I’m not a big fan of asking people for money (It’s ironic, given my line of work) but this year is a little different, because …

The Nature Conservancy just launched a campaign to Plant a Billion Trees.

This campaign is big — that was billion with a “b” — but replanting tropical forests can have an even bigger effect on climate change.

Together, our trees will remove 10 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year, which is like taking 2 million cars off the road.

So, here is where you come in:

1. Donate $10 — I’ve set a goal of raising $200 from the dozen or so people who know this blog exists (click here to donate to my campaign). That’s a mighty big goal from such a modest audience, but I have faith that you guys won’t let me embarrass myself. It’s the cost of two lattes, one movie ticket, half of a parking ticket … heck, you probably have more loose change in your couch.
2. Plant a Widget — Planting a billion trees is going to take a lot of help, so let your friends know by downloading the Plant a Billion widget. It’s flash, looks wicked cool, and you can drop it painlessly onto your blog, facebook page, or any other place you hang your hat on the web.

If step two is confusing, feel free to just do step one twice.

And, just like NPR, this is all I am going to talk about between now and Earth Day — that’s April 22, 2008 for the uninitiated — so the quicker you we get this over with, the quicker we return to the regular wit and candor you have come to know and love.

I love you guys.