It's now been about a week since the incredible Opportunity Green Conference held on UCLA's campus. For me, this conference infused fresh and exciting life into the ever-growing green movement. Kudos to Mike Flynn and Karen Solomon for standing for something in this crazy world, for taking action, and thereby inspiring others to take action. They took a single idea - a thought that could have remained just a thought - and created one powerhouse conference that exceeds expectations.

The speaker and panel line-up was remarkable and had a broad reach. One speaker was the internationally renowned photographic artist Chris Jordan. Jordan's work focuses on translating vast numeric figures (ex: 320,000 light bulbs equaling the number of kilowatt hours of electricity wasted in the US per minute from inefficient household electricity use) into the more digestible visual language of photography. Each photo makes a statement about consumerism, planned obsolescence, and the havoc we wreak on our environment.

Since seeing Chris Jordan speak at the conference, I have been compelled to share his work with everyone I come in contact with. As one of the first speakers at Opportunity Green, he shed light on the devastating situation off of the coast of Midway Island (halfway between the US and Asia). Prior to seeing Jordan speak, I was only remotely aware of the pacific garbage patch problem. I had zero awareness that most baby albatross birds do not get to take their first flight because they die from ingesting plastics and other trash from the pacific garbage patch. Jordan created a (must-see) montage filled with stark images of dead albatross birds - their bodies decomposing, while the plastics remain. I know that it sounds frightening or sickening, but it really is something that everyone should see. It's so easy to remove ourselves from these albatross birds because this is happening so far away. But, when you think about it, we are all one - we are all individual parts that make up the web of life - when one living organism falls out of balance, we all do. You see, these toxic plastics are also eaten by jellyfish and jellyfish are eaten by larger fish, which are in turn eaten by humans. Yes, that's right, these chemicals and toxins are being unknowingly transferred to the human body.

Whether you want to believe this is in "your backyard" or not - it is. There is no denying it. Chris Jordan is not just a photographer or an artist. To me, he is an activist and a hero who drills home the importance of individual actions that have calamitous collective effects on the planet you and I call home. He was one of many speakers that touched me at the core this past weekend and I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to attend this conference. As the old saying goes: "With great knowledge comes great responsibility." With my knowledge, I have chosen to write this blog post, share with those around me who didn't have a chance to attend Opportunity Green, stop wasteful plastic water bottle purchases for myself and those around me, etc. How do you plan to be responsible with the knowledge you have? Not just about this issue, but about the things you are passionate about. I would love to hear from you!

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