Yin Xiao – News editor. Libuse Binder, author of “10 Ways to Change the World in Your Twenites,” led a motivational lecture and discussion Oct. 21 about the ways young people can became involved in issues of global warming and support sustainability. The lecture was part of Energy Conservation Day during Green Week.
Binder taught middle-school English and is a coach who has spent most of her adult life working with young trendsetters in Los Angeles and New York.
Her book offers tangible ideas to young adults who wish to become active in shaping the world in which they live but may lack the guidance and resources to do so.
“Middle-school students know when something [they do is wrong], although sometimes they don’t know what they should do,” Binder said.
She said people in their 20s are the best ones to make these changes.
In the lecture, Binder first introduced “Three Reasons to Act Now: Welcome to life in a closed system, the problem with it’s not my problem and global financial crisis.”
“A lot of places are out of water and oil,” Binder said. “People from these places have to bring sources from other places. [We don’t hear about that] because we are totally fine living in our [functioning ecosystem].
However, she explained, the troubling statistics say that the United States is the top global-warming polluter in the world.
She also talked about the book chapter “How to find the right volunteer placement.” One of the success stories Binder shared was that of Scott Harrison, who was a party and event planner working in the New York City nightclub scene.
“He hated his life filled with parties, vacations and spending money,” Binder said.
His decision to volunteer aboard the ships changed his entire perspective and purpose. Binder said Harrison and his organization, Mercy Ships, have funded 1,247 water projects providing clean water to people across the world and has raised more than $9 million.
According to its Web site, “10 Ways to Change the World in Your Twenties” is also an organization designed to tap into the potential of our energetic, influential generations by offering ways for us to change the world using our own unique gifts.
Binder was inspired to start this organization because she believes everyone has incredible power with unique talents to affect change.
At the end of lecture, Binder said she hopes to keep in touch, to share more success stories and to know everyone’s ideas in the future.For more information about Libuse Binder and her lecture, go to www.tenways.org.