Al Gore and Eric Teegarden

On Monday, October 23rd I went to see Al Gore give his presentation on Global Warming at the Key Arena in Seattle. Having already seen the movie, it was as if Gore had simply walked of the theater screen and onto the stage. There were times during the presentation when I found myself quoting the information as he was saying it as if it were some well memorized song lyric at a rock concert. The overall effect however was more powerful than I had expected. There was a passion and a determination in his voice that simply does not reproduce as well on film. Perhaps it was the experience of hearing and seeing the presentation in an arena with thousands of other interested and enthusiastic fellow citizens of the planet. It could simply be that I truly believe in the message and the messenger.

Of course we know that the purpose of the presentation is to motivate people to action. Obviously there are personal steps we all can take; recycling, public transportation, conservation, but the driving force behind Gore’s message is that we must come together to take civic and political action. We must start demanding action from our government, whether it be local, regional, or beyond. It was great to see this presentation in Seattle where Mayor Greg Nickels launched the Mayor’s initiative on the Kyoto Accords. But we do not all live in Seattle and city government can only do so much in and of itself. So where can we turn to make a real difference in the short term?

The Snohomish County PUD – the largest public utility district in the state and the twelfth largest in the country – is engaged in an election that may potentially set the course for energy creation and distribution effecting hundreds of thousands of energy consumers in the state. The race for Snohomish County PUD Commissioner pits an incumbent who has maintained a course of non-renewable fossil fuel reliance over her twelve years on this commission that has seen Snohomish County fall victim to costly Enron contracts and fall behind in the areas of renewable sourcing and conservation. The challenger, Eric Teegarden -a civil engineer with degrees in geophysics and earth science- is a dedicated activist for the cause of renewable energy sourcing and conservation.

There is a call to action to the citizens of this state and this country to stand up and make the changes necessary to change the course that has been set. Al Gore is calling to us to exhibit the kind of political will required to bring the about the changes necessary to save our planet. Supporting a “Green Energy” candidate like Eric Teegarden makes such a statement. You can make such a difference with a few dollars or a few phone calls but the time is short.

Make a difference – Contact Eric’s campaign at: http://www.Teegarden4Pud.com

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue