One of the critiques about Al Gore's documentary version of An Inconvenient Truth (what?! You haven't seen it yet? Get a copy of the DVD and watch it!) is that, while chock-full of information, was a little hard to swallow for those in the audience who weren't well versed on the theory and general science behind global warming. To help spread the message to a more diverse audience, Al Gore has begun training people from around the globe to give their own version of the slideshow he presents on the film; the idea is that different people can put a different spin on it, to appeal to the audience they're likely to encounter while presenting in their individual community.
One of the lucky folks chosen for an early round of presentation training was Lisa Shimizu, whom keen readers will remember from our interview with KEXP radio last summer for the music issue of SASS Magazine (read the interview here). We wanted to talk to the hip, listener-powered station about their recently (at the time) unveiled global warming PSA, encouraging their listeners in Seattle and around the world (via their live stream) to take action to fight global warming in their lives, and Lisa was the one heading up the campaign. Lisa went to Nashville, Tennessee to meet with and get trained by Al Gore, with the promise that she take her version of the show on the road and spread the word about climate change. She recently began presenting her show, tailored to youngsters, here in Seattle, and our friends at Grist were there to check it out. As it turns out, the message translated, as Shimizu's presentation was well-received by young and old(er) alike -- check out the full article for details on what it's like to teach global warming to first graders. Kudos and a big thumbs up to Lisa & Grist for helping to preach the gospel of global warming to an audience that will really have to do something about it: kids. [Grist] and [KEXP's Global Warming PSA]