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Climate Change: The Next Tour of Duty

Submitted by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on Fri, 12/11/2009 - 12:39

As the "Veterans for American Power" buses traveled the United States over the course of the past few weeks, it was as though these returned veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan were on their next tour of duty. They had already volunteered to serve our country during a time of war, but the tour they are on now is to fight for American energy independence - another great challenge facing their generation and generations to come.

Yesterday, in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Oslo, President Obama stressed the importance of confronting climate change. The President said, "there is little scientific dispute that if we do nothing, we will face more drought, more famine, more mass displacement – all of which will fuel more conflict for decades." But, then he took it a step further by connecting the question of national security to the climate problem. "It is not merely scientists and environmental activists who call for swift and forceful action – it's military leaders in my own country and others who understand that our common security hangs in the balance."
 
That’s exactly the message that individuals behind Operation Free hope the President will carry forward when he joins world leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next week. Operation Free, a project of the Truman National Security Project, is leading a coalition of (largely Millennial) Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans who are working to broaden the debate over energy legislation. They are building a movement to make it clear that it’s not just environmentalists who care about or are talking about Mother Earth.
 
By enlisting the support of groups not traditionally associated with green issues, Operation Free has garnered the attention of everyone from local leaders to Members of Congress, and even the President himself. They have leveraged all of the tools at their disposal including Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube and their group blog to share their message, and with a dozen people off to Copenhagen this week, they will carry that message to world leaders who are gathered for the conference.
 
Last month, the Case Foundation released “All Volunteer Force: From Military to Civilian Service” a paper focused on the importance of engaging veterans in civilian service once they return home from duty. The report found that 92 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans agreed that serving their community is important to them, and their volunteerism rate is nearly double that of the adult population overall. Operation Free is an excellent example of how the unique skills, talents and perspectives of our newest veterans can be harnessed to tackle our nation's problems and lead the way to lasting solutions.
 
Although they have given much, veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan maintained that they have a great deal left to give. They are ready to continue to honor our country through service, this time as civilians - and we need to ensure there are new opportunities for this generation of veterans to use their unique talents and skills here at home.

 

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Blog Action Day: Going Green

Submitted by Kristin Ivie on Thu, 10/15/2009 - 12:07
Green people 2

Today is Blog Action Day, an annual event leveraging the power of blogs around the world to raise awareness and spark discussion on an issue and promote social change. This year, more than 9,000 bloggers are dedicating today's post to discussing climate change, and those posts are expected to reach more than 12 million readers. Although Social Citizens doesn't often tackle environmental issues, we couldn't pass up an opportunity to join a movement on the social web for social change. These are just a few ways Millennials can go, and already are going, green.

Buy Green. Being a green consumer is easier than ever, and it doesn't have to be limited to local produce, recyclable paper and reusable bags and water bottles. Last month, Newsweek released its first Green Rankings, which scores the 500 largest US-based companies on their efforts to cut emissions and adopt responsible environmental polices. Among the top 10 are Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Johnson & Johnson, Intel, IBM, Nike, and Starbucks. This list will make it easier for you to put your money where your mouth is when it comes to the environment. Check out Newsweek for the full list of rankings and some insight into why they took on this project.

Serve Green. As part of of the Serve America Act this year, President Obama created a Clean Energy Service Corps, which will be a part of AmeriCorps, and will train and put full-time volunteers to work on efficiency programs for homes and offices, weatherizing low-income homes and installing renewable energy systems. These new positions likely won't be announced until next year, so in the meantime you can explore existing AmeriCorps positions with an environmental focus, like wildlife restoration, trail building and invasive species removal. Or check out opportunities through the Corps Network, which enrolls more than 29,000 young people in service and conservation programs each year, and those young people, in turn, mobilize 227,000 volunteers who contribute 21.3 million hours of service every year.

Teach Green. Are you a student or teacher? Try one of these ideas to integrate environmental education into classrooms and community service. Edutopia's searchable database has more than 150 ways to engage other students on various climate topics, and you can add your own or rate and comment on projects you've tried.

Join Green. Even if you're not a blogger, there are endless ways for you to join the online effort to raise awareness and encourage action on climate change. Add a personal story on the UN Foundation Climate Board. Watch and vote in the Drive Smarter Video contest. Challenge a friend to an online environmental education game. Participate in the Greenpeace cool IT challenge campaign to turn IT industry leaders into climate advocates and solution providers.

Find other ways to take action at Change.org and see some of the thousands of other climate change posts from Blog Action Day.

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