Presentation of “An Inconvenient Truth” at DSB Fowlow Building
2/29/2008 3:30:00 PM
Carol Duivenvoorden will deliver Al Gore’s global warming message on Wednesday, March 12, 6:30 p.m. in the lecture theatre of the DSB Fowlow Building, College of the North Atlantic’s Bay St. George campus in Stephenville.
Duivenvoorden from Fredericton, New Brunswick, will be one of only two Atlantic Canadians tasked with spreading Al Gore’s message on climate change.
Duivenvoorden was in Nashville, Tennessee from April 9-11 for a training program led by former US Vice President Al Gore. Now, he’s taking a one-year leave of absence from his job with Efficiency New Brunswick to spread Mr. Gore’s message about global warming across Atlantic Canada.
“Carl will be spending the next year making presentations around his region, discussing how individuals, businesses, schools, and other organizations can be a major part of the solution to the growing crisis of global warming,” said Gore.
“I read his book, “An Inconvenient Truth”, in 2006, and it had a big effect on me,” Duivenvoorden says. “Finally, here was a credible author echoing my own concerns about our climate crisis. It was like Global Warming 101, explaining the problem and describing solutions in a clear, simple way.”
Then he found out that Mr. Gore would be training 1000 people to be ''climate change messengers'', presenting the “Inconvenient Truth” slideshow in their own communities to build awareness and action. “So of course I had to apply!! And luckily, I made it into Class 6, the final group.”
The training program was led by Mr. Gore and a team of scientists and environmental educators. Each trainee received an intensive tutorial about issues surrounding global warming, plus technical training on how to present Mr. Gore’s computer-based slide show, which became the basis of his best-selling book and Oscar-winning film, “An Inconvenient Truth.”
“He is an incredible presenter, with broad knowledge and a deep passion for the issue,” said Duivenvoorden. “He was compelling, entertaining, touching and convincing.”
Duivenvoorden joins a small group of 20 other Canadians who have completed the training with Mr. Gore, including just one other Atlantic Canadian, Peter Corbyn of Fredericton.
And now, he’s looking forward to delivering the presentation to as many audiences as he can over the next year. In fact, he’s taking a year off of work to do it.
“I have two young sons, and I’m deeply concerned about the kind of world they will inherit from my generation. I believe solutions to the global climate crisis are within our reach. However, these solutions require action, and action will only come when more people understand the threat of global warming. So my goal is to spread the word as widely as I can, to motivate as many people as possible to take personal action and be part of the solution.”
Duivenvoorden plans to focus his efforts on teachers and students.
“Our youth have the greatest stake in the future of our environment, and they can be leaders of change in their families too.”
Of course, he’ll welcome the opportunity to speak to any audience.
“To me, there is no more important message to share.”
As of January 25, 2008, Carl Duivenvoorden has delivered “An Inconvenient Truth” to 88 audiences, in English and French: a total of over 11,000 people in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and the US. His audiences have included corporations, employee groups, conferences, special interest groups, educators, university administrators, university students and more than 15 middle and high schools across Atlantic Canada.
- 30 –