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Make A New Years Resolution 2013

/ Post by Katie Billing

Michael Jordan, Gandhi, Oprah, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, Jane Goodall, Steve Irwin. These are a few names of some of the most influential individuals this earth has had. Why are these people so memorable? Because they have passion. These people have motivated the world with speeches, free-throws, acts of non-violence, and sharing their adoration for chimpanzees or crocodiles. What makes you different from these people? Nothing! Sure, maybe they have a TV show or were the President of the United States. But honestly, with a little bit of passion, we all could be just as influential as the big wigs.

We all have different jobs and different purposes in life. I may be going to school to become a conservation leader and you may be a teacher, a retail clerk, or a district attorney. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is this question: Do you love the world you live in? If you care about our planet or the future children who will inhabit it, you can take time out of your busy life to preserve it. Most people have already been bombarded with, “Do these small things to stop global warming!” and “If you don’t buy a Hybrid then you kill polar bears!” Nobody likes to hear that. Nobody likes hearing the words “climate change” or “global warming” because people simply hate conflict and don’t want to add stress to already stressful lives.

People want simplicity. But sometimes, life isn’t easy. Right now all humans on this planet face the largest battle in the history of mankind. Humans vs. planet Earth.  Truthfully, Mother Nature can survive without us. Everything is connected in nature and we are a part of that. We rely on natural resources. If the animals die out, ultimately, so do we. This is war. This is happening right now. We need to change right now, not with little things, but with big things.

If an individual with passion can make an impact in a community like so many young adults we hear of today, imagine what a passionate community can do? I ask you to make a pledge for the new year.

Pledge to join the passionate community of scientists, educators, students, employers, children, and volunteers who make a difference. Pledge to be a passionate individual by communicating the problems of climate change with plans to make big impacts. Get the local school district to recycle, ask your mayor to allow backyard chickens in your neighborhood, start a community garden, the list goes on. I ask you to pledge to join our PBI family so that you can say “I helped change the world. I helped save the polar bears.” Wouldn’t that be an incredible thing to say? Imagine the overwhelming joy you will feel. You don’t need any awards or a tv show about how you saved the world. You need the voiceless “Thank you” from the millions of species on our planet.

The movement has begun; it is up to you to join us and make an impact that will last lifetimes.