Nobel Gore

Al Gore used the bully pulpit of the Nobel Peace Prize to remind the world we are running out of time. "Today," he said, "we dumped another 70 million tons of global-warming pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet. And tomorrow, we will dump a slightly larger amount, with the cumulative concentrations now trapping more and more heat from the sun."


It is a stark reminder that this is a problem that grows with every passing moment. It does not stand still. Neither can we. While we work to change our laws, our technologies, our culture, we must work to change our personal behaviors as well. Conservation, while not the sole answer, is a beginning. Light bulbs can't save the world, but they can contribute mightily to reducing your waste. In addition to changing my most used lightbulbs to CFLs, I decided to try an LED in the light over my kitchen sink, without a doubt the light that stays on the most in the house.

True, it is expensive. $30 for a 40 watt bulb. But the bulb is attractive, the light is as radiant as the full moon, as soothing, peaceful and blue as a moonshadow. And it lasts up to 1000 times longer while drawing a fraction of the energy (I think I was told it drew .07 percent of the energy of an incandescent bulb of comparable size). My son assures me it will outlast me.

If I go somewhere within a mile's distance and the weather and my schedule permit, I often walk these days. I try to build in the time (15 minutes to walk vs 5 to drive). Not so hard after all. But assuredly not easy either.

Bottom line, there are some things we can do to save the earth that take almost no extra effort: recycling, turning off lights, changing light bulbs (which we need to do anyway, only with CFLs or LEDs a lot less often). But there are some things that will take more effort - organizing our lives so we drive less, consume less, forgo items with wasteful packaging, spend more for items that are not made in China. But our investment today will save us lives, comfort and even money in the not too distant future.

One more thing: Gore got the Nobel PEACE prize, not the science prize. Environmental health will avoid major conflicts based on growing scarcity, disappearing land masses, refugees, sickness, need.

What more do we need to motivate us to act?