior. Looking for undiscovered ecowarrior entertainer with Gangnam Style to engage world collective seoul (sic). Must travel to refugee camps, stay composed and look fashionable under extreme weather situations. Have understanding of world energy needs, water issues, dance and sing at least a bit, and tweet like there's no tomorrow.
If you've got the right EcoSwag and my ad sounds like you, please email. Remember, YOLO. There's a great job waiting for you. In fact, if anyone is interested in solving the world's challenges, there's more than one job open. Anyone who takes the time to apply themselves, the job is yours.
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Author's note: This post is entered in the Masdar “Engage: The Water-Energy Nexus blogging contest. Please vote for me with 5 Stars on the competition web site. You can also help by liking and tweeting this post above. The contest winner will be invited to Abu Dhabi to cover Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
Paul E McGinniss is The New York Green Advocate. He is a green building consultant and real estate broker in New York. He is pretty much obsessed with all things environment and has lately become a resiliency addict. Follow McGinniss @PaulEMcGinniss.