Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Some Early Encouragement

Right now we're focusing on getting commitments from the list of people we'd like to interview in our video tour and the responses have been beyond what I expected! I figured that at least some of the people on our list would be tough to get through to - you know, I send an inquiry through their websites that has to go through several layers before reaching the intended party, IF it ever reaches that far. I tried for the hardest first, figuring I'd have to email and call persistently to get noticed. We've gotten quick, enthusiastic responses from everyone we emailed, and people are excited to be included in our video project. The fact that we've gotten so many enthusiastic responses is very encouraging to me, that other people support our project and are willing to take some time from their busy schedules to meet with us. We'll be continuing to focus this week on getting commitments from people on our list.

If you haven't yet seen, heard, or read Al Gore's speech last week challenging America to use 100% renewable energy in 10 years, I highly recommend it. I think it is one of the most important speeches in my lifetime.

When I saw 'An Inconvenient Truth' several years ago, I didn't feel overwhelmingly depressed because I was doing something, albeit small. I was (and still am) driving on alternative fuel, so I knew it was possible to personally walk away from an addiction to oil. Gore's recent speech sent a a clarion call, and with our video project we are answering back loudly! What difference can individuals make? Our videos will give an overview of our nation's renewable energy solutions, and once people see how many resources we have available, they CANNOT insist that a renewable future is impossilbe. We will help show what's possible!

Getting off the ground

This is the first blog post for our cross-country eco-video project!

We'd like to welcome our first sponsor, Greenfeet.com, a green retailer online that was voted by Co-Op America as one of the top 10 green businesses in America. Owner Valerie Reddeman is one of our interviewees in our travel project. Check out www.Greenfeet.com, which sells all kinds of green products for everyday living.

Our video 'Transportation of the Future' was just chosen as one of the top 3 entries in the US PIRG video contest for sustainable transportation! The top 3 videos have been sent to US PIRG's 200,000 members online to vote on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Voting doesn't wrap up for another month, so we'll let you know the results when they come in. In the meantime, here's our video:

For the next two weeks, we'll be focusing on getting confirmations from our list of interviewees across the country. Hopefully nobody will want to play hard-to-get!

Be well,
Colin