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do you feel like "green" is a trend?i think it's fascinating that in vogue magazine this month, in a fall fashion spread, all the models are leaning against either solar panels or hybrid cars. that's a mainstream magazine combining the message with fashion. but here's the thing: i work on this issue for one reason, and one reason only. this is the most selfish thing i have ever done; i work on this issue because i am terrified. i'm terrified as a mom, i'm terrified as a human being. i've talked to dozens and dozens of scientists, people who are on the front rows of this issue and have been studying it for thirty years. the scientists have been ringing the alarm for decades, and we're not listening, and the debate is over. the globe is warming, humans are causing it, and there is a window of maybe, at the most, a decade, but they said that two years ago. and, by the way, scientists are the most cautious people on the planet, so if they say we have ten years to really get moving on this problem, then i'm thinking, 'okay, maybe six years,' and i have an overactive checker in my mind, so maybe it's even four, i don't know. but this is what drives me, and this is what should be driving everybody.your book the down-to-earth guide to global warming with cambria gordon is a children's book. why did you and cambria write it?we had this idea: there are 74 million kids in america under the age of eighteen, and i started thinking about the power of my own kids, when they really want something, the nagging power of kids to get something done. maybe they can help influence their parents, and maybe they can influence their teachers. so we had to write this information for them, we had to turn them all into global-warming activists.what would you say to a kid who was getting anxious about polar bears going away forever?there are studies showing that there is a growing anxiety among kids about the problem of global warming, they're hearing about it everywhere, they're hearing about it in school, they're seeing it in movies, they're seeing it in extreme weather events that are happening around the country, they're worried about the demise of their childhood icon the polar bear, and they need the truth. they need to know what's happening, why it's happening, and then they need to be empowered to do something about it, and that's what i think this book will help them do. because really, how many other issues out there are there, that there's something actually that you can do about it? that's the empowering thing. it's small things and big things. yes, we need seriously gigantic ideas to solve this, but part of this problem is a shift in consciousness. we have to really change the way we're doing things. it starts with a light bulb, it starts with a plastic bag, it starts with using a mug instead of a paper cup. all the things that we're doing that we're not thinking about where it comes from. plastic water bottles, we now have an entire generation of kids growing up thinking that the only way to drink water is from a plastic water bottle, and we all do it, we all carry these plastic water bottles around, and plastic is made from petroleum, and the manufacture of these bottles causes global-warming pollution. by the way: 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away every hour, think about that, it's kind of outrageous. so cami and i wrote this book; we wanted to get kids involved in this movement. the movement to stop global warming has to become the biggest movement the country has ever seen. and we all have to vote, but we vote every day when we shop too: how many plastic bags do you take every single day? this is really an important point: perfect is the enemy of good. this is not about anyone being perfect. you cannot live in today's culture and world, and not be a global-warming emitter. but there's a heck of a lot we can do, and if we change one or two things, we're gonna change three or four things, and then we're gonna influence our circle around us, and then we're gonna start demanding it from our businesses, and demanding it from our cities, and you see how the effect goes. cambria gordon, co-author: i just would say a little bit about the format of the book. a reporter yesterday talked about it as a 'road map for global warming,' and i was really excited by that, because what this book does, is it tells kids all the science in a way that they can relate to. we actually make global warming funny, which is quite an accomplishment for such a serious issue. it's filled with very, very interesting facts. for instance, i bet you didn't know that the indy 500 is now using 100% fuel-grade ethanol in all their cars. also bet you didn't know that cambridge university had a shut-off day; they turned off their computers and their lights, and they reduced their energy by 5%, one day! it's filled with things like that. we go into the weather, why the weather is wacky, why we have extreme weather; we go into animals, the extinctions. these are the things that kids, actually the animals i think, are the kids' biggest concern, and then we give them so much hope. the last section is about what they can do, what careers they can go into in the fields of environmental science, and we talk about real-life heroes, and we give them websites to check out. it's a great, great guide, it's for kids, it's for grownups. we hope that you give it to a child, give it to a teenager, and read it yourself. laurie: do you think it would make a good stocking stuffer? cambria: i think it would make an excellent stocking stuffer, and for hanukkah.what are some other tips you might recommend for families?the exciting thing is that there is so much that everyone can do. even other than changing your light bulbs to cfls—which everyone should do because the new light bulb is 75% more energy efficient and you'll save money on your energy bill—not taking plastic bags, not drinking from plastic water bottles when you don't have to, shorter showers, that's an easy one for everyone to start doing. what if every american took a minute off of their shower? think of what we could save in energy, that's a great energy saver. buying energy-star appliances is an important thing, because now they make all the appliances you have in your house more efficient, so look for that. choose a hybrid car, if you can afford to; if you're buying a new car, choose a hybrid. i should mention paper towels and toilet paper. we buy paper towels, toilet paper, and paper napkins, and we don't think that probably the ones we're buying are cutting down virgin trees to make them. i mean, it's unacceptable really that we're still cutting trees to make disposable paper products. so again, a perfect way you can vote with your dollar, when you make a choice, start buying post-consumer recycled paper towels or napkins. and if you think the toilet paper isn't soft enough, fine, i'll give you that, but just do it with your paper towels. that'll make a huge difference. you don't have to be perfect. i want to leave you with one of my favorite tips: dry-cleaning. we all get clothes dry-cleaned, and when you get those clothes back each piece is individually wrapped in plastic and paper. we don't need to do this. bring your garment bag to the dry cleaners and say, 'i don’t want plastic or paper.' and guess what? they won't give it to you, and then your friends are going to start doing it and pretty soon there'll be no more plastic and paper from the dry cleaners. that is so easy to do.you talk about shifts in behavior, but really what needs to happen is to get the government involved. so what comes in between shifts in behavior and getting the government involved?the problem of global warming is so big that it's going to require small solutions and it's going to require big solutions, and we obviously need some serious leadership from the united states. we're the biggest cause of the problem right now and we're doing the least about it, but i don't believe that government changes until people demand it. so part of the way that i work is to try to work from the grassroots and the grass-tops, but we need both of these. we need to change ourselves and then we need to demand change from our government and from our leaders.you did a college bus tour with sheryl crow. do you feel celebrity initiatives have an impact on global warming? do you think that they translate into people changing?any time celebrities use their access, their resources, and their clout for good, i think they should be applauded, and i'm happy that global warming is one of the issues that a lot of well-known people care about, and they're helping get the message out. i think that's a very good thing.imagine the worst climate-change skeptic: what do you say to them?most skeptics are either funded by an oil company, or they have a self-interest in trying to keep things from changing. there are really very few credible skeptics left, and there's still a few out there, they're kind of noisy but, you know what? the debate is over, the globe is warming, humans are causing it, and we really need to put the discussion about the debate way behind us. a lot of people argue 'well, aren't these natural cycles?' and the answer to that is no, they're not, and the speed with which we're warming this planet is crazy, if you think there's more c02 in the atmosphere now than in the last 650,000 years. basic common sense says, that cannot be a good thing. as c02 goes up, temperature goes up with it. again, none of this is my opinion, this is the opinion of the world's scientists, there's complete consensus on this. we really need to start putting all our energy to solutions.recently there was a study that came out that said that scientists say global warming is inevitable, no matter what we do. what would be your response to that?it's inevitable that we're going to face the impacts of what we've already put into the atmosphere, but i heard someone describe it this way: 'if you had a choice between being in a 20 mph car accident, or a 60 mph car accident, which would you choose?' of course we're gonna choose the 20 mph car accident, right? so we have to do everything we can to avert the larger collision which is ahead, and hopefully people will find solutions in the book, they'll read it to their kids, they'll become part of the movement to stop global warming.

do you feel like "green" is a trend?i think it's fascinating that in vogue magazine this month, in a fall fashion spread, all the models are leaning against either solar panels or hybrid cars. that's a mainstream magazine combining the message with fashion. but here's the thing: i work on this issue for one reason, and one reason only. this is the most selfish thing i have ever done; i work on this issue because i am terrified. i'm terrified as a mom, i'm terrified as a human being. i've talked to dozens and dozens of scientists, people who are on the front rows of this issue and have been studying it for thirty years. the scientists have been ringing the alarm for decades, and we're not listening, and the debate is over. the globe is warming, humans are causing it, and there is a window of maybe, at the most, a decade, but they said that two years ago. and, by the way, scientists are the most cautious people on the planet, so if they say we have ten years to really get moving on this problem, then i'm thinking, 'okay, maybe six years,' and i have an overactive checker in my mind, so maybe it's even four, i don't know. but this is what drives me, and this is what should be driving everybody.your book the down-to-earth guide to global warming with cambria gordon is a children's book. why did you and cambria write it?we had this idea: there are 74 million kids in america under the age of eighteen, and i started thinking about the power of my own kids, when they really want something, the nagging power of kids to get something done. maybe they can help influence their parents, and maybe they can influence their teachers. so we had to write this information for them, we had to turn them all into global-warming activists.what would you say to a kid who was getting anxious about polar bears going away forever?there are studies showing that there is a growing anxiety among kids about the problem of global warming, they're hearing about it everywhere, they're hearing about it in school, they're seeing it in movies, they're seeing it in extreme weather events that are happening around the country, they're worried about the demise of their childhood icon the polar bear, and they need the truth. they need to know what's happening, why it's happening, and then they need to be empowered to do something about it, and that's what i think this book will help them do. because really, how many other issues out there are there, that there's something actually that you can do about it? that's the empowering thing. it's small things and big things. yes, we need seriously gigantic ideas to solve this, but part of this problem is a shift in consciousness. we have to really change the way we're doing things. it starts with a light bulb, it starts with a plastic bag, it starts with using a mug instead of a paper cup. all the things that we're doing that we're not thinking about where it comes from. plastic water bottles, we now have an entire generation of kids growing up thinking that the only way to drink water is from a plastic water bottle, and we all do it, we all carry these plastic water bottles around, and plastic is made from petroleum, and the manufacture of these bottles causes global-warming pollution. by the way: 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away every hour, think about that, it's kind of outrageous. so cami and i wrote this book; we wanted to get kids involved in this movement. the movement to stop global warming has to become the biggest movement the country has ever seen. and we all have to vote, but we vote every day when we shop too: how many plastic bags do you take every single day? this is really an important point: perfect is the enemy of good. this is not about anyone being perfect. you cannot live in today's culture and world, and not be a global-warming emitter. but there's a heck of a lot we can do, and if we change one or two things, we're gonna change three or four things, and then we're gonna influence our circle around us, and then we're gonna start demanding it from our businesses, and demanding it from our cities, and you see how the effect goes. cambria gordon, co-author: i just would say a little bit about the format of the book. a reporter yesterday talked about it as a 'road map for global warming,' and i was really excited by that, because what this book does, is it tells kids all the science in a way that they can relate to. we actually make global warming funny, which is quite an accomplishment for such a serious issue. it's filled with very, very interesting facts. for instance, i bet you didn't know that the indy 500 is now using 100% fuel-grade ethanol in all their cars. also bet you didn't know that cambridge university had a shut-off day; they turned off their computers and their lights, and they reduced their energy by 5%, one day! it's filled with things like that. we go into the weather, why the weather is wacky, why we have extreme weather; we go into animals, the extinctions. these are the things that kids, actually the animals i think, are the kids' biggest concern, and then we give them so much hope. the last section is about what they can do, what careers they can go into in the fields of environmental science, and we talk about real-life heroes, and we give them websites to check out. it's a great, great guide, it's for kids, it's for grownups. we hope that you give it to a child, give it to a teenager, and read it yourself. laurie: do you think it would make a good stocking stuffer? cambria: i think it would make an excellent stocking stuffer, and for hanukkah.what are some other tips you might recommend for families?the exciting thing is that there is so much that everyone can do. even other than changing your light bulbs to cfls—which everyone should do because the new light bulb is 75% more energy efficient and you'll save money on your energy bill—not taking plastic bags, not drinking from plastic water bottles when you don't have to, shorter showers, that's an easy one for everyone to start doing. what if every american took a minute off of their shower? think of what we could save in energy, that's a great energy saver. buying energy-star appliances is an important thing, because now they make all the appliances you have in your house more efficient, so look for that. choose a hybrid car, if you can afford to; if you're buying a new car, choose a hybrid. i should mention paper towels and toilet paper. we buy paper towels, toilet paper, and paper napkins, and we don't think that probably the ones we're buying are cutting down virgin trees to make them. i mean, it's unacceptable really that we're still cutting trees to make disposable paper products. so again, a perfect way you can vote with your dollar, when you make a choice, start buying post-consumer recycled paper towels or napkins. and if you think the toilet paper isn't soft enough, fine, i'll give you that, but just do it with your paper towels. that'll make a huge difference. you don't have to be perfect. i want to leave you with one of my favorite tips: dry-cleaning. we all get clothes dry-cleaned, and when you get those clothes back each piece is individually wrapped in plastic and paper. we don't need to do this. bring your garment bag to the dry cleaners and say, 'i don’t want plastic or paper.' and guess what? they won't give it to you, and then your friends are going to start doing it and pretty soon there'll be no more plastic and paper from the dry cleaners. that is so easy to do.you talk about shifts in behavior, but really what needs to happen is to get the government involved. so what comes in between shifts in behavior and getting the government involved?the problem of global warming is so big that it's going to require small solutions and it's going to require big solutions, and we obviously need some serious leadership from the united states. we're the biggest cause of the problem right now and we're doing the least about it, but i don't believe that government changes until people demand it. so part of the way that i work is to try to work from the grassroots and the grass-tops, but we need both of these. we need to change ourselves and then we need to demand change from our government and from our leaders.you did a college bus tour with sheryl crow. do you feel celebrity initiatives have an impact on global warming? do you think that they translate into people changing?any time celebrities use their access, their resources, and their clout for good, i think they should be applauded, and i'm happy that global warming is one of the issues that a lot of well-known people care about, and they're helping get the message out. i think that's a very good thing.imagine the worst climate-change skeptic: what do you say to them?most skeptics are either funded by an oil company, or they have a self-interest in trying to keep things from changing. there are really very few credible skeptics left, and there's still a few out there, they're kind of noisy but, you know what? the debate is over, the globe is warming, humans are causing it, and we really need to put the discussion about the debate way behind us. a lot of people argue 'well, aren't these natural cycles?' and the answer to that is no, they're not, and the speed with which we're warming this planet is crazy, if you think there's more c02 in the atmosphere now than in the last 650,000 years. basic common sense says, that cannot be a good thing. as c02 goes up, temperature goes up with it. again, none of this is my opinion, this is the opinion of the world's scientists, there's complete consensus on this. we really need to start putting all our energy to solutions.recently there was a study that came out that said that scientists say global warming is inevitable, no matter what we do. what would be your response to that?it's inevitable that we're going to face the impacts of what we've already put into the atmosphere, but i heard someone describe it this way: 'if you had a choice between being in a 20 mph car accident, or a 60 mph car accident, which would you choose?' of course we're gonna choose the 20 mph car accident, right? so we have to do everything we can to avert the larger collision which is ahead, and hopefully people will find solutions in the book, they'll read it to their kids, they'll become part of the movement to stop global warming.