To Till and to Tend

I'm in a very good mood right now. Those of you who regularly read my posts, may know that this is not always the case. But tonight was a very good night. For one, it was Dolly Parton night on American Idol. And I love Dolly Parton. (I've been to Dollywood three times.) But Dolly alone does not account for my delight. Tonight was also the inaugural night of the Al Gore "We" campaign. So, between renditions of Dolly Parton songs (and even a song by the diva herself), I viewed an extraordinary commercial about the need for US action on climate change.

Al Gore launched a three-year, commercial-scale climate change campaign tonight. The plan, which will feature television, print, radio and online advertising has been hailed by the Washington Post as "one of the most ambitious and costly public advocacy campaigns in U.S. history." The goal is to engage 10-million climate activists. The civil rights movement boasted 5 million. Significantly, Gore has dedicated all of the proceeds from "An Inconvenient Truth" and his share of the Nobel Peace Prize (among other things) to help fund the $300-million, three-year campaign. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.

The debut commercial is powerful. It challenges: "We didn't wait for someone else to guarantee civil rights or put a man on the moon. And we can't wait for someone else to solve the global climate crisis." As I wrote here and here, I couldn't agree more.

Gore's campaign couldn't come at a better time. The U.S. Senate is poised to consider federal climate change legislation in June. Yet, as I wrote in my post last week, far too many of our political leaders lack the courage to acknowledge the need for aggressive action. No one wants to be held responsible for voting for legislation that may increase electric prices in their jurisdiction or make it more expensive for their constituents to continue fueling their SUVs. And our Senators don't know that we're willing to accept these comparatively minor inconveniences. And, the sad truth is, many Americans aren't. Yet, Gore's campaign promises to speak to the masses – to persuade across political boundaries – about the importance of action. By reaching out to the captive viewers of prime time television, Gore will mobilize America – and, in turn, empower our leadership. Because the "inconvenient truth" is that we are all going to have to make sacrifices to solve climate change.

Please click here to join his campaign – and tell the world that We can solve the climate crisis.