ELYAHOU LALLOUZ: Having served the homeless for so many years in a non profit arena, what is one of the major issues that you need to deal with now?
SEAN CONONIE: All of us who work in the not-for-profit world, do good work. But all the work means nothing if the earth is going to be destroyed because of Global Warming. I can feed the poor, house the homeless to make their life better, however, if there is no world for them to enjoy, all the work we do is useless.
ELYAHOU LALLOUZ: What are some immediate steps that need to be taken?
SEAN CONONIE: I feel that every household, every business, every Mom & Pop shop, every city, and every non-profit organization has to have a “Go Green Team” and make it policy to not only try to correct global warming by planting trees, but to limit the amount of carbon we put in the air.
the global warming phenomenon
Sean Cononie was only in his mid 20’s with a promising career in Criminal Justice until a LODI (line of duty injury) terminated the course he had planned for. With a half-million dollar settlement, Cononie watched his money multiply thanks to a well managed investment portfolio. He lived life in the fast lane, giving in to his every whim and desire. So it seemed rather natural to his newfound tony lifestyle that he accept an invitation to Liz Taylor’s ‘then’ Hollywood Birthday Gala Fundraiser. After flying out to Los Angeles, Cononie found immense personal pleasure in issuing a 60K check to The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation.
In 1996, after several successful business ventures, Cononie personally funded his own non-profit organization. To date, The COSAC Foundation; a homeless shelter system with a mission to help homeless persons with social issues, has helped house and feed tens of thousands of people around Florida. A media source, shelter, food pantry, soup kitchen, and hate advocacy agency, it should come as no surprise that The COSAC Foundation supports several orphanages and facilitates a medical outreach program in Haiti, as well.
Throughout the years, Cononie has shifted from his ‘fast livin’ lifestyle’ and opted for one of a more practical nature. He devotes up to 18 hours a day on the passions he both founded and funded over the past twenty years.
LALLOUZ INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE Publisher and Cofounder, Elyahou Lallouz brings ‘yet another’ of Cononie’s missions to light in an Exclusive LIM MEDIA Interview regarding the state of the world at the hands of the Global Warming Crisis.
LIM Exclusive Interview with Elyahou Lallouz
ELYAHOU LALLOUZ: How can we implement this?
SEAN CONONIE: We have to develop ‘policy’ and it should be ‘law’ that makes us have to develop and implement policy on how to do all of this. If every establishment and home used just one fluorescent light, the effects would be great. The Government needs to install solar traffic devices, not only to save electric, but so those same devices can work ‘post hurricane’. We have all seen from Hurricane Wilma that these devices did not work, because power lines were down.
ELYAHOU LALLOUZ: Do you think that we can change our bad habits?
SEAN CONONIE: We can correct the damage we have done, and we can surely slow it down if we use our heads. It is a matter of just starting the process. Everyone keeps saying, “we need to do this and that” but no person or agency ever does... just like we have all learned from the lack of using alternative power for cars. My God, we can run a car on old veggie oil that’s been cooked over and over at a local restaurant, but we don't! And there’s something wrong with that picture.
ELYAHOU LALLOUZ: What's the simplest way to begin?
SEAN CONONIE: Every night, we go to bed and leave our office equipment running as if we were sitting at our computers. We leave calculators on, printers on, monitors on in sleep mode. Shut them off! These are known as emergency vampires because they suck the energy from the power company, and they suck the money right out of your pockets!
ELYAHOU LALLOUZ: Global Warming has been an issue for a while now. Why isn't the movement stronger?
SEAN CONONIE: All too many times, we act in a delayed response. We have been talking about this Global Warming for years. Everybody asks what they can do to help out. It starts with an ideal, a plan, a sparkle in the eye. Then you need to take that sparkle and run with it ‘like it was a football’ and you are trying to get a touch down.
“When I was 17 years old, I would feed the homeless. Sometimes, I would take them to the hospital to treat their sickness, injuries or for medical drug detox. The hospital would then release them back on the streets without getting them into a homeless shelter. I remember thinking how stupid this whole system was, so it came naturally to me to open a homeless shelter after only 1 hour of planning.”
ELYAHOU LALLOUZ: Is talking about Global Warming enough? What actions can people take on their own?
SEAN CONONIE: We just can't sit back and say, “this is a horrible thing this global warming”. It is time we all do something about it... in our homes, our communities... our countries. Get with your neighbors and start a ‘Green Team’. Meet monthly and teach each other how to save electric and gas, and teach others. Carpool whenever you can. Just the littlest thing can really make a difference. Meet with your city leaders and get them to ‘think Green’, and to make policy that promotes saving power and gas.
ELYAHOU LALLOUZ: How can we make people understand the seriousness of Global Warming?
SEAN CONONIE: We know that in life the most tragic thing that can happen to anybody is the loss of a little one. A mom or dad never recovers when their little one dies before them. How can we sit back and let the world destroy itself, knowing that our children and grandchildren will be faced with water shortages, loss of oxygen, severe weather conditions, and the possibility for the world to destroy itself. I am going to do whatever I can to make sure my grandchildren can live a good safe life.
ELYAHOU LALLOUZ: What's the irony of this situation?
SEAN CONONIE: There is no reason for Global Warming to exist! It is just a matter of saying, “we can’t let it continue”. We put a man on the moon over 40 years ago. We can talk on video phones these days... how can we not solve this most important world issue?
ELYAHOU LALLOUZ: How should Barack Obama and John McCain react to Global Warming?
SEAN CONONIE: Let’s look back at Jimmy Carter days. He made it clear that we needed cars to increase their miles per gallon. And we did it. We need a president that makes it law that all cars will run on anything but gas/oil. There are many different ways a car can run longer and cleaner than on gas. But it’s always a plan that goes nowhere. It is time to elect someone who ‘really will do’ what Jimmy Carter did. We don't have a choice anymore. It is time to react, instead of just moving our lips.
ELYAHOU LALLOUZ: What is your message for the generation of the future?
SEAN CONONIE: The children of today are going to lead all of tomorrow. We’ve got to get them to understand that anything we do in today’s time is going to affect them. So they have to be preparing now for what’s going to take hold in the future.
(00:08:11)
GLOBAL WARMING IS THE RISE IN TEMPERATURE OF THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE. “BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!” SEE SEAN CONONIE’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, RIGHT HERE ON LIM MEDIA.
END OF INTERVIEW
Sean Cononie is the Founder of the Homeless Voice Newspaper and Homeless Shelter System. Its mission is to help people who are homeless, as well as to address any social issues that cause homelessness. To learn more about The COSAC Foundation, visit: www.homelessvoice.org
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