As we were putting the final touches on this edition, former Vice President Al Gore took his inconvenient truth about climate change to the mat, challenging the nation to switch all its electricity production to wind, solar, and other carbon-free sources within 10 years.

To those who say a restructuring of this magnitude is impossible, I say think again, and as you do, consider what happened in the United States 67 years ago and also right here in Marin — we entered a world war that demanded two things from the American people: to work hard toward a common, victorious goal, and to accept, for the greater good, material sacrifices (among the many things rationed during World War II were shoes, two pair per person per year).

Marin played a major role in that call to arms: It produced, from a hastily constructed, Bechtel-founded shipyard in Sausalito called Marinship, 93 ships for the war effort in three and a half years; employed at its peak 20,000 people; and created Marin City. "The greatest generation," as the wartime generation is now called, rose to the occasion, as needed. Baby boomers, my people, have talked about changing the world for the past 40 years. So exactly what are we waiting for? How about a melting North Pole?

Before launching TerraMarin, I covered the clean-tech industry on a daily basis for an electronic newswire. So many heartening things were happening: for example, a major player in semiconductor manufacturing moving into the photovoltaic solar arena, specifically because the PV solar industry, which relies on semiconductor technologies, was now big enough to need its massive, precision equipment and know-how. Think about it: That means the wherewithal — the technology and the brains — behind the enormously successful semiconductor industry (the driver of our Information Age) is now available to further advance the kind of carbon-free energy Al Gore is talking about. And that's just one example.

This edition of TerraMarin is a milestone, and not just because we're a year old. It is the first to feature solid, innovative proposals for projects that would help fight climate change and do so by serving the needs of the local population — and all are in line with Gore's carbon-smashing challenge. Notable and worthy of serious consideration is Marin Clean Energy, which would create a local agency focused on purchasing renewable energy to power our homes and businesses. So is an idea for a trolley service in Marin as a comely and practical alternative to our fossil-fueled automobiles.

We have a history and a heritage of self-reliance in this country. What better time than now to recall who we are.