When the going gets tough, the tough get heroes. Al Gore is
one of my heroes. He has all the qualities a modern superhero should
have: an enlightened vision, willingness
to take on the villains, persistence, and dashing good looks - at least I think
so.
Here are highlights from Al Gore’s speech A
Generational Challenge to Repower America. A member of Al's Hollywood entourage, Will.i.am even came from LA to hear him speak.
If you don’t like Al Gore, then let's try to imagine that someone
else is talking. One of the key things we must do is de-politicize the environment. Taking a vitamin pill is not a political issue.
Going to the gym, drinking clean water, or breathing clean air are not political issues. Living on a
healthy planet is not a political issue, or is it?
A grassy park brings people
from all walks of life together. The day that the environment became a “left”
issue was the day that we started having problems. We do not have to choose
between the environment and jobs. Green jobs hold great promise for a renewed,
self-sufficient, prosperous U.S. economy. The
environment can unify us, not divide us.
I admit that the former Vice President may not be the best person to de-politicize green and clean, but here is the best of Al:
Sun & Wind & Geo Rule: “Enough solar energy falls on
the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire
world's energy needs for a full year. Enough wind power blows through the
Midwest corridor every day to also meet 100 percent of electricity demand. Geothermal
energy is capable of providing enormous supplies of electricity for America.”
Repower America: “Today I
challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from
renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years.”
We Are Doing What?: “We are borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian
Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of
that's got to change.”
As Oil Prices Rise, Sun Prices Fall: “When demand for oil
and coal increases, their price goes up. When demand for solar cells increases,
the price often comes down. That’s the difference. Sunlight is free forever.”
Green Jobs: “When we
send money to foreign countries to buy nearly 70 percent of the oil we use
every day, they build new skyscrapers and we lose jobs. When we spend that
money building solar arrays and windmills, we build competitive industries and
gain jobs here at home.” [Huge applause]
Who is Benefiting from the Status Quo?: “There are those who will tell us this can't
be done. Some of the voices we hear are the defenders of the status quo - the
ones with a vested interest in perpetuating the current system, no matter how
high a price the rest of us will have to pay.”
American People Want Change:
“To those who say the challenge is not politically viable: I suggest
they go before the American people and try to defend the status quo. Then bear
witness to the people's appetite for change. The time is now."
Status Quo is a No Go:
"I for one do not believe our country can withstand 10 more years of the
status quo. Our families cannot stand 10 more years of gas price increases. Our
workers cannot stand 10 more years of job losses and outsourcing of factories.
Our economy cannot stand 10 more years of sending $2 billion every 24 hours to foreign
countries for oil. Our soldiers and their families cannot take another 10 years
of repeated troop deployments to dangerous regions that just happen to have
large oil supplies.”
Plug-Ins For All: We
could increase the value and efficiency of the grid by helping our struggling
auto giants switch to the manufacture of plug-in electric cars.”
Policy Matters: “I
have long supported a sharp reduction in payroll taxes with the difference made
up in CO2 taxes. We should tax what we burn, not what we earn."
Drilling Won’t Matter:
“When people rightly complain about higher gasoline prices, we propose
to give more money to the oil companies and pretend that they're going to bring
gasoline prices down. It will do nothing of the sort, and everyone knows it.”
China is Gulping Oil:
“If you want to know the truth about gasoline prices, here it is: the
exploding demand for oil, especially in places like China, is overwhelming the
rate of new discoveries by so much that oil prices are almost certain to continue
upward over time no matter what the oil companies promise.”
A Generational Call:
“This is a generational moment. A moment when we decide our own path. We're
committed to changing not just light bulbs, but laws. And laws will only change
with leadership.”
Man on the Moon, Man on Earth: Just as we put a man on the moon in 1969, “we
must now lift our nation to reach another goal that will change history. Our
civilization depends upon us embarking on a new journey of exploration and
discovery [to end our reliance on fossil-based fuels]. We have an opportunity
to take a giant leap for humankind."
Thinking about this, it does seem almost silly how wedded we
are to fossil fuels, which will run out.
They are fossils and by definition, they are old and finite and dirty. Decayed
organic matter. Would we burn a cemetery for energy? That is essentially what we are doing. How
does that celebrate life? The sun shines
down on us every day. The wind blows every day. The Earth's core boils every
day. We can take advantage of these “free” renewable and clean sources of
energy every day.
Sometimes I feel like Lois Lane, waiting for Al Gore to swoop
down and take me for a ride high above the clouds to save the planet. We need Al Gores in our life to help us
envision a brighter future. But in our modern society, every
person who embraces the connection between ourselves and the planet is a hero
in his/her own right. So is every person who makes 1-2 small changes or spreads
the word about how ecofabulous it can be to live a healthy lifestyle. Going
forward, we need champions for change, not defenders of the status quo. We need
heroes like Al Gore and like all of us.
Watch Al Gore's speech or visit www.wecansolveit.org
- How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems, and it is hotter
than a solar thermal plant.