Say Goodbye to Guacamole... No Way!

Throughout my childhood, the term "global warming" was not a big issue. Had you asked me two days ago what I am doing to reduce global warming, I would have probably said... "There's nothing I can do about it." Of course my parents constantly complained when my sister and I would leave on every light in the house or forget to cut off the water while brushing our teeth, but to be completely honest, I assumed they were just wanting to save a little money on the bills that month.

When Dr. Miller, my public relations professor, introduced my PR administration class to Blog Action Day, I was amazed. Nearly 8,000 bloggers from 140 different countries blogging about the same issue of global importance... Must be about something important! Then I heard the topic-- Climate change. Oh no! I had absolutely zero knowledge on the subject. It's not that I did not believe that it was going on (surely the smartest scientists in the world wouldn't make something of this magnitude up), but I always thought it was the big industries causing the increase in average temperatures.

Okay, so it's getting a little warmer every year. Of course I miss the little snow that Georgia saw every winter when I was young and making snow sleds out of floats from the pool. However, I love the short winters and warm spring breaks. A link on the Blog Action Day website led me to "The Top 100 Effects of Global Warming." Immediately, I wanted to make a difference! All of my favorite things were on the "Goodbye" list, including: wine, Christmas trees, fly fishing, the great American past time of baseball, my favorite snack-guacamole and many more. With rising temperatures, the website also informed me that I would have more itchy mosquito bites, poison ivy, tornadoes (yikes!) and several of my other worst nightmares.

There are several things that I can do now to help out with climate change. Starting now, I am going to recycle, quit using plastic bottles, plant some trees, buy some of the weird looking LED bulbs, hang up more clothes to dry rather than using the dryer and take advantage of car pooling when traveling with friends. My car, although not electric, does get an average of 30 miles per gallon, but I have realized that I definitely need to cut back on my "joy riding" time to help with the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Since I am a PR major, it is my job to spread the word! I am immediately going to start by informing my friends of the dangers of climate change, ways that they can help out and why it's important. I may also look into getting involved with a local organization that focuses on global warming and help speak out on the situation. I mean... This is pubic relations.

One day, I hope to work in the public relations department of NASCAR. I have grown up around the sport and thoroughly enjoy everything about it. When I typed in "NASCAR and global warming" into my search bar, I expected hundreds of websites dedicated to the million ways NASCAR contributes to climate change. Surprisingly, however, the entire first page of results were ways in which the corporation was taking their own steps to help out with the issue. This year, in fact, NASCAR began planting trees at Cup races "to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of NASCAR, while raising awareness of conservation among fans," NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said (nascar.com). In just one year, NASCAR will plant 20 acres of of new trees. In addition, several drivers are beginning to work on the levels of carbon dioxide emitted by their cars by working with hybrid technologies. NASCAR's green initiative is off to a good start, and if I get a job there one day, I would be thrilled to help out with this wonderful project.

If you're like me and think that there is nothing you can do to help out with climate change, do some research! I guarantee that your opinion on the situation will be changed drastically. Thanks to Blog Action Day, I plan on making the world a better place to live!