I Laughed. I Cried. It Changed My Life

I’m sitting in the living room of a total stranger. This might be weird enough, but we’re watching a movie staring Al Gore. Imagine that - a movie starring Al Gore giving a PowerPoint presentation on Global Warming. I can barely suppress a yawn while thinking about it. But nonetheless, here I am in this person’s living room, watching this movie and I am...laughing. Now that’s something I didn’t expect.

In fact, An Inconvenient Truth is just the opposite of what I expected. Someone in the room just commented “Where the hell has this guy been?” Al Gore is animated (if you can imagine that), passionate and at times, yes, funny.

A few minutes later, as Gore is telling the story of his six-year-old son’s near-death experience, I find my self crying. I’m not usually one for crying at movies (though the ending for “It’s a Wonder Life” gets me every time). I also cried one other time, when Gore talked about the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. While may be hard to imagine, you just have to see the movie to understand.

Global Warming is real, it’s a threat and we have to take massive action if we’re going to save this planet. So, in the spirit of being a good activist, here are some actions you can take immediately.

1. Go to your local library and check out a copy of An Inconvenient Truth. Watch the movie. If it moves you the way it moved me, then invite your neighbors over and have them watch it with you. Most people will come if there is free popcorn involved.



2. Buy the DVD at Amazon. A percentage of the profits go to a new effort, the Alliance for Climate Protection, to educate the public about global warming. The Alliance has a list of further actions you can take on their web site. If you don’t need a copy, then donate a copy to the local library or to schools in your area.



3. Go to the EPA's Personal Greenhouse Gas Calculator and figure out how much you are producing in greenhouse gases. Then, scroll farther down the page for several ideas to offset your greenhouse gas burden on the earth.



4. Next, go to AlGore.com and fill out a postcard to go to the Congress. If you do so immediately, Al Gore himself is planning on hand-carrying the post cards to Congress.



5. Hand-write a letter to your Representative and Senators. It seems that Congress takes hand-written letters more seriously than typed ones or email. Express your concern and ask them to support the reduction of greenhouse gasses. Ask them to tell you exactly what they intend to do about global warming.

But most of all go see the movie. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. It will change your life.