This week I was fortunate to hear one of our nation’s leading environmental activists speak here at Chautauqua Institution, and he scared the wits out of me — but he also gave me hope.

Bill McKibben is the founder of 350.org, an international organization that encourages the use of renewable energy and divestment from the fossil fuel industry. He reminded us of that the world’s current state is one of “enormous peril, with precious, little time to solve it…but if we really wanted to make that all-out push, there is no practical or technological reason that we couldn’t, in relatively short order, replace the coal, gas and oil that currently powers our world, with the sun and the wind that wash across this planet every day…We are called upon to act with all that we have. It is the fight of our time — and we need you.”

Why is this “inspirational?” Because we still have time to make a difference. We can and should act in whatever ways we believe are most helpful. But let’s do it ASAP.

Amen Bill!