It’s an Obama Morning in America

Barack Obama

In just a few days, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States and I will breathe a big sigh of relief for my country, the world, and last, but not least for the safety of the environment. It’s not just that the Bush Administration has been incompetent when it comes to stewardship of the earth and its resources. It has, either through greed or ignorance or both, squandered my nation’s resources and done great damage to our already stressed environment; all in the name of free markets and the bottom line. I can feel all that changing now, even as the reviewing stand is being erected in front of the Capitol Building and Bush is saying his good-byes. He can’t get off the stage soon enough for me.

Ready for the White House

I will be glued to my TV on January 20th to say hello to Obama and the beginning of a new and better era for those of us who want clean air, renewable energy, and a future for our children. In spite of the fact that the economy is in the toilet, the world is at war, and the weather is downright scary, I am optimistic. Obama gives me hope. I listerned carefully during the campaign to his plan to create 3 million new green collar jobs, to put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars — cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon — on the road by 2015, and to ensure that 10% of our nation’s electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012–only three years from now. I think he understands the problems and is serious about solving them. With our help, I think he can do it.

It is crucial that we ordinary American citizens get behind Obama’s energy program and work with him to make it all happen for reasons you probably already know, like the fact that CO2 levels worldwide are rising faster than expected and the Greenland icecap is melting three times faster than we thought it was. I know that you already recycle and carry cloth bags to the grocery store. But with the change of administrations, there is soon going to be lots more for all of us to do. Citizen blogs and websites are already issuing calls to action. Local groups are forming to support local projects. There is not time to waste. Let’s get on the bandwagon and make it happen. It is indeed morning in America again–but this time it’s not a Reagan morning. It’s an Obama morning–one that echos the rallying cry of the campaign. YES WE CAN.