Dave Mowat, chief executive of Vancouver City Savings Credit Union, took a course last week with 200 business leaders, environmentalists, scientists and others – actress Cameron Diaz was there – to learn how to spread the word contained in An Inconvenient Truth.
Al Gore’s slideshow and lecture, and the movie based on it, has been such a success that a non-profit foundation called the Climate Project was set up to help train others.
Last week’s session started with Mr. Gore giving the complete An Inconvenient Truth lecture, Mr. Mowat told the Toronto Globe and Mail. Attendees got tips on how to condense the show for kids, for church groups or for other specific audiences. There was also advice on responding to questions, and help with improving presentation skills.
Mr. Mowat said he’ll likely start by giving the presentation to VanCity employees. The company, one of the biggest financial institutions on the West Coast, takes its environmental activism seriously and plans to be carbon-neutral by 2010.
Next, Mr. Mowat will likely move on to groups of interested credit union members. “And I’m a director at the board of trade of Vancouver, so I’m going to work on them to put their shoulder behind this.”
After that, he may look outside British Columbia to the entire credit union system, and will likely request a spot at the movement’s annual meeting in May.
