People from both ends of Ventura County joined a nationwide campaign called Step It Up 2007 at two major events Saturday designed to raise awareness about global warming.

The key message: Use alternative energy to reduce or stop carbon monoxide emission that contribute to greenhouse gases. Organizers took photographs of the activities to be delivered to Congress to show politicians the widespread support for protecting the environment. Step It Up organizers said events were planned in all 50 states Saturday.

In Ventura, vehicles that run on alternative fuels vegetable oil, biodiesel and electricity and a gas-electric hybrid were displayed in the parking lot of Patagonia. In Thousand Oaks, 30 miles away, the same message was presented to the community in a lecture by David Lea, a science professor at UC Santa Barbara.

Brett Millar, an environmental coordinator at Patagonia, displayed his 1980 Mercedes Benz in Ventura. He converted his car from diesel to vegetable oil in August. He also received a stipend of $900 from the company for the conversion.

"I can go to a restaurant and get oil for my car and don't pay," said Millar, an Ojai resident. He said he is helping the environment and is saving money.

Patagonia also gives a stipend of $2,000 to employes who purchase hybrid vehicles. The majority of the employees are environmentalists and received support from the owner, Yvon Chouinard, an environmental activist since the 1960s, Millar said.

If people convert their cars to use other combustibles, it will reduces pollution and the need to import petroleum from foreign countries, said Lindy Carlson, an event coordinator. She displayed her 1984 Mercedes Benz, which runs with biodiesel.

Carlson of Carpinteria said people should reduce energy by driving less, using public transportation, or riding a bicycle.

At the Thousand Oaks Library, more than 85 people attended a lecture by Lea and William Carter, an environmental attorney. Both speakers told how the community could fight global warming at a local level.

In a presentation, Lea discussed how the global temperature has changed recently. "Global warming affects every aspect of our lives."

He asked his audience, "How warm is the Earth today?" and added that people need to be aware of global warming and become active in battling it.

Carter, an environmental attorney for more than 22 years, has prosecuted companies accused of polluting.

"Many times companies will not do the right thing on their own they have to be forced," Carter said. He gave examples of cruise lines dumping toxic waste into the ocean.

James Lingl, a Camarillo businessman, attended to support the effort. He said global warming is a local, national and international problem.

Lingl added that people have to start acting against global warming by reducing energy use at home. He has replaced his regular light bulbs with fluorescent light bulbs. He also reduces water while landscaping.

Recycling is his one of his main priorities, Lingl said. "I am a fanatic when it comes to recycling; we recycle everything we can."

Madeleine Brockwell, 67, of Thousand Oaks also has replaced her light bulbs with more energy efficient bulbs. "We have to work in our own levels of our homes to save energy," she said.