It's always exciting for me to meet people who are making change happen. I have met them in countries the world over and find that, invariably, they are the ones that inspire me and give me energy to continue working together towards the dream of a planet protected. They are, for me, the heroes of our common future.

As Paul Hawken says, "A sustainable society will only come about through the accumulated actions of billions of eager participants." Sounds like a challenge right? But we have to start somewhere - with you, me, the people we know. Never doubt that by reaching out and inspiring change in our own communities, we can create a chain reaction that can absolutely change the world.

Having said that, I am so excited to introduce you to a friend that EarthEcho met this summer while we were working with VANS Warped Tour on their Warped Eco-Initiatives. This friend is making change happen and has inspired us with his passion and dedication to working to help protect our planet.

David McWane is the lead singer of Big D and the Kids Table and is sharing his earthecho with young people all over the world, inspiring them to become change agents themselves.

We wanted you to meet him and hear him talk about what he is doing. It's amazing.

And you can expect that he will be sending more from the road as he tours around the country so stay tuned!

Here's what David has to say:

First Step

My transformation from one who believed that solving the world's environmental problems was a good idea to one who is proactive, was simple. I walked out of a movie theater in Harvard Square, a nice Saturday night in Boston, after seeing Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Once my feet hit the light New England snow, I paused. The information from the movie caught up to me, enveloped me. And I could feel things that I held to be important in my life begin to shift.

I looked up at the falling snow. I adjusted my hat so the streetlamp was blocked. Saturday night people chatted around me and I could smell popcorn mixed with exhaust from cars stopped at a red light. The snowflakes, hued red, floated down. I thought about how it was time for me to act. And about all the venues of my life that I could use to provide a fresh approach to the environmental issue. I thought about doing what I've always believed I would do, become someone I was proud of. I smiled. My shoulders lifted. And I knew my next step would be my first step in doing my part to help save this beautiful world. I glanced at the blinking crosswalk light, and as my cold breath floated up and the traffic light on JFK Street turned green, I took that first step.

Like everyone inspired by this global problem, I wasn't sure what to do. I thought, "What did Al Gore do for me?" He educated me. So I will start with that – educating. If Al Gore was able to get me to stand up for environmental conservation, then, with the right knowledge, I too can make someone stand up.

To catch you up on who I am, my name is David McWane, I am the vocalist in the band BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE. We just finished 2 months on a summer music festival called VANS Warped Tour; the popular summer music festival that averages 10 to 15 thousand kids a day. Looking back on my first thoughts of becoming proactive, I remember standing crammed with other Bostonians on the Green Line subway heading outbound a month before the VANS Warped Tour. I was on my way to a band rehearsal. As we commuters swayed and bumped about, I thought about how I needed to do more with my time on the Tour than just entertain people. I decided that I would use those two months to educate as many people – kids -- as I could about how they can help prevent global warming and get involved in environmental issues. That summer I would be an educator.

Large stage banners were designed for Climate Emergency and Save Darfur and we displayed them at every concert. T-shirts, stickers, pins and patches that combined our band name with pro environment information were produced and sold or given out. Recycling competitions were held. Each day on stage I would give a speech, explaining to the kids that it takes more than being concerned about the environment to make any sort of change. I told them to "try out their voice", and see if something resonated inside them.

I looked out at the high-energy crowd day after day and saw young kids wide-eyed and bursting with excitement. Each day they would run to our merchandise tent with bags filled with discarded bottles and cans. And we would talk for a while. I loved how the kids rattled on about their ideas and opinions faster than even they could keep up with. They would also say how exciting it was to see me take a position on environmental issues. We talked, we brainstormed, we planned; each kid leaving with a smile, an autograph, new information and, most importantly, motivation.

Like wildfire, non-profits on the tour would also come talk with me -- at our tent, in the lunch line, after a concert. Rob from Skate4Cancer and I became friends designing a Big D Skate Deck for them to use. Aileen from Shirts For A Cure and I designed a BIG D T-shirt for them to sell, with the proceeds donated to cancer research. Murphy, a great guy from the Rainforest Action Network, found me, and I handed out their pamphlets with every autograph signed. I still do.

My goal was to come up with ideas on how to help kids take their first step for the environment. I also wanted to make it easy for them. Kids are often told to contact their representatives. But not all kids know how to do that. So I found websites that help them track down their congressman and senator. We printed these web addresses on stickers with the band name, hoping that school notebooks, guitars and cars would become backboards for this information. But the educating didn't stop with the kids. We researched and rented a bio-diesel bus for our tour as an example to other bands. Now, I am not telling you all this so I can sound like a swell guy. It’s to let you know about my first step, with the hope that you will take your first step.

Today is January 9th and I have just come off our own headlining 2-month tour. What I found from the people I talked to last summer is inspirational. From state to state and the Canadian provinces, kids dashed up to me, talking a mile a minute with their hands flailing. They told me what they have done in their local communities -- new leaders blossoming, excited, with a proactive future ahead of them.

Lora and Emma

Lora and Emma, for example, students from Cleveland, Ohio, caught up with me carrying the first issue of Green Light. Green Light is a zine the two girls write, print, and distribute for free. A "zine", for those who don't know, is a do-it-yourself pre-magazine. Kids design these zines on regular 8 ½ by 11 paper, photocopy them (often a sneaky pillage from their parent's work), fold them, staple them in book form and hand them out to anyone they can find to let them know what they believe is imperative and eye opening information.

On a side note - many people think that the lessons of our forefathers on the foundations of democracy are fading. But I think that kids like Lora and Emma with their Green Light zine, show that those lessons are alive and well. Maybe, without knowing it, these two young girls are keeping the fire of the printed word alive, educating people to the power of democracy and freedom of the press.

Lora and Emma's Green Light Zine

City after city, and even country after country, kids are contacting me to tell me about their "first steps". Each story is impressive, wonderful, and enough to make anyone proud of our youth. John Davis from Georgia found me in a dark Atlanta nightclub. He had a video camera and a list of questions. His "first step" was to ask me about the environment for his documentary project in his video production class. John was excited, committed. And I could tell that that moment was one of many on his quest to do what he can to help global warming and environmental conservation.

And the examples go on. I talk every night to kids who have taken their "first steps". And I speak to up to a 1,000 kids a night during our concerts, who I hope will take their first step and inform more kids, who will then take their first step, and… Well, you understand.

John Davis

My goal with my demographic of kids is to instill positive peer pressure for the environment. I have noticed that friends have no problems correcting friends in their environmental habits. I have also seen that most people appreciate being educated. It can lead to questions and then a discussion on other environmental issues. I have found that kids listen to my words and opinions more than, say, their parents, teachers or even the President. Hopefully, my and other musicians’ and artists’ perspectives on the environment will match up with those of teachers and parents; and a positive pro-environment peer pressure will cause habits to change.

As you can tell, my focus is on youth. My goal is to make “being green” and “doing your part” normal behavior. Youth are not afraid of the challenge of change. Their problem solving ideas have more passion and they seem to have the motivation to help solve this monstrous problem we all face. In a way, it’s the best defiance of adults that youth have ever had.

Let me end by saying that all of us who are part of this environmental movement should help each other by reaching out to our own demographic of people. Reach out and affect the people around you. By simply being environmentally aware and proactive, you will be doing your part in solving this global problem.

That alone can be your first step.

David McWane

For more, visit David McWane at: www.davidmcwane.com or www.myspace.com/davidmcwane

or BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE at: www.bigdandthekidstable.com or www.myspace.com/bigdandthekidstable

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