It only takes one person to make a difference.

Humanity has damaged the environment so greatly, that never again will the grass be as green or the air as pure as it once was. Not in a million years will the earth be restored to the magnificent wonder it once was, all thanks to the human population. Not one human today can say that they haven't negatively affected the environment, myself included, but a few of them can say that they’ve put their heart and soul in to helping the Earth recover in any way possible. One of those people specifically is Ian Somerhalder.

Ian Somerhalder was born on December 8, 1978 in Covington, Louisiana. He started to model at the age of 10, and by the age of 17 he moved on to acting. Today he is widely known for his roles on Lost as Boone Carlyle, and The Vampire Diaries as Damon Salvatore. After the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, he became known as one of the first celebrities to get involved with the clean up efforts. He also went out to help clean oiled wildlife, and taped public service announcements to inform the public of ways that they could help.

It on was on April 20th, 2010 when the worst oil spill in U.S history happened in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil was not only ugly, but was killing everything including wildlife, plant life and even humans. For almost 5 months, the well spewed out oil, until September 19 when it was declared 'dead'. It was estimated that in that time, over 205 million gallons of oil were released in the Gulf. Sadly no matter how much we wish this wasn't true, it doesn't change reality. The wildlife around the area will be affected the most, as the oil is killing them fastest. Less than 1% of all oil soaked birds survive even after being cleaned. Those who depended on the land for income were also affected; many fishers are now unemployed because the marine life is either dead, or unfit to catch.

Everyday I encounter people who don't waste a minute of their time worrying about our planet's future. But I am very fortunate to also encounter those who take extra steps that will ensure that the planet is still here tomorrow. In my opinion, it only takes one person to make a difference. Like any ecosystem, a chain reaction occurs, so why not use that to our advantage. Ian Somerhalder is a great example of this because he uses his fame to do what ordinary people sometimes wouldn't be able to do. He also brings awareness of the issue which is more important that fixing the issue, because how can a problem no one knows about be solved?

Everyday as humans we are put to shame when we stop to think about all the damage we have done to the Earth. But when we look to people as such as Ian Somerhalder, we can occasionally feel proud to be human.

Information Sources:

http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2010/05/ian_somerhalder_returns_home_t.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/louisiana-oil-spill-2010_n_558287.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Somerhalder


Image Sources:

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/04/coast_guard_will_start_burning.html


http://vampirediariesguide.com/cast-characters/damon-ian-somerhalder/?page=20

Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Da48aWQpOcY

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