Environmental Crisis

Things Aren’t As Simple As They Used To Be

The world is changing, and melting ice caps, rising unemployment, and the sickness of our cities and forests are universal and unequivocal symptoms of distress.  We realize that the success or failure of humanity is inextricably tied to the success or failure of Earth.

For some, that is a hard pill to swallow; for others, it has been clear all along.  While the effects of climate change are obvious, the solution is anything but.  Out of the chaos steps Van Jones and his organization Green For All, a dynamic group of activists who offer a compelling plan of action for our country, centered around Green Jobs.

Green Jobs is a concept that is already becoming reality in many major cities across the United States.  By retooling our industrial infrastructure and urban landscapes, we can simultaneously improve our environmental healthiness while also creating new employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Earn a living wage while saving the lives of every plant and animal on Earth…where do we sign up?

Check out Van Jones’ quick intro to Green Jobs and view Green For All’s website here.

Today’s Artist: Steve Connell

“Words are like actions.”  This truth, from Steve Connell’s performance piece titled I Am An American, represents a guiding principle for the crew at the League of Young Voters Education Fund as we created 99problems.org.  Each of us owes the passion and progress of our lives to the words of another, delivered at the right time, unlocking our awareness like a key in a door.

We can not form a community without communication.  We must talk fearlessly about our fears, for only by opening our hearts to one another will we begin to see the diversity of our talents and the commonality of our ideals.  In a world that can seem distressingly cold and suspicious, we must learn to talk, and trust, again.

We must help each other.  As much as we talk, we must learn to listen; to encourage new ideas, and the participation of every person in the great struggle we face to bring humanity into balance with our world once again.

Talk is action.  Silence breeds mistrust, and mistrust breeds destruction.  We were born to connect and rejoice in the wonder of our minds, the power of our thoughts combined.  We must unlearn our habits of isolation, and recognize our natural community once more.

Posted by:

Sam Patton