I was just seventeen years old when the world media turned its attention to the student protest in Tiananmen Square. I remember vividly seeing that photo of that lone protestor facing down a line of tanks, tears in my eyes and my heart lodged in my throat. I was in awe of that person’s courage and determination in the face of insurmountable strength.

 

Oddly, I was also a little sad. In the late-eighties prosperity and comfort of middle America, it seemed as if the need and the opportunity for such displays were a thing of the distant past. Long ago, Americans fought for the rights the Chinese students now wanted, and we won. Which is a good thing … and yet, romantic teenager that I was, I yearned for the chance to make a difference in the world. To fight for something in which I believed totally. To fight the good fight.

 

Fast forward nearly twenty years to the weeks following the birth of my son this past January. Some people suffer from post-partum depression, but me? I gotta be unique. I suffered from post-partum panic. (And, yes, this is something my obgyn diagnosed me with). I lied awake for weeks on end—not because my newborn wouldn’t let me sleep—but feeling nervous and panicky, most of my fears stemming from things I’d read or heard about declining oil reserves. Here I had these two beautiful children, but I’d born them into a world of burgeoning population, dwindling natural resources, and potential environmental catastrophes.

 

So how did I snap out of my funk? One night while chopping vegetables, trying to keep the panic at bay, I remembered those Chinese students from 1989, braving facing down their government for the basic rights all humans should have. And that’s when it hit me. In terms of big causes and worthy fights, it doesn’t get any bigger than saving the earth and the human race. I’d wanted a good fight. Well, maybe this was it. The environment could be my Tiananmen Square.

 

Now, the Geek and I are already pretty environmentally aware. We drive fuel efficient cars and we recycle anything that doesn’t move. Still we needed to do more. Bringing those green tote bags to the grocery store just didn’t seem like enough. So we’re looking into putting solar cells on our house and I’ve started to hang our clothes out on the line to dry. Still I’ve been itching to do more. To find a flag to rally behind.

 

Friday afternoon, I found it when I watched Al Gore’s speech challenging America to produce all of its energy from clean sources within the next ten years. Now, I know we don’t usually talk politics. But to me even though Al Gore is a former democratic VP, this isn’t a political issue. It’s a human race issue.

 

Gore’s speech was inspiring and the challenge is a daunting one. But I’m excited by the prospect of our nation joining together to do something great. If you haven’t seen Gore’s speech, you can watch see the highlights at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idlJDcr669o

 

Okay, I’m off my soapbox now. Back to our regularly scheduled programming of fun and romance.