Stop Global Warming
Book Review: The Solution is You - An Activists Guide
Activist Laurie David explains how the globe is warming and how we are the cause of it. She shares solutions on what we can do about reducing climate change.
Laurie David, environmental activist and producer explains why global warming is an urgent problem in her book Stop Global Warming: The Solution is You – An Activists Guide (Fulcrum Publishing, 2006).
About Laurie David
- Laurie was not always an environmental activist and had many jobs starting with a gig as a copywriter for a car dealership. It's ironic since she didn’t know much about cars at the time and later protested the promotion of SUVs and urged others to invest in hybrid cars.
- She then moved on to magazines such as Tee-Shirt Weekly and Record World Magazine. She ended up as a talent coordinator on Late Night with David Letterman after hearing they were looking for a researcher/music person.
- She married comedian and producer Larry David and after their first child reinvented herself as an environmental activist. Laurie educated herself about the environment, global warming and joined NRDC's board. She became passionate about the cause and was convinced that if she could get others to care, something could be done.
After suffering a bit of an emotional break down following the November 2004 election, Laurie David bounced back and became motivated to pitch her idea for the Stop Global Warming Virtual March.
The Stop Global Warming Virtual March has three basic goals:
- Get America to admit the globe is warming.
- Acknowledge that we are causing the warming.
- Demand that governments, businesses and communities contribute to solutions.
There are currently 960,031 supporters of the Stop Global Virtual March demanding leaders reduce and freeze carbon dioxide emissions. Some of those supporters include Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator John McCain and two NFL teams.
- Besides launching the Stop Global Warming Virtual March Laurie has helped produce several documentaries including Too Hot NOT to Handle and Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth. Al Gore credits Laurie with the idea to make the movie after seeing his slideshow.
There has been much disagreement and name calling from the opposition, but Laurie sees the attacks as a sure sign of progress.
Some signs of global warming
Although one weather event cannot be blamed for global warming, the combined patterns of extreme weather events makes climate change become apparent.
- 99% of Alaska’s glaciers are melting which leads to several problems. Penguins and Polar Bears are having a particularly hard time and many of them are drowning and starving because the ice has moved too far for them. The Polar Bears have been so hungry that it was recently discovered they were resorting to cannibalism.
- Since 1950, the spring snowpack in the U.S. has declined as much as 60%. Dry conditions have resulted with an increase in forest fires and over 3 millions burnt acres. (National Interagency Fire Center)
Some suggestions on ways we can reduce global warming
- Bring reusable cup to coffee shops.
- Join a local or national environmental group and read their newsletters.
- Wear a Stop Global Warming bracelet.
- Pull your chargers out of the wall and turn off computers and lights when not in use.
- Change your light bulbs to fluorescent.
- When you buy a new appliance, make sure it has an energy star label because they use half the energy as older models.
- Hang your clothes to dry when possible.
- Use recycled paper products such as toilet paper and pay attention to labels. Many companies are still using virgin wood.
- Use a glass for your water instead of grabbing for bottled water. More than 80% of bottles are thrown out and take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.
- Purchase Too Hot NOT to Handle or Inconvenient Truth DVDs as gifts.
- Sign up for the Stop Global Warming Virtual March and encourage others to do the same.
Laurie David’s Stop Global Warming is a good read that explains global warming in simple terms with information, links and resources for learning more. It includes a foreword by husband Larry David and afterward by Robert F. Kennedy. Laurie is an inspiration and a good example of how one person can make a difference.
Related: Global Warming Predictions
