Save the trees or that something like that

Check this out,

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Dear Alexander,

I have good news and I have bad news.

The
good news is that thanks to the support of our Sierra Club members and
supporters we were able to block a staggering 5,000-acre timber sale in
the Giant Sequoia National Monument.

But the bad news is our fight to protect the majestic Giant Sequoias is not over.
More than half of the remaining groves — located in Giant Sequoia
National Monument — are in jeopardy because, despite being rebuked by
the federal courts, the Bush Administration is refusing to back off its
plan to log this irreplaceable ancient forest. That’s why we are asking
you to act
now and sign our petition to Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell,
asking her to implement the strongest possible protections for Giant
Sequoia National Monument. 

Without these
protections, loggers would be permitted to cut down trees of any
species 30” in diameter or larger — a size that normally takes two
centuries or more to grow. In addition, timber companies would
be entitled to take 7.5 million board feet of lumber from Giant Sequoia
National Monument each year — enough trees to fill 2,500 logging trucks
— that’s a truck almost every three hours!

Your signed
petition to Abigail Kimbell will put the U.S. Forest Service on notice
that the American people won’t stand by as commercial logging damages
this fragile ecosystem and threatens our remaining Giant Sequoia
groves. And with your backing we will work to extend permanent
protections to these magnificent and imperiled trees — by transferring
management of the Giant Sequoia National Monument to the National Park
Service.

The future of our cherished Giant Sequoia National Monument is hanging in the balance — please sign our petition today - and help preserve these awe-inspiring trees for generations to come. 

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I just got this from the Sierra Club today. It made me think about initiatives like this. I think the bigger question is how to get more people interested in making a difference. One of the largest motivations is recognition. How a group make someone feel like they made a difference. Answer, a t-shirt. Why? Well, there are two reasons why shirts are such a great means of creating change.

The first is the fact that a shirt becomes a walking, talking billboard. If you make a provocative design, people are going to come up to you and ask, "Hey where did you get that?" Your likely to respond "I believe/helped with this cause and wanted to let everyone know about it." Or at least something to that effect.

The second, is that it gives the participant an ego. Yes, sometimes its good to stroke your ego. It makes you feel important, like you can and are making a difference. Its like those little rubber bracelets, or their ancestor the wwjd bracelets. Its there to remind you of something you believe in. Its something to tell the world you believe in it.

What does this mean? It means that I am going to design a shirt for this cause and talk to the Sierra club about getting it sponsored into the program. Like, if you donate X amount of time or money you get this reminder/symbol of your beliefs and efforts. Sound good?