With today being Earth Day and this week being National Park Service Week, I thought I would share this personal story and some images from one of my trips out West photographing and filming national parks. These images seem to be some of the favorites when my work is on display in galleries.
My Dilemma
You see, I have lived in Africa, toured Europe, and traveled to 47 of our 50 states numerous times with work or various adventures exploring and photographing our amazing planet. With all those travels, NC is where my soul finds rest. This is home. As a result, I have a long-term goal in convincing my wife that NC is where we should stay to raise our family as opposed to her home state of Florida. In order to keep her convinced, I have to make her feel as comfortable as possible wherever we live to distract her from suggesting we move to FL to be slowly destroyed by the sun and heat.
While trying to figure out the best way to make a home comfortable in the winter, my friend who operates an energy solutions company suggested we go with heating our floors via solar which would send hot water throughout the flooring system of the house. This is achieved by the solar array through a very complex system, storing water in large hot water heaters throughout the day. With tax incentives from the federal and state government, we found the whole concept too interesting to resist. I must admit, it is the most comfortable place to be in the winter. All of our friends love the feel when they come to visit. We really enjoy the feel of the house.
Why am I telling you that story?
Generation X and Millennials are very interested in finding ways to work to reduce our carbon footprint and get away from fossil fuels. It is very high on our radar. Personally, I probably became convinced of this higher calling while being a student at Appalachian State. Sustainable development, appropriate technologies, climate change and the emphasis of clean water are very much trending topics in conversation, regardless whether you are on campus or at one of Boone’s amazing new breweries. The community in Boone collectively values working to do their part as stewards of the earth. I cannot tell you how much it was emphasized. I guess all of the peer pressure worked.
Not only do I take climate change seriously enough to spend far more than I have ever spent on a car to install a system to heat my home, I am also prepared to stand up to the science deniers who are bought by fossil fuel companies in Congress. We have to ramp up this debate in Washington if we are to see real change in our lifetime. Our future literally depends on it.
I wish you all an excellent Earth Day and for those of you celebrating Passover, I wish you a wonderful time with your loved ones.
Supporting this campaign will help further the climate change debate on the side of those of us who love and care for our planet. Help us get this message out to more people to win this June 7th primary in the new 13th Congressional District from Greensboro to Mooresville.
