As of the 20th of January our country has a new president. I have no intention of going on a political rant in this post, my focus is more on what this means for the environment. First and foremost, any new enviromental policies or initiatives will be a huge step forward from anything that has happened under the last president. So regardless of the scope of what President Obama wants to accomplish, it most certainly be an improvement.
Here is a pdf file from the president's website that outlines what they propose to do: Environmental Plan. One thing that I will say is that at least this information is much more readily available for all of us now. Maybe I will start a check-list and check things off as they get done, though I imagine it would be quite a while till I'd even get to mark one off. These things take time.
What I hope will make a bigger impact is the way this guy speaks. Big government ideas and policies take a lot of time, have to go over tons of hurdles, and rarely come out in the end as the same way they went in. Every time Barack mentions the environment, or alternate energy, or rambles on about everyone doing their part, hopefully it inspires some people. Perhaps it will compel some influential people to make some big changes. The results of which I believe can make a huge difference. We live in a world where we all have to share the blame for what we do to our planet; from the byproducts of our manufacturing, to the fossil fuels we iginite so often, and to the ecosystems we devastate on a regular basis.
By this point we have all heard the speeches that emphasize "we" and how everyone has to work together. So let's hope people listen, because every alternate energy car we purchase, every solar panel we plop on the roof of our homes, every plastic bag we don't take just keeps us moving in the right direction.