By Mark Campbell

There are a few things Carl Duivenvoorden knows for certain. One is that global warming is not a myth. Two is that we can do more to protect our environment. And three is that Al Gore is a ‘pretty cool guy.’

“He’s usually portrayed as having a stiff persona, and he certainly has this intensity about him that comes out when he’s talking about global warming. But he’s not afraid to poke fun at himself or his public image either.”

Duivenvoorden is an interesting character himself, and certainly as passionate on the issue of climate change and environmental sustainability as the former Vice President of the United States. He was one of the first Canadians to receive training from Gore in delivering the landmark presentation, An Inconvenient Truth, and he has since shared its key messages with more than 35,000 people in 250 audiences – which indicates the degree of his passion. He also started his own business as a speaker, writer and consultant to further help people save money, energy and the environment.

“People want to do the right thing, but they don’t always know just what that right thing is because there is so much information out there. My goal is to educate and provide realistic things anyone can do to make a difference.”

No ‘eureka’ moment

Duivenvoorden’s commitment to environmental sustainability is such that you wonder what inspired him to take up the cause. He explains there was no ‘eureka’ moment; it was more an accumulation of experiences and realizations, starting with recesses at his elementary school in Belledune, NB.

“The school was located between a smelter and a fertilizer plant. There were some days when we couldn’t go outside because the smoke from the plant hung like fog over the schoolyard. I didn’t know much about the environment, but I knew there was something wrong when kids couldn’t go outside to play. That’s when the little voice in my head first went off.”

Even so, Duivenvoorden had other plans than environmental activism. After completing high school, he enrolled at Nova Scotia Agricultural College (Now Dalhousie’s Faculty of Agriculture) to study farming technology, thinking one day he’d take over the family dairy farm. Instead, he decided to pursue a degree in plant science, which he competed in 1986. “That was a great foundation for me, because I was exposed to issues related to global food production, and how it is a sacred trust. It reaffirmed to me the vital role that farmers play in sustaining our food supply.”

An eye-opening experience

Zipaquira, Colombia: May 1989

After graduating, Duivenvoorden held a series of agriculture jobs, including five years marketing seed potatoes to developing countries in Central and South America for the Canadian Seed Potato Export Agency. It was an eye-opening experience.

“I was in Mexico City five days before I realized there were mountains nearby. That’s how thick the smog was over the city. And the main road to Caracas had so much oil on it from cars it was like driving in wet conditions. I could hear that little voice again telling me ‘this can’t be good,’ only now it was getting louder.”

Deciding a change was in order, Duivenvoorden moved on to Efficiency NB, a government agency designed to help people save money, energy and the environment. It was a stimulating and fun job. And then, Al Gore changed everything. A conversation about Gore’s book, An Inconvenient Truth, at work prompted him to pick up a copy. Reading it during a family vacation, he told his wife he thought it would change the world and he wanted to be part of it. Discovering Gore was training people to deliver a presentation based on the book, he wanted in. After some persistence, he found himself in Nashville at a training session in spring 2007.

“You had to commit to ten presentations in your home community. I decided I would do 100. I wasn’t sure how I would accomplish this, but I took a year off work to follow my heart and see where this would lead.”

Making a difference

By the end of the year, he had given 140 presentations across Atlantic Canada and in New England. “It’s hard to know for sure if you’ve made an impact,” he admits. “But every now and then, you get an audience where you can see they definitely get it. You get emails from people who tell you ‘I’m changing my life because of your presentation.’ So, I’d like to think it is making a difference.”

That’s all the impetus Duivenvoorden needs to continue spreading the word to anyone who will listen through his business and his presentations. “You’ve heard about the ‘Butterfly Effect?’’ he asks. “It’s this phenomenon that says something as gentle as a butterfly flapping its wings over Brazil can cause a tornado over Texas. Well, I want to be that butterfly. I want to have an impact.”