David Suzuki is a Canadian hero, one of our top 10 Canadians even. He is best known for his television show The Nature Of Things airing across the world. He is a scientists and avid environmentalist. In 1990 he founded the David Suzuki Foundation which as the mission of finding a balance in the environment around us in our everyday lives.
Dr. Suzuki has his PhD in Zoology from the University of Chicago. He worked as a professor at the University of British Columbia for over 40 years until his retirement, but can still be found doing a packed lecture every now and then. He has been awarded 22 honorary degrees. Due to his love for the environment he isn’t found in too many different places. Although he purchases carbon credits his touring puts him tonnes over his carbon footprint. Thus he has stopped vacationing and attempts to appear by video conference as often as possible. His university tour of 2008 comprised of UBC and McGill.
He has been a very vocal in the fight against climate change. He has claimed that Canada should be international outlaws for reneging on Kyoto and that scientists who deny climate change are funded by big corporations. Suzuki is disgusted by these scientists who are funded from inappropriate sources because it is these skeptics and deniers that aren’t allowing the public to be convinced that climate change is an extremely pressing issue of our days.
Suzuki’s most recent big news campaign is his Nature Challenge, which I urge you all to take a look at and join. What is the challenge? It’s all pretty simple. The way you travel, what you eat, the energy you use and public action. Way to implement the challenge into your life are outlined here. Most of the thing are things that a lot of us will already do - but it’s good to reevaluate your life and see where you can improve. I for one and shutting the computer off at night, and turning the heat in the house down a couple degrees. Sure - it takes longer for me to check my email in the morning because the CP isn’t just on, and I’m slightly colder but it’s not doing me any harm.
Check the nature challenge out! David Suzuki is someone I look up to so much. He has devoted his entire life to spreading the word about climate change. He lived a hard life as a prisoner of war in Canada, but has moved on to become one of the greatest environmentalists of our time. Love!
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Katie,
February 27th, 2008 at 11:31 amThank you for posting about Suzuki. Somehow, he’s not particularly well-known in the States, although he did speak to a standing-room-only crowd at last year’s DC Environmental Film Festival. He’s an electrifying speaker. If you (or any of your readers) get the chance to see him speak, it’s well worth the effort.
Interesting and informative post about David Suzuki. There is stuff I did not know about him.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:42 pmI’ve been a Suzuki fan for years! Heard him speak at Bioneers awhile back….he IS an amazing speaker! Great combo of ‘get-to-itiveness’ and positivity.
February 27th, 2008 at 3:15 pmWhen I was in high school in Toronto, in 1990, I was interested in environmentalism and politics. In our senior year, my classmates and I were organizing a demonstration for Earth Day - a march from Parliament to City Hall. A concert at City Hall was being organized as well. We were really excited and passionate about it.
I rode the bus every day down Bay Street to get to school. One day, Suzuki was on my bus and it was just the two of us. I really didn’t want to bug him but I figured it was silly not to say something. I got up the nerve to ask him if he does any type of speaking and before I got any words out he flipped out and snapped at me, basically asking me to leave him the hell alone. I was shocked and disillusioned (being young, of course) because I had looked up to him a great deal.
A friend worked at the CBC and got a letter to him that I wrote about the experience and how unnecessary it seemed for him to be rude and curt with an admirer, and a student, no less, not some raving groupie. He took the time to write me back a long, detailed letter discussing how hard it is for him to be away from his family - how exhausted he can get - and how he was completely out of line it was for him to treat me the way that he did. I was really glad he took the time out to acknowledge it. It was odd to go through that with him, but his candor and earnest response meant a lot to this idealistic high school kid.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:58 amWhile I applaud Mr. Suzuki’s efforts, I question its impact. Most people respond best to small steps. Giving them a laundry list can only go so far. Figure out first the one thing that will get people started, then the rest will follow. Seems simple, but it is not easy. I have spent the last nine months exploring this very issue on my blog. Thanks to my readers, some answers are starting to surface.
http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com
February 28th, 2008 at 3:29 pmKim - thats nutty. But I’m glad to took the time to write to you to try and make up for being an asshole. He seems pretty modest and calm now, maybe it came with age. The first time I met him I cried, and he laughed at me really hard. The next few times weren’t so dramatic on my part.
Marguerite - I think it has somewhat of an impact - my mom does whatever he tells us to do. …I think that a lot of people follow what he says a little blindly, but at least it’s not harmful stuff. I find that a lot of people take his advice much more to heart than other people.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:06 pmI have a picture of David Suzuki standing on a rock, wearing only a fig leaf… I love that photo!!! It was published in HoBo magazine a few years back… if you’re interested I’ll email you a jpg.
March 26th, 2008 at 3:59 pmGreat post. I really enjoyed it. I will have to bookmark this site for later.
April 16th, 2008 at 11:41 ami’ve met him twice, once when i was about 10 and he did a talk at a church in my hometown in northern ontario, and once when i was working at the deli at caper’s in vancouver (apparently his office is on fourth avenue). he was rude both times.
after the talk, my dad congratulated him and extended his hand — suzuki refused to shake it and gave him some sort of dismissive hand wave.
when he visited capers, while i didn’t serve him, i witnessed him be rude, short and impatient with the girl that did.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:58 pmHe smoked up a joint in the Banff Centre cafeteria. A very rude, very egotistical and ignorant Man. He is just a scum bag with an agenda.
August 16th, 2008 at 8:37 pm