Al Gore And The Climate Reality Project To Train Hundreds Of New Climate Reality Leaders In Seattle, Washington

Washington, DC (May 9, 2017)— The Climate Reality Project announced today that the organization will hold its 35^th Climate Reality Leadership Corps activist training in Bellevue, Washington, right outside of Seattle, from June 27-29. World class scientists, communicators, and climate experts will join former US Vice President and Climate Reality Chairman Al Gore to train hundreds of citizens to become Climate Reality Leaders organizing communities for action on the climate crisis.

After starting a global conversation on the crisis with the Academy Award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, Vice President Gore created the Climate Reality Leadership Corps to empower citizens to take the conversation forward and organize their communities for action.  Coming just weeks before the July 28 release of the follow up film, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, the Seattle training will prepare a new generation of world changers to lead the coming wave of climate activism across the nation and around the planet.

“We must, we can and we will solve the climate crisis,” said Vice President Al Gore. “Despite the new setbacks and headwinds at the federal level, the world is now moving in the right direction-- and in the US, states like California, New York and Washington -- and a growing number of cities -- can provide powerful momentum. Seattle, in particular, is home to some of the most passionate and committed climate activists in the nation. We look forward to learning from and building on that existing community to further activate Climate Reality Leaders in the US and around the world in the fight to save our planet's climate balance.”

Climate Reality Leaders will emerge from the training equipped with the knowledge and tools to build public awareness of global climate challenges, share the good news about the practical solutions in our hands today, and strengthen public support for leaders at all levels of society taking action. The training will also include the opportunity to take action with new Leaders taking to the streets and engaging people in the greater Seattle area in working together for climate solutions.

Washington State’s citizen activists have made the state an active hub of resistance to the fossil fuel agenda emerging in the other Washington. From locals organizing against a coal export terminal in their community to entire cities, towns, and businesses committing to renewables, events in the greater Seattle area prove that Americans don’t have to look to DC for solutions. The training will focus on the region’s many opportunities for local action and how businesses, cities, towns, elected officials, and citizens can build on these wins and accelerate the shift to clean energy gathering steam across the country.

“For years, citizens in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest have been taking our planet’s future into their hands, cutting emissions and embracing clean energy without waiting for leaders in Washington, DC to catch up,” said Ken Berlin, president and CEO of The Climate Reality Project. “With a new wave of citizen activism surging across the country, the Northwest can lead the nation in driving a just transition to a clean energy economy and we’re excited to come help.”

In addition to showcasing the work of local climate champions, the training will highlight some of the climate impacts Washington State has suffered over the past several years. Changing rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and increasing potential for extreme weather are a threat to both the state’s iconic forests and the region’s rivers, lakes, and streams. Sea-level rise, ocean acidification, and the potential for toxic algal blooms threaten coastal fisheries which provide thousands of jobs to Pacific Northwest residents.

The Climate Reality Project has trained more than 11,000 Climate Reality Leaders from 136 countries, with recent trainings in Denver, Colorado; Houston, Texas; Shenzhen, China; Manila, Philippines; Miami, Florida; Toronto, Canada; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; New Delhi, India; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Apply before May 23 at www.climaterealitytraining.org. 

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ABOUT THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT

Founded by Nobel Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore, The Climate Reality Project is one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to mobilizing action on climate change. With a global movement more than 5 million strong and a grassroots network of trained Climate Reality Leader activists, we are spreading the truth about the climate crisis and building popular support for clean energy solutions. For more information, visit www.climaterealityproject.org or follow us on Twitter at @ClimateReality.