Global Warming Video
"Little Guy (Make a Start)"

April 2007

The Little Guy global warming video was created for the Convenient Truth online video contest, co-sponsored by Treehugger.com and SeventhGeneration.com. The contest hoped to gather ways that individuals were making an impact on the fight against global warming. The video was created in part to support Al Gore and his "Inconvenient Truth" movie, which later went on to win an Oscar and contributed to Al Gore's winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

First Place in the Global Warming Video Contest

The video won first place out of over 130 entrants. (It was another first-place win, hot on the heels of my SBI win a few months before.) The prizes, valued at over $8,000, included an eco-trip to Alaska, $2,000 worth of gear from Patagonia, carbon offsets for a year, and various other little eco doo-dads.

Starring...

The "Little Guy" in the global warming video is my son, Mark. He was very cooperative for the whole thing and had a great time being filmed. I had originally planned for more family participation (other family members make some cameo appearances), but I figured that Mark was the cutest one of the bunch, and besides, the song about the "Little Guy" just all came together nicely.

All Original

I wrote the lyrics, composed the music, and recorded the vocals, including the harmonies. The music was created using Finale, Audacity and Sony Acid. The video was filmed using a Panasonic PV-GS180 camcorder and an external Sony ECM-MS908C microphone. It was produced with Sony Vegas Movie Studio.

Here's The Video:

Click To Play

And here are the lyrics:

Little Guy (Make a Start)

by Jon Forsyth

	Our lamps have compact fluorescent lights, We got our water heater wrapped up tight, I turn my thermostat at night to 50 degrees (We have down comforters)
I put more insulation under my roof, I sealed my ducts to make them all leak-proof, When we can we hang our laundry in the breeze
	I’m just a little guy, maybe I can’t do much, But I’m going to do my part, I can’t stop global warming all by myself, But at least I can make a start
We use Freecycle to pass on extra stuff, Or give to shelters for those who don’t have enough, And I fix things when I can so they will last
	Compost gets my crumbs and rinds and peels, Recycling gets my paper, plastic, glass and steel, So all that’s left is just a very little trash
I’m just a little guy, maybe I can’t do much, But I’m going to do my part, I can’t stop global warming all by myself, But at least I can make a start
	I rescue curbside stuff all over town, My clothes and furniture are hand-me-downs, When I reuse a thing it always makes me smile
I can’t afford a hybrid for when I roam, But I don’t commute because I work at home, And at least I keep my cars for many miles
	I’m just a little guy, maybe I can’t do much, But I’m going to do my part, I can’t stop global warming all by myself But at least I can make a start