one huge reason is the power of motion picture to effect change. Watch as Arctic explorer, Dennis Schmitt provides visual proof that our world is rapidly changing. In a remote coastal region of Greenland, the ice shelf connecting the peninsula to the mainland has melted. Close to three miles thick in some areas, the Greenland ice sheet is melting at an extraordinary rate. And if it melts entirely, the world’s sea level will rise twenty-three feet!

It is clear that short films can bring the realities of the world into homes that otherwise wouldn’t have proof of a changing world (e.g., homes that don’t overlook the Greenland ice sheet). I, for one, just watched the video while currently nestled in my Brooklyn street-level apartment, looking out at an inch of fresh snow and an icy sidewalk. While my alter-ego likes to consider herself an Arctic explorer, and my body confuses my poorly heated apartment for a northern pole, I am by no means a “Dennis Schmitt.” However, I know that an ordinary person like myself can help make a difference, right here in Brooklyn, by taking action to reduce my personal carbon emissions.

Instead of putting in a request to my landlord to raise said apartment’s poor heat, I opt for a cozy sweater, thick socks, and hot cocoa to warm me up because, as mentioned in our How to Green Your Heating guide, “winter heating is responsible for sending nearly four tons of greenhouse gases into the air each month.”

With only 30 days left to enter Convenient Truths, pick up a camera or cell phone and in two minutes or less, show us your solution to climate change. What actions are you taking to help reduce your personal carbon emissions? You may just inspire someone.