Saving our planet


Hope you all are doing well.

I had a nice weekend with my family at the NC coast this week.  I have been coming to this beach since I was two years old, so this is like a second home to me . . . and I am acutely aware that its days are numbered.  I have watched as the high tide on the back side of this very low and flat barrier island has crept higher and higher.  Last night we took a bike ride when the tide had come in, and for the first time we saw the water lapping at the edge of the road on the back side of the island.  It’s just a matter of time before the road begins flooding, eventually blocking access to the houses on the other side.

Climate change is happening, and it’s accelerating.  Sadly, many people have become fatalistic about the future because they see no solution to a problem this big.  If there is one thing I have learned in my life, though, it’s that most problems come with a solution.

We should of course continue moving as quickly as possible to renewable energy.  But just as important, if we stop eating animals, we could free up the massive amount of land used to support this practice (a lot of which is used to grow the feed necessary to sustain these animals we eat).  A large portion of this land would naturally regenerate, cleansing our rivers, streams and oceans, and creating new habitat for the other species who have an equal right to this planet.  These new forests also would draw down massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere.  Carbon accounts for about half of the dry weight of a tree.  And there is even more carbon in our planet’s soil, more than in its living plants and atmosphere combined.  Trees not only pull carbon into the soil, but help to hold it in place.

This is perhaps our only solution, but it won’t be an easy one, like changing our tax code or passing legislation to rebuild our infrastructure.  I believe we can make this change only by enabling millions of people to reach out and help those around them go plant-based. 

To support this vision, we have been programming a new web-based social action platform which will enable people to connect with one another, and to access and implement defined outreach strategies in their communities.  Our intent is to beta test this site, with public involvement, then by the end of the year or early next year, to launch it nationwide, opening it up to groups in communities everywhere.  Stay tuned for details about an upcoming webinar to introduce the platform!

In the meantime, I hope you all are doing well.  Enjoy the last days of your summer!

Nelson Campbell


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