BY
AMY ASTMAN BAKER
David Suzuki is a name Canadians will instantly
associate with the environment. Ranked as one of the top ten greatest Canadians
by CBC, Suzuki is a man who’s dedicated his life to green activism.
Ranked as one of the top ten greatest
Canadians by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Dr. David Suzuki has
dedicated his life to environmental activism and education.
Having spent the last 40 years earning the
famed reputation of environmental guru, Suzuki has made it his mission to
educate the public through classrooms, televisions and airwaves on the damage
being done to our earth and how we can make a conscience effort to reverse
climate change.
Having written over 30 books, hosting
the CBC's The
Nature of Things program and been awarded various
distinctions, including a UNESCO prize for science, a United Nations
Environment Program medal and an induction as an Officer of the Order of
Canada, Suzuki aims to find the
perfect balance for contemporary society to live in harmony with the environment
that sustains us.
Innovative
solutions
In 1990, Suzuki co-founded the David Suzuki
Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to discovering
resourceful and
innovative solutions to help conserve our planet. The website announces
its dedicated mission to “protect the diversity of nature and our
quality of life,” with its main
goals focusing on: oceans and sustainable
fishing, climate change and clean energy, sustainability and the David Suzuki Nature Challenge.
On their site, the David Suzuki Foundation
writes; “we
work with government, business and individuals to conserve our environment by
providing science-based education, advocacy and policy work, and acting as a
catalyst for the social change that today's situation demands.”
The
organization commits itself to numerous
projects related to climate change, science, policy and public outreach. These projects include:
1. Play it Cool - A program that organizes groups of summer and winter athletes who are
concerned with global warming and looking to make a change.
Beginning in 2006,
the goal is for the athletes to commit to making changes in their daily lives
in order to reduce their carbon footprint.
When it first began, according to the Foundation website, “members from the national
alpine and cross-country ski teams went carbon neutral, led by Olympic skiers
Thomas Grandi and Sara Renner. In 2007, 500 NHL players committed to going 'carbon neutral'.
All of these athletes
are offsetting their emissions using Gold Standard offsets, the highest quality
offsets in the world. Play It Cool is
an effective program that reaches out to people all over Canada and demonstrates how
everyone should take action on global warming and reduce their carbon
footprint.
2. The Carbon
Neutral Challenge - Helping National Hockey League (NHL) players calculate their total
carbon emissions for the regular season, The David Suzuki Foundation opened up
the eyes of over 400 players, which inspired them to participate in the Carbon
Neutral Challenge.
To successfully
become carbon neutral, players must purchase Gold Standard offsets exclusively
to guarantee, that each purchase offers a significant benefit for the climate.
3. Green Olympics - As Canada prepares to host
the world's largest winter event, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver,
British Columbia; the David Suzuki Foundation is urging the Olympic organizers
to go green.
With over 70 Olympic and professional athletes creating a buzz by sending in letters to the 2010
Olympic organizers, asking CEO John Furlong to make the Vancouver Olympics carbon neutral, this program is
essential in creating awareness and inspiring millions to take action in
cleaning up their environmental impacts.
Building a
sustainable future
Fighting actively and passionately for Canada to
follow through with the implementation of the United Nations Kyoto Protocol on
greenhouse gas reduction, and implementing a carbon neutral program in all of
the foundation offices, David Suzuki is always trying to discover methods to
solve global warming, protect human health, promote global conservation,
conserve the oceans and build a sustainable environment.
Focusing on how to improve sustainability specifically
within Canada,
he embarked on a cross-country tour on a diesel bus in 2007.
During
this momentous trip, he took the time to speak to millions of Canadians about
climate change while urging them to comply with the Kyoto Accord.
Regarded as one of Canada’s
most praised and respected scientists with 15 honorary doctorates from
universities in Canada, the U.S. and Australia, Dr. David Suzuki is one
of the world’s most active and radical ambassadors for reversing global climate
change.
Amy Astman Baker is a graduate student currently enrolled in
the Erasmus Mundus Journalism Masters, originally from Toronto, Ontario. She holds an
Honours Bachelors of Arts degree from McMaster
University and has lived in Canada, Denmark,
Ireland and Japan. Previous
journalism experience involves working at St. Joseph
Communications for the publication ‘Where Toronto’
magazine and freelance writing for websites and print publications in her spare
time.
