Chris Smith: Even the baking of Earth needn’t be so darned serious

What’s less funny than global warming? Nothing that I care to have diss my bliss right this second.

Ann Hancock and her crew at the Santa Rosa-based Center for Climate Protection love to introduce folks to the quest to save life as we know it by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They will admit the issue can be quite the downer.

So they enlisted the help of Jason Windsor, a wacky and alarmed guy from Sebastopol who 15 years ago was moved by frightening universal realities to have some fun producing “The End of the World.” It became one of the first videos ever to go viral, by now drawing almost 17 million views.

It is at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCpjgl2baLs.

Earlier this year, Windsor enlisted a cast of environmentally attuned local luminaries in the production of a new video that seeks to strike your funny bone and tattoo “Center for Climate Protection” on your brain.

Among the video’s co-stars: Hancock, political consultant Herb Williams, ex-Santa Rosa City Council member Jane Bender, Herman G. Hernandez of the county Board of Education and ex-Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo.

The video is at: youtube.com/watch?v=eiufZw8w_5c.

Jason Windsor was 18 when the threat of nuclear Armageddon prompted him to create the hilarious if naughty-worded “End of the World.”

Now 33 and an animator and art director and father of two daughters, he has created, in addition to the piece for the Center for Climate Protection, a sequel to his first major work.

His video “End of Ze World … Probably for Real This Time” covers a lot of territory and, repeating language that Windsor’s mother might not entirely endorse, is fabulously funny, in a deathly serious sort of way.

It’s at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEEj62ZqFYo.

HHHHHH

BRAD ZIGLER’S PHONE rang and moments later the Santa Rosan was dumbstruck.

The caller was at the check-out desk at the central Sonoma County library. He told Brad that his key ring was at the Airport Health Club.

What ran through Brad’s head was something close to, “The library? The Airport Club? But, but, how?”

Brad had largely given up hope of finding the car and house and other keys that meant naught to him compared with the personal treasure that was the key ring itself.

Brad’s daughter, Monica Argenti, bought it for him in Cambodia. Its fob is a thin strip cut from a rugby ball. Both Monica and her dad used to play the game.

Brad had no idea how or where he lost the key ring. What he discovered following the call from the library is this:

Someone found his key ring and, spotting an Airport Health Club membership tag on it, took it there. Customer service employee Debbie Caldwell scanned the tag and discovered that the membership associated with that tag was canceled, so there was no name on it.

Debbie could have tossed the keys into the lost-and-found drawer. Instead, having found on the ring a mini Sonoma County library card bearing a patron number, she phoned the library and gave the number to staffer Kevin Whitehead.

Kevin ran the number, came up with Brad Zigler’s name and phone number, and called him. The key ring is now back in the pocket of a father and ex-scrummer equal parts grateful and amazed.

You can reach Staff Writer Chris Smith at 707 521-5211 orchris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.