I interviewed Naomi Devine on her way to train with Al Gore as part of his extension of the work started with the Inconvenient Truth. I'm republishing it here because the training is about getting into people like Naomi into our BC communities and talking about sustainability, climate change, and what we're doing about it. Given that my town, the City of Courtenay, is about to host a discussion about plans to reduce GHGs (greenhouse gases), and given that one of my mentors from a previous life, John Talbot just asked me about my thoughts on good examples of sustainability planning in BC, I thought it was a good time to repost this conversation with the person I sometimes call BC's "sustainability queen." Enjoy!
(this interview was previously posted at CITinfoResource.com in Sept 2010, and hanspetermeyer.com in June 2010)
Naomi Devine talks to me about her trip to Nashville, Tennessee to train with Al Gore as part of the Climate Project. What's the Climate Project? From their site..."The Climate Project supports more than 3,000 diverse and dedicated volunteers worldwide who have been personally trained by former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore to educate the public and to raise awareness about
Who is Naomi Devine, and why would I want to talk to her?
I met Naomi last year in May 2009 at the Media that Matters conference on Cortes Island, BC. She's one of a number of active and creative people who attended that version of the annaul MtM conference. Along with people like Kris Krüg (who's just been in Cochabamba, Bolivia to cover the alt-Climate-Change talks, and is currently preparing for #TEDxOilSpill in Washington, DC - see his National Geographic photo essay on the Gulf Oil Spill), and most of the crew who worked on the Journey to Midway project (Chris Jordan, Jan Vozenilek and BillWeaver) Naomi inspires me and supports me in the work I do. Thanks to all the MtM alumni!
And so, who is Naomi Devine when she's not at Media that Matters?
I've lifted this from her bio at BCSEA (BC Sustainable Energy Association): "Naomi is a climate change and sustainability policy advisor who is responsible for overseeing the Whistler2020 community process and working on Whistler’s Official Community Plan review. In her previous position as the Sustainability Coordinator for the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) she worked on the creation of the Carbon Neutral Operations Plan, and created the Climate Action Innovation Fund, which directs carbon tax money into commercial and municipal emissions reductions projects. Prior to this, Naomi worked in the University of Victoria’s office of Campus Planning and Sustainability, creating the university's first sustainability policy and action plan.
"In November 2007, Naomi was appointed to British Columbia's Climate Action Team, which offers the Government’s Cabinet Committee on Climate Action policy advice on measures to achieve legislated greenhouse gas reductions. She is a co-founder of Common Energy at the University of Victoria, an organization that works to move organizations 'beyond climate-neutral' and is a co-author of the report: Building on Progress: A Plan to move the University of Victoria Beyond Climate-Neutral. Naomi is currently a Director with the BC Sustainable Energy Association, and founding chair of the Victoria Chapter."
What's next?
When Naomi returns to BC she'll be looking for opportunities to practice what she's learned: giving a version of the Al Gore "Inconvenient Truth" climate change presentation to communities in BC. She'll be wanting to connect the larger climate change picture to what's happening in our communties, in terms of the kinds of changes we'll be seeing, and also the kinds of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies we're putting together.
If your community has gone through, or is about to start a sustainability planning process you might consider getting in touch with Naomi. She's a smart, dynamic, and passionate individual with lots to add to whatever sustainability conversation is happening in your community.
Contact stuff...
One of the best ways to get a handle on who Naomi is and what she does is to follow her on Twitter - that'll give you a way to get in touch with her too.
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