I don’t know about you, but the last few weeks have been hectic for me. From the Olympics, to Democratic and Republican National Conventions, not to mention getting ready for school—spare time is in high demand. But with the presidential debates on the horizon and the sprint to the finish in full swing, the time is ripe to tell Congress and the next President why climate matters.

Have you made your video yet? Have you submitted it? Well…what are you waiting for? There are only a few more weeks left before the end of the 1Sky and Brighter Planet Climate Matters Video Contest. But don’t worry. There is still plenty of time for you to get out and film your message before the September 22nd deadline -- submit your entry today!

Picking up on Ben's thread, our friends at Green for All have released a new video that captures perfectly what the Green Jobs Now national day of action is all about: Check it out:

September 27 is only three weeks away, so if you haven't already, click here to sign up -- and share this video with all your friends!

This is our second guest blog from Ben Wessel, a 19-year old college student at Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT, and 1Sky intern. -- Luis

If my name sounds vaguely familiar, it might be because I wrote a blog entry on the Skywriter blog earlier this summer detailing a trip to the Arctic that I went on with the Voyage for the Future. Since then, I’ve been working hard to help the burgeoning climate movement achieve its goals of strong, bold domestic and international action on climate change. One way I’ve been doing that is by helping out here at 1Sky, with some of the most dedicated climate warriors!

Following up on Eli's post, I would point out that it's not just individual Americans who are well ahead of the politicians on energy and climate change. American businesses are also realizing that there's no future in the dirty fossil fuel economy, that we need to move towards a green economy, and that this will require bold action from Washington.

Here's a good example: our campaign ally Greenpeace is hosting the Businesses for a Safe Climate petition, where businesses can declare their support for a bold climate agenda. As of today, over 3,300 businesses from all over the country have signed the petition. I've included the text of the petition below. If you own or represent a business and would like to sign the petition, click here.

And the reports just keep on coming! Brooklyn resident Megan Dietz, who blogs at The Sunny Way, visited the office of Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) last Friday. She reports on her meeting with legislative aide Jehmal Hudson:

I felt good at the end of our meeting, like I had brought a new perspective into the room and I had also gotten what I wanted—a good read on where my Representative sits on the issues that matter to me. It was really great of Jehmal to take the time to speak with me, hear me out, and provide the information I requested. Overall it was a very positive experience.

It took me three phone calls to get an appointment with Senator John Cornyn's (R-TX) Washington energy specialist through teleconference from his Austin office. Cornyn simply wasn't available without months of advanced notice (I can’t believe that is really true for everybody, but that's what I was told). We met at 10:30 AM that morning for a half hour.

With gas prices sky-high, an economy in the tank (no pun intended) and a historic election fast approaching, there's no better time to get our leaders' attention and convince them to invest in a new economy powered by clean, renewable energy. On Saturday, September 27 -- the day after the 1st presidential debate -- you have a chance to do that by signing up for Green Jobs Now: A National Day of Action.

The following is a guest post by Annie Brown of Virginia. Annie helped organize a visit to the office of Senator Jim Webb as part of our August recess call to action, and then kindly agreed to write about her experience for our blog. -- Sarah

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of working with a wonderful group of people participating in 1Sky’s National Call to Action. Tommi Drum, Susan Davis, Don Davis, and I were 4 of the 1,700 people who signed up to participate in this action that encouraged constituents to have meetings with their Members of Congress to promote the 1Sky pledge.

Recently, we asked Nikos Spiridakis -- the 10-year-old director and creative force behind this compelling new PSA -- to write down for this blog some of his thoughts on climate change. Like his PSA, his response was short, to the point, crystal-clear and powerful:

People should try to get more efficient cars, and not use their cars as much. Ride a bike. Recycle. Don't waste paper. Save electricity. Take walks, and pick up trash! Litter is everywhere and it makes me mad. To stop global warming we'll need to get involved and talk about it with each other and our politicians.

-- Nikos Spiridakis

When you were 10-years-old, what were you doing? I know it may be harder for some of us to remember than others, but let me ask you another question. Did you consider yourself an organizer? For many us, our work as organizers did not begin until much later in life, but for Nikos Spiridakis it is already in full swing.