Why I Choose to "Do 10 for 10-10-10"

When I was in my early 20s and newly married, having children was the last thing I wanted. Fast-forward to my late 30s when, with a new husband and a new outlook on life, I suddenly heard my biological clock ticking. I am one of the lucky ones who was able to get pregnant and have a baby at age 40. For me, becoming a parent was truly an act of faith ... faith that the world could be a safe place for our son to survive and thrive.

Fast-forward again to today. Our son is almost 23, but the world is not the safe place I had hoped it would be. I’m not talking about the “war on terror” and the loss of civility and tolerance in society – both of which are scary enough. No, I’m talking about the global climate crisis. We no longer have time to avoid climate change. Rather, we now need to adapt to the world we have created. And that’s a scary place.

The planet is warming, polar ice caps are melting, glaciers are disappearing, deserts are expanding, oceans are rising and becoming more acidic, fresh water is more scarce, pests and diseases now thrive in regions where they once did not, severe weather events are more severe, and dirty energy (e.g., oil, coal, gas) is heavily subsidized whereas clean energy (e.g., wind, solar, hydrothermal) is not.

Sadly, many people do not believe the climate crisis is real, despite the fact that the vast majority of the world’s climate scientists agree that there is a greater than 90 percent chance that the planet is warming and that humans are mostly responsible. The facts support these scientists’ claims. If you don’t believe me, check with the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, World Glacier Monitoring Service, UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the national academies of science of 45 nations, including the Vatican.

I’ve always been an optimist, believing that good will prevail and that everything is possible with enough effort. But the global climate crisis has raised personal responsibility to a whole new level ... which leads me to why I have chosen to “Do 10 for 10-10-10.”

“10-10-10” stands for Oct. 10, 2010. And by “Do 10,” I mean that I am choosing to make at least 10 changes to my lifestyle by 10-10-10 to cut my “carbon footprint,” or my impact on the earth.

Here are some of the changes I have chosen to make: switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs; unplug appliances and turn off lights when not being used; use a water bottle rather than bottled water; print two-sided and use the back side of old paper; eat less meat; and refuse to buy Styrofoam.

Do I believe these small changes will “stop” climate change? No, that train has long-since left the station. But I DO believe that if enough of us make enough small changes, we will eventually create an atmosphere – a tipping point – in which conservation and personal responsibility replace consumerism and “free” enterprise as core values by which we live. If we – the people – are willing to act, then so, too, must our businesses and government.

On 10-10-10, hundreds of thousands of people will be gathering at more than 5,600 Global Work Parties in 183 countries to address the climate crisis. They’ll be installing solar panels and windmills, planting trees and community gardens, laying out bike paths, cleaning up beaches and parks, and much more. Here at FAMU, we’ll be installing a rainwater-collection system on Jackson-Davis and repainting campus recycling bins as part of the FAMU Green Coalition’s 10-10-10 initiative.

The 10-10-10 call for action has come from 350.org, a group founded by well-known author and environmentalist Bill McKibbon and his colleagues. The number “350” refers to 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas), the level that scientists believe the earth can sustain and maintain human life as we know it. Unfortunately, we’re at about 390 ppm and rising. In my lifetime, the carbon dioxide level will never return to what it was when I was born.

You cannot use the excuse that “I didn’t know” when you finally start to connect the dots between the way you live and the realities of the climate crisis. Letting your car idle as you sit for 10 minutes in a drive-through so that you can purchase a hamburger, for example, is an incredibly “expensive” habit (in earth terms). According to an article in “Scientific American,” “... producing half a pound of hamburger for someone’s lunch ... releases as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as driving a 3,000-pound car nearly 10 miles.”

So I challenge you to “Do 10 for 10-10-10” for YOURSELF and for all living things on the planet. You can download the pledge card from the FAMU Green Coalition's website. Turn in your pledge to any dean’s office, SGA, Coleman Library, Student Health Services or Room 3022 SJGC by noon, Oct. 11. Speak loudly. Act boldly. And be part of the tipping point.