Mar
1
Moms on a Mission: Laurie David
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Questions and answers with environmental advocate Laurie David.
By Susan McGinnis.
Laurie David believes global warming is “a ticking time bomb,” and she’s on a crusade to stop it.
She’s well on her way with a best-selling book and as a producer of the Academy Award–winning
documentary An Inconvenient Truth.
Why is global warming your mission?
It’s the mother of all issues. If the health of our planet is in danger, everything we care about is in danger.
We are running out of time. There’s a window of opportunity to do something about it. If we do nothing,
the window is going to close.
Is it tough to explain this topic to children?
It’s actually really simple. I use this analogy: If you go to sleep at night and put a bunch of blankets on
you, at some point you get warm and kick the blankets off, and you have a great night’s sleep. Well,
we’re wrapping the planet with warm blankets, but the planet can’t kick them off.
What can kids do with information about global warming?
Kids are so powerful, and the biggest power they have is access to and influence on their parents.
They can say, ”Hey, what kind of car are we buying next—a hybrid?” ”Why are we driving an SUV, Dad?”
Kids are going to hold their parents to the fire one day. They’ll say, “You knew about global warming,
so what did you do about it?”
What else can kids do?
We have a virtual march on the internet: Kids can become virtual marchers at
www.stopglobalwarming.org and be counted. We need the power and the voice of those kids. Also,
every kid has a sphere of influence around them—doctors, coaches, teammates, schoolmates,
relatives. If each kid influences his or her circle, they’re all activists!
What are you hoping today’s kids will do as adults?
I hope they’ll be leaders on the issue of global warming. I hope they’ll change their personal habits
and help us change the habits of this country. I hope when they get jobs they make those businesses
green. I hope they make their own lives as green as they can.
What’s the best way for a parent, a kid, or anybody, to combat global warming?
The first thing is to educate themselves, and I suggest they read The Down-to-Earth Guide to
Global Warming, because education is power. Number two is to make personal changes. Change
a light bulb, use a reusable water bottle, recycle and reuse. Then we have to demand changes
of the country.
Any final words?
The debate is over on this. The globe is warming, humans are causing it, and now we all have to
do something. It’s not about everyone doing everything. But it is about everyone doing something.
