The oil consumption of automobiles is a large contributor to global warming today. However, technology has provided alternatives to the modern day gas guzzler. Hybrid cars, electrical motors, and fuel-efficient cars can travel more miles on less gas. Both are great fuel-saving options.

Raise awareness of these different eco-friendly options in your hometown. Write letters to different parties suggesting changes they can implement to promote a healthy environment.

Who can you write to?

A local official such as a mayor, a governor, or a senator.

• In this letter, you can convey your concerns for the welfare of the earth, citing statistics that demonstrate the damage global warming will have in the future (you can check out our global warming factsheets for some stats).
• Suggest the enforcement of standard air pollution tests and a minimum mile-per-gallon rate for cars in your town.

A local car dealer or company.

• If they do not carry hybrid or fuel efficient models, you can ask them to offer consumers the eco-friendly option in the near future.
• If they do carry such models, encourage the salespeople to endorse such alternatives to uninformed customers.

School officials are also a great audience for environmental change.

• Ask them to consider using hybrid school buses or more fuel-efficient methods of transportation for school trips.
• Another way school officials can help stop global warming is by changing the things we learn in school. Propose the addition of environmental awareness into our education curriculum, so kids can learn more about it at school.

The amazing people who have created mobile buses that run on vegetable fuel.

• There are various people you can contact regarding these veggie-fueled buses. You can find their contact information and other details on their sites. Here are some to get you started:

  http://www.biotour.org/

  http://www.batmakumba.com/veggie.html

  http://www.cleanfuelcaravan.org/

  http://www.veggiebus.com/

  http://thayer.dartmouth.edu/other/thebiggreenbus/

• Ask them if they can come to your school to show kids the cool side of vegetables—they can even drive up to school in their vehicles.
• You can even ask them to put on a presentation afterwards to feed the interested students information regarding global warming.

Snail Mail or E-Mail?

People check their emails obsessively these days, so emails will probably get read sooner. However, snail mail allows your letter to stand out—they will have to sit down and take time to read it, giving them more time to think about your ideas.

Uh…What Was His Name Again?

• Who are you writing to? Remember to keep a polite, formal tone throughout the letter, as you want them to take you seriously.
• Emphasize the most important points and keep the letter concise. Write only about the things that are relevant to your audience.

You’ve Just Gotta Feel It

Let the people know just how much you care about the issue, so write with passion and enthusiasm! In other words, don’t sound like a bore. Make sure you check out the facts before writing:

Get Bob or Susan to Read It

Reading the letter/email out loud will prove to be worthwhile. How do you sound? If you were the one to receive the letter, would you care about what you were reading?

Sign, Seal, and Deliver!

• Do a little research and find out the exact address of whoever it is that you’re writing to. Sign the letter with a flourish, seal the envelope, and deliver it!
• If it’s an email, it is generally believed that the best times to send emails are Tuesdays to Thursday mornings. Just a suggestion, though.

Sample Letter:

July 12, 2006

Dear Superintendent William Davis,

I am currently a high school student attending my third year at HillCrest High School. Recently, I have become very involved with the impending issue of global warming through various clubs and volunteer activities. However, as I began to learn more about the matter through these outside sources, I noticed that there was a serious lack of information about global warming and the environment in the education curriculum itself.

For example, the only time the term “environmental awareness” was ever mentioned in school was in biology class, when we discussed the effects of smog on plant life. Even then, it was discussed very briefly, with no mention of global warming. I would love for the other students of my school to learn as much about the environment as I’m learning, and there seems to be a clear solution. If you were to set aside one day in the district schools’ calendars as “Love a Green Earth” day, students all across the region will learn more about the environment naturally. No serious changes to the curriculum will have to be made, but everyone can still benefit greatly from this simple reminder.

There are many of us here at HillCrest High who genuinely hold concern for the wellbeing of the earth. It would please us greatly to know that our concerns will be reflected in the school’s attitude, as well as in a majority of the student body.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

(Handwritten signature)

Michael Tucker