I'm not a lifelong environmentalist. My carbon footprint has been too high much of my life. But as I focus on what kind of planet my generation will leave for my seven grandchildren, I worry and know that I must do more.
My moment of clarity and change in perspective came when in 2008 I read
Thomas Friedman's
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How It Can Renew America. He brings together the converging forces of climate change (“hot”), globalization (“flat”), and overpopulation (“crowded”) to paint a disturbing picture of what the world would look like in an unchecked future.
There were two topics in Friedman's book that struck – and frankly scared – me the most. The first was how the rising waters caused by climate change would force hundreds of millions of people to migrate to more developed countries (including the U.S.), causing unimaginable disruption.
The second topic, and possibly scarier, was how melting ice would uncover previously frozen land masses, releasing deadly gasses and possibly deadly viruses.
The experience of reading this book caused me to join the legions of concerned folks who feel that combating climate change and averting these potential crises should be the world’s major priorities.
And then in 2019, we created our "Green Initiative” to address both climate change and waste control. Our homeowners can indicate up to 12 specific “green” characteristics of their homes on their listings, and vacationers are able to search for homes with these characteristics. Those homes with a clear and special commitment to this initiative are designated as our "Green Homes." Our great hope is that demand for Green Homes will grow, encouraging more owners to take measures in providing a more environmentally oriented home and vacationers to seek them out.
We urge you to join us in using our actions to make positive change in the world.
Sincerely,
Jeff Talmadge
Co-founder and CEO of WeNeedaVacation.com