On the topic of the environment and climate change, I really do believe that we are past the point of awareness. In fact, the level of awareness is probably higher than it has ever been. The goal of advocacy at this stage should be “about action and, specifically, policy change (government and corporate).

I respect the desire of bloggers to come together to try to create change. I want it to continue. But if you’re going to harness that energy, do it in a way that makes strategic, political sense, that analyzes the business context of the change that you seek.

In other words, keep it coming, but do it right.

And, yeah, stop flying to a conference every week (where the same thing is said over and over again anyway). Changing your personal behavior would do wonders for the environment.

I agree, though, that talking will only do so much and we need to come up with actions, just as your boss suggested. My goal in my own Oct. 15 piece was to talk about the issue while giving useful tips for what someone’s actions can be. My topic was on safe needle disposal (my blog is about diabetes, and many people with diabetes have to inject themselves). In order to protect the environment and animals, it’s important to safely dispose of these needles, so I provided links and information on how to do that. Several people emailed me and told me that they didn’t realize what they could do and are planning on using some of my suggestions. So as long as we don’t become an echo chamber of warnings and actually provide tangible, realistic steps to follow, I think these blog action days will be useful and hopefully we will see a difference.

You are exactly right. The Bloggers Unite program has been working to ensure all social awareness campaigns employ a tangible action off the Internet as well as a call for action on the Internet. The first campaign (there have been five different campaigns) raised funds for thousands of classes across the United States and resulted in securing some permanent donors and promoters for DonorsChoose.org.

We are hoping to do the same for Amnesty International. Since Bloggers Unite For Human Rights still has some momentum behind it, Amnesty International and BlogCatalog are considering making May 15 a designated day for human rights.

Likewise, while I still reading thousands of posts, most of the bloggers had links to action areas where bloggers and blog readers could become a member, make a donation, write their representative. I also had an opportunity to speak with Veronica De La Cruz again last Friday. She was amazed, she said, that the campaign seemed to chaneg the behavior of millions a people. That is how great things start.

Hope you can join us next time. And thank you again.

All my best,
Rich