The Red, White, and Green

I’m going to be writing my own Earth Day post next week, but I thought this video of President Obama encouraging action at the individual level was pretty apropos, considering that there’s a lot of environmental inaction going on right now at the federal level.

True, there has been some promising change since Obama took office: His administration has increased fuel efficiency standards to 35.5 mpg, as well as allocated $2 billion for clean energy research through the American Reinvestment Recovery Act — heck, the First Lady is even encouraging local, organic farming by planting the first White House vegetable garden since the Roosevelt administration.

But there have been setbacks, too: the appointment of two big ag men to high-level agricultural posts; a section of the Tongass National Forest opened to logging; the stalling on the regulation of toxic coal ash; and, most recently, the reversal of the offshore drilling ban.

Still, I don’t think Obama is being insincere by telling Americans that their greatest hope for environmental change is through individual action; I think he’s being realistic. He’s seen time and time again — with his campaign, with the push for health care reform — that regular folks making small changes in their daily lives move the agenda a lot faster than a bunch of bickering bureaucrats.

As Thomas Jefferson said, A republican government is slow to move, yet once in motion, its momentum becomes irresistible. That momentum is us.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Want to know what you can do this Earth Day? Go to whitehouse.gov/earthday to find service projects in your area.

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