When the Beginning Began...

So I have been thinking of establishing a blog for a while now, starting sometime in the last year (I honestly can't remember the exact moment) and culminating in this post, which I boldly assume people will actually want to read. I am still unclear what form this blog will take in the long run, but I hope to eventually use this page primarily as a sphere of commentary for environmental issues, policy, advocacy, etc. But I want to also warn you that I can't promise that other topics won't squeeze their way onto the page (from politics and baseball, to graphic literature and general life reflections). But perhaps most importantly, this will be a place for my friends, family, and eventual random followers (hey, it could happen!) to get updates on what I am involved in and to hopefully spend their time on something worth reading. I will be honest, this process is a lot more difficult than I anticipated, but I hope you bear with me as I find my voice on the internet (though chances are, since no one is following it yet, you will only read this original post after I have written several more...). So the reason I have chosen July 8, 2009, as the date to write my first post is because I attended the Fifth Annual Campus Progress National Conference today, and was incredibly inspired. My accumulating desire to start a blog combined with my newfound appreciation for social networking sites and online media outlets created a critical mass tonight that I simply could not ignore any longer. Today would be the day I would pop my blogging cherry.

So I had never heard of Campus Progress before my girlfriend, Lucy, sent me a link to the conference website a week ago. But the panel topics sounded interesting and the speakers were a real draw (they included former President Bill Clinton, Speaker for the House Nancy Pelosi, former Chief of Staff in the Clinton Administration and founder of the Center for American Progress John Podesta, Special Advisor for Green Jobs at the White House Council on Environmental Quality and author of The Green Collar Economy Van Jones, and last but definitely not least, Daily Show correspondent John Oliver). I was also excited about the opportunity to come together with 1000+ other college students to discuss the difficult challenges facing our nation and our globe today, and try to brainstorm possible solutions to them. The day was jam-packed and lasted for almost 11 hours, but it was worth every single minute! I imagine tomorrow will be just as packed as I participate in Youth Lobby Day (also a Campus Progress event) and descend upon Capitol Hill to engage members of Congress in discussions concerning relevant issues - my topic will be climate change. More details on both events will be sure to follow in the coming days.

So say what you will. I know this has been a pretty lame first post, but I'm warning you: The beginning has begun, the threshold has been crossed, and now (for better or for worse) there is no turning back...