Last night I had the privilege of hearing James Balog speak at Drake’s Knapp Center. James is a National Geographic photographer who documents climate change. His speech last night focused on the Glaciers that have been melting at an extremely rapid pace which he has documented with 25+ cameras in hand and mounted to rocks in the outdoor climate.*

Breathtaking is a word to describe the photos of his discoveries.

He touched base on three things I want to relate to:
1. Perception
2. #eyeseechange
3. Using your voice

Yes, we know the glaciers are melting but to see how much and how fast was scary. He was able to capture the largest glacier that has ever broke off into the ocean. With a volume loss of 1.8 cubic miles. Compare that to sizes we can relate to… It’s similar to 3000 White Houses falling into the ocean. Watch this video at 16:00min to grasp what that looks like.

Speaking of perspective, James had a slide that said ‘Perception Matters’ and I couldn’t agree more. We MUST change our perception and take steps to reducing our energy consumption. There are a million ways we can do this, so just start doing it! Say no to plastic bags and styrofoam containers, stop being so wasteful and turn off your computer at night. These are easy steps with big impacts. It’s just one step at a time and one foot in front of the other.

James is also using social media and our access to instant images to help the world see these changes. Start taking those photos and use the hashtag #eyeseechange to keep the conversation going. It’s up to each and every one of us to be a part of the solution and extremely easy to do.

We also have another useful tool at our disposal, our voice. He talked about using your voice too. We as human beings have the ability to express complicated thoughts so start speaking up. Say something! Keep telling your boss you want a recycling solution, tell your friend it’s not cool to litter, share your knowledge with others. That is why we have a voice, to share it with others.

There is an incredible group of kids in DSM that are using their voice to make change in their community. Their topics may not be directly related to global warming but they are using their voice to make a positive impact in their schools, their homes and their community. Lucky for you, you have the chance to see how that works tonight at the Hoyt Sherman Place at 6:30. The kids from Movement 515 and RunDSM are hosting their first annual DSM Poetry Slam and believe me these kids have something to say. Come watch how they bravely share their voice and learn how to do it yourself.

Change your perception, make those changes, use your voice and your technology #eyeseechange, come watch these DSM kids for some inspiration tonight and then go watch Chasing Ice. All in a days work of making a difference.

*Note: A free screening of James Balog’s “Chasing Ice” will be shown on April 6th & 7th at 7:00pm in Drake’s Olmsted Theater