Ladies, get your keypads ready for "BlogHers ACT"

On the heels of BlogHer's Lisa Stone hinting at bigger things to come for this summer's BlogHer conference, her partner Elisa Camahort announced BlogHers ACT. In BlogHer community style, they are asking for BlogHer members for suggestions on what we should all blog about for one full year - together - all 11,000 of us if necessary to take ONE topic and make a difference. Talk about grassroots political action, only it's skipping the political part and just taking action.

Do the math - If only 5,000 members posted on the same topic ALL YEAR, think of the impact that would have. Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann are leading the charge(s). These two women set up a nationwide effort to help the victims of Katrina - two women and one blog did in days what Brownie couldn't do in weeks, organize a relief effort and put it in place. If anyone knows the POWER that blogging can have to change the world, it's these two.

My #1 issue: Demand that all products meet Sustainable Standards and we can stop global warming. If we don't have a safe planet to live on, the rest of the things that need to be addressed (education, healthcare, housing) won't matter as economic collapse is highly probable. If we don't act quickly, we'll lose valuable momentum and people will go to the dark side and give up - and we everyone's help on this one, and fast.

Did you see what the U.K. has proposed?

Rather than outlawing bad products that cause global warming, like a good government should during such a global crisis, the U.K. wants to put red, yellow and green labels on everything to help consumers pick earth safe products and let smart consumers save the world.

So be it. They are trusting consumers, which means WOMEN who comprise 88% of the retail buying world to make the right decisions and save the world. IN WOMEN WE ALL BETTER TRUST!

That said, let's give us some help.

The label makers in the U.K. or women in the U.S., can't make the right decisions unless they know for sure which items really cause global warming and which ones don't. Water by itself doesn't contribute. Water packaged and shipped in a plastic bottle does contribute. The only way to know if products are carbon neutral is to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment to measure where in the manufacturing process is the most CO2 being generated. It might be in the transportation alone. Oh, and make sure it's audited by a third party to keep everyone honest. Trust, but verify!

For me the #1 action we have to do is blog about agreed on Sustainable Standards that can pinpoint the problem and certify which products are REALLY sustainable and safe for the future of our planet and which ones aren't. There is no do-over on this one. We HAVE to get it right and get it right NOW. Sustainable Standards are already in place and ready to work their magic, they just need to be demanded by consumers and you'll be amazed at how fast companies will get their products certified.

More math...

• 90% of the world's products come from just 100 companies.
• 2/3 of the US gross domestic product is made up of consumer goods.
• 88% of consumer purchases are made by women.
• Marketing-to-Women went from "never heard of it" to "can't escape it" in 3 years.
• 1% of a population talking, is enough to set off a tipping point that can change markets, and the world. We can do this!

Companies are listening to everything women say, not because it's the right thing to do, but because it's the economically right thing to do. They are turning a bright, dark green not because it's the right thing to do, but because it's the economically right thing to do.

BlogHer, with it's diverse reach of women can instantly create the (dare I say it) Sustainable buzz needed to kickstart this market transformation into place. After a year, with the market on the mend, we'll have the time to address the other big issues facing society. We only have 10 years, make that 9 now, to turn the global warming problem around and get 60% OR MORE of the CO2 out of the atmosphere. Ultimately, it won't be politics, it will be consumers making the right choices that will change the world.

Let me know if you feel the same way.

Comments

[cooper munroe]

Mary, this is an amazing post. We are really looking forward to working with you!

[Crimson Wife]

Great post! I definitely agree that each of us has a responsibility to be good stewards of the Earth :-)

[Diane MacEachern]

Mary,

You are right on the money! We could make a huge impact - I'm convinced our blogging would lead to collective action in the marketplace, on the ground, and -- given that it will be an election year -- in the voting booth, too.

Diane

[Mary]

How very true Diane - only Arnold and the big city mayors seem to be acting on their own.