Such a simple action, one night out that changed my life forever. As a University of Maryland (UMD) student this past spring, I attended the Connect4Climate Right Here, Right Now event at The World Bank in Washington, DC, to celebrate and recognize artists around the world who had participated in a competition to link conversations about global climate change to the local actions of our daily lives. I had no idea at the time what an impact this would have on me.
Our professor, Dr. Leszek Sibilski, had explained that along with the excellent opportunity of attending this event, a couple of students from another class were working on a video assignment and needed a little extra help. So a few of UMD students came together and had an excellent evening producing video clips and listening to The World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Sustainable Development Network Vice President Rachel Kyte, External Affairs Vice President Cyril Muller, Africa Vice President Makhtar Diop, the Global Environment Facilitys CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii, and the Italian Minister of the Environment Corrado Clini speak and celebrate youth engagement in creative climate action. Good music, good food and a tour of the World Bank Headquarters left us curious, concerned and inspired to do more. Later I found out that The World Bank, the Italian Ministry of Environment, and the Global Environment Facility in collaboration sponsored that event with more than 150 partners.
Students of the University of Maryland Contemporary Social Problems Class working on iChange competition videos with Professor Leszek Sibilski.
Source: connect4climate.org
"A message that would inspire thousands"
In the following weeks, the footage taken at the World Bank was stitched together with clips from inside the classroom and, after countless hours of effort put forth by the editors, our professor, and the whole class, we were beginning to see the makings of what Dr. Sibilski claimed to be a message that would inspire thousands. Our professor/mentor was a constant source of inspiration throughout the whole process, no matter how often we rolled our eyes and thought he was over the top with his expectations of our simple 5-minute video. He always stood by his word and kept us motivated.
On April 12, 2013, our video was launched on YouTube and the madness began! Everyone involved in the production sent the video off to all friends and family, which, due to our highly diversified classroom, touched base with people of all colors, cultures, and lifestyles in even the first few days. It was very cool seeing comments written in many different languages; symbolizing the unity of all humans on this issue that we are addressing. Soon enough we were recognized by our own local community, the University of Maryland, through published articles on the school website, sent out through email lists, and compliments by department heads.
Amidst all this excitement, I must admit, I did have my doubts about the video reaching 5000 views - the number promised to by our professor, because before long it was evident that the rate of views was slowing down and we were still at least 1000 short of our goal. So the semester ended and our class dispersed having fallen short of our goal, but still satisfied with the places our video had gone and the people it had inspired. So fast forwarding a bit, it was a hot summer day, July 10th to be exact, and having just got home from work I opened my computer and saw that not only had our video landed in Italy, but also had finally reached the 5000 mark and was now considered a transnational social movement! Our simple video began as a local action to promote climate awareness through the UMD student body and now has accumulated just under 6500 views, landed in just under 200 countries and on all six inhabited continents.
"The power to make change lies within the ability to raise social awareness"
Looking back on this overall experience, I believe that it has not only changed and inspired others, but it also has had an impact on my perspective of the world. Just the fact that a small video such as ours can bring such positivity and motivation to so many people of such importance, has given me the confidence to continue to fight for change over subjects that Im passionate about. Naturally, I am a pessimist, and often think that we are way past the point of no return for our beautiful planet, but Ive walked away from this experience with the notion that simply rolling over and giving up is simply not an option. From a very young age, Ive been entranced by nature and the balance of life, and its comforting to know that there are 6500 (and counting) that care about protecting whats left of the wonders of our Earth.
A vital lesson learned from this class video project is that the power to make change lies within the ability to raise social awareness; which is achieved through social action. At 20 years old Ive come to learn that people are busy! We all have personal responsibilities that tend to occupy the majority of their daily lives, which is why I now understand how useful little messages such as ours can be. At just 4 and a half minutes, I hope that whoever comes across our video will make time in their busy lives to watch it and, at the very least, hit the like button in order to strengthen our efforts towards a social action even the tiniest bit!
"The cleanliness and survival of our planet is our destiny"
Because of this video and the awareness of the climate change situation that it brought to me, I selected an internship with the Maryland Energy Administration working to incentivize the reduction of carbon dioxide through alternative energies (electric vehicles, solar arrays, and offshore wind farms).
However, the reality of the situation still did not register in my mind until I realized the size and magnitude of the initiative that the state of Maryland and many other states are levying against climate change. I had the privilege of working with Governor OMalleys energy advisor and the Maryland Clean Energy team as goals to reduce fossil fuel use and CO2 emissions were developed into legislation and resources were allocated to attain these goals. I immediately began to experience the power of legislation and the incentives that are being executed so that commercial industry and residential energy users alike can change to alternative energy sources. Everyone in Maryland can participate in some way if they are aware and committed to change.
I was privileged to attend the Maryland Climate Change Summit led by Governor OMalley and sponsored by the University of Maryland. I was stunned when I realized that Maryland is obligating billions of dollars in resources over the next few years to combat climate change. Government buildings will be relocated to higher ground. Shorelines are being reinforced and barriers to resist sea level rise are being built. Insurance companies and regulators are restricting areas that are no longer considered safe. This is happening "Here and Now"! Maryland is a progressive state and has joined a regional initiative to combat climate change. The hope is that other states will follow with similar strategies.
We, "The People" need to take heart in one another because we are why all this is so important! The cleanliness and survival of our planet is our destiny. Step up and take a stand to move forward and reduce climate disruptions caused by fossil fuels and negligent behaviors. Right here! Right now! Together!
Reprint from Whydah, Information and Policy Magazine of the African Academy of Sciences, Volume 17 No.3