What's MY Story?

Published May 06, 2009 @ 01:32PM PT

Hi Friends,

As an online organizing intern for  Greenpeace, I feel that it is essential to  stop the effects of Global Warming as soon as possible. But this feeling didn't come out of thin air. A lot of my life has been spent as an avid supporter of the environment, from the days where I'd watch Captain Planet religiously to today, where I work helping people like you make a difference.

That's why I want to share my story with you. Check out more stories and share your own on greenpeace.org!

Growing up in suburban Michigan, in a city where everybody knows someone who has worked - and been laid off - by the big auto companies, global warming was not brought up too often.

While people in and around my city literally made their living off of machines that spewed gargantuan amounts of greenhouse gases, I was watching "An Inconvenient Truth," applauding Al Gore for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, taking environmental courses and conducting experiments on how eco-friendly my pint-sized Volkswagen Rabbit actually is. Turns out, modern EPA standards for vehicles are significantly better than even 10 years ago, but they are still not good enough!

I was also making trips back and forth between Michigan and India. As an Indian - American, I noticed a severe difference in air quality between Michigan and India. It was harder to breathe in India, and it was much, much hotter. Smog is no myth, the air is visibly filled with dust and other pollutants - layering overpopulated cities with a layer of brown haze.

While seeing "An Inconvienient Truth," I not only saw the receding glaciers in the Arctic region, but I also saw the effect Global warming would have upon India, where smog was already simulating what the world could feel like under the pressure of greenhouse gases.

So, as a freshman at New York University, I jumped at the opportunity to work for Greenpeace and help out with the movement to stop global warming. I soon discovered that I'm not the only one who actively supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. There are many people across the country who share my sentiments and truly desire to save the climate.

That's what Greenpeace is about, really; connecting people from every walk of life to take part in a movement that we all believe to be the most important aspect of constructing our future. That's why I want to hear your story, because it's people like you who motivate me to continue fighting against big fossil fuel companies every day.

Share your story and let others know why you care!

Congress also needs to know about our stories. I recently read an article about how, if the government had not banned CFCs back in the 80s, two-thirds of our ozone layer would have been gone by 2050, causing a sunburn after spending 5 minutes outside in Washington D.C.!

The results of global warming are shocking and we need legislation in order to ensure that something like this doesn't ever happen. With your help, together we can send a message to congress letting them know that we care about our environment and we want to stop Global Warming.

Take a moment to share your story. We'll send it to your congressional representative and post it to the Greenpeace story center so other activists know why you care about stopping global warming!

For the Planet,
Prerana

Greenpeace USA