Former vice president Al Gore ’69, LL.D. ’94, will be at Harvard on October 22 for a University-wide celebration of sustainability.
The event will celebrate Harvard's past achievements, present efforts, and future goals, including President Drew Faust's commitment to cut greenhouse-gas emissions 30 percent by 2016 (read more about that in the current issue of Harvard Magazine).
Gore, who drew attention to climate change with his 2006 film An Inconvenient Truth, is scheduled to speak at 4:15 p.m. in Tercentenary Theatre. More information is available at the event website.
Below, the full text of the news release from Faust's office:
I am delighted to announce that Former Vice President Al Gore will be coming to campus on Wednesday, October 22, for a University-wide celebration on sustainability. This event will mark the official launch of our new greenhouse gas reduction effort and will also celebrate Harvard's broader environmental initiatives, including the critical role we play as a university in teaching and research in this area.
Beginning at 3:00 p.m., food and refreshments will be served in Tercentenary Theatre. The speaking program, with Mr. Gore's remarks featured as the Robert Coles "Call of Service" Lecture sponsored each year by the Phillips Brooks House Association, will begin at 4:00 pm. Full details of the day's program and related events can be found at www.green.harvard.edu.
We all have an obligation to be stewards of the environment, and this is especially true of a university community. Through research, education, and the planning, development, and operation of our campus, we at Harvard have the opportunity to help confront the challenge of climate change and to contribute to the sustainability of our planet. This past summer, we took a crucial step toward rising to that challenge by setting for ourselves a goal to reduce our carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2016. This ambitious undertaking—recommended by the Greenhouse Gas Task Force, which I convened last winter—will create even more opportunities for the Harvard community to work together to respond to these paramount issues of our time.
(Information on the task force's report can be found at http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2008/07.24/99-greenhouse.html.)
I hope you will join me on October 22. I look forward to celebrating with you.
With all best wishes,
Drew G. Faust
