Hi! I just turned 70 (believe it or not!). As the big day (May 29) was approaching, I asked myself three questions:
1)What’s the best way to celebrate turning 70 years old?
2)What’s the best way to stop climate change? (Because, well, you know me…)
3)And, is there any way any of us can offset our personal impact on climate change—called our carbon footprint—to actually make a difference?
I was thrilled when I figured out that the answer to those three questions is the same this year. And that is:
Cap leaking methane wells!
Why Is It Important to Cap Leaking Methane Wells?
Methane is a nasty greenhouse gas that’s 84 times more powerful than carbon dioxide** when it comes to causing climate change over a 20-year period.
Methane is leaking out of more than 2 million abandoned gas wells in 31 states across the U.S.
That’s the carbon dioxide equivalent of driving 1.54 million passenger vehicles in one year. It’s also equivalent to burning 7.85 billion pounds of coal.
That sounds bad.
And it is.
But what made me feel GOOD! was this:
Capping a leaking methane well (which is done by filling it with cement and literally putting a cap on top of it) stops the methane from leaking out of it…immediately.
Even capping just one well benefits the planet the carbon equivalent of taking hundreds of vehicles off the road.
Capping a methane well is also one of the best ways I’ve ever found to offset my own carbon footprint.
Many offset programs don’t actually make much difference. This one does—in spades.
Here’s what else makes it so exciting to cap leaking methane wells. We don’t need to wait to develop new technology. We know exactly how to do it.
Now, you all know I’m not an engineer. I’m an activist and an author who has spent most of my adult life trying to protect Nature and stop climate change.
That’s why I was thrilled when I heard about the Well Done Foundation. Because what Well Done does is cap leaking methane wells!
I suddenly had one of those Eureka! moments.
I could make my 70th birthday all about me (boo…). Or I could make it about all of us and our planet and doing something that can actually help stop climate change (YAY!).
I called Curtis Shuck, the brains behind the Well Done Foundation and asked him what it would take for me to cap a well for my birthday. He loved the idea and said it was totally doable because that’s exactly what Well Done does.
“All” it would take is…$30,000 (boo, again). That’s what it costs to pay for the equipment needed to survey a well site, fill it with cement, put an actual cap on it, and start to restore the land around it.
“Can you raise the money?” he asked. And I thought..well, if my friends and family join me, absolutely.
So that’s why I’m writing: to ask you to celebrate my birthday, help stop climate change and support my COOL Campaign to cap a well.
Lest you think this is all about me, let me say: It’s not!
When you pitch in to help cap a well, you’ll also be helping to offset your own carbon footprint. That’s because every dollar you donate helps compensate for the carbon you personally put into the atmosphere…which you do. On average, each of us adds 20 tons of carbon to the atmosphere. Every. Single. Year.
So, please: Help me celebrate the big 7-0! Do something meaningful to stop climate change. And offset your own carbon footprint.
Well Done has created a special fundraising option just for us to make it easy for all of us to give. Here’s the link.
I’m getting the fundraising going by contributing $1,000. That leaves $29,000 to go.
That’s where you come in? Can you donate to the Well Done Foundation to help me reach my goal, raise the money we need, and offset your own carbon footprint.
If you can give $500 or $1,000, GREAT.
Or, donate $140 per person for everyone in your household. and offset that person’s CO2 emissions for the year.
All donations are tax-deductible.
What’s So COOL About Capping a Well?
Cool stands for:
Cap a well.
Offset your carbon.
Organize others (Please forward this far and wide. Your friends are my friends!)
Lift your spirits. (Knowing I’m contributing to something that actually makes a difference makes me feel great. I bet it will make you feel great, too.)
Thanks!
