Join Our Next Climate Webchat: “Individual Action, Global Impact”

Climate change requires action on all fronts, and there are things everyone can do to make a difference.

In a September 29 webchat with students and participants worldwide, America.gov will present two speakers who believe in grassroots power. Both are helping people make changes in their lives and communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve their local environment.

Gabe Klein, director of Washington’s Department of Transportation, will discuss changes he’s pushed to get commuters in the U.S. capital out of their cars and onto bikes, buses and trains. Many of these initiatives are coming as much from the ground up as from the mayor’s office.

The second speaker, Ranjeet Walunj, will discuss The Sapling Project, a social media–based campaign that snowballed from a small tree-planting project in Mumbai to a nationwide movement to green India’s cities.

The online gathering, scheduled for 8 a.m. EDT (12:00 GMT) September 29, is titled “Individual Action, Global Impact.” It’s the second program in this season’s climate webchat series sponsored by the U.S. State Department to build a dialogue and spread knowledge about climate change — an issue that affects people worldwide.


Children and women in Chennai, India, show saplings they will plant to green their city.If you’d like to participate, go to https://statedept.connectsolutions.
com/climatechange. No registration is needed.

Simply choose “Enter as a Guest,” type in your preferred screen name and join the discussion. We accept questions and comments in advance of and at any time during the program.

The online conversations allow people on every continent to interact with climate change experts and activists from the U.S. government, the nonprofit sector and grassroots organizations in the United States and beyond.

We hope you’ll also make it to one of our upcoming programs. All start at 8 a.m. EDT (12:00 GMT) the day of the webchat (8 a.m. EST, 13:00 GMT after November 7).

“Can We Slow Down Climate Change?”
Date: Wednesday, October 13
Speaker: Rick Duke, deputy assistant secretary for climate policy, U.S. Department of Energy

“Adapting to a Changing Climate”
Date: Wednesday, October 27
Speaker: Jennifer Kurz, outreach director, U.S. Climate Action Network

“COP 16: Collaborating on Climate Change”
Date: Wednesday, November 10
Speaker: Jonathan Pershing, deputy special envoy for climate change, U.S. Department of State



Read more: http://www.america.gov/st/energy-english/2010/September/20100923134451KseviR0.7004053.html?CP.rss=true#ixzz10iFQCpQj