Local students and teachers attend Minds That Move the World Speaker Series at Radio City Music Hall featuring Al Gore

On May 2, 2008, teachers and students from schools throughout the tri-state area had the unique opportunity to hear former Vice President Al Gore speak at Radio City Music Hall as part of "The Minds that Move the World" speaker series.

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Vice President Gore discussed a range of issues including the environment, the Iraq War and current presidential politics. He was humorous about how life has changed since leaving office and he was passionate about the responsibility young people have in facing environmental challenges.

For all students and teachers that attended, please share your comments, thoughts and impressions.

Thank you to Bethpage, Harborfields, Shoreham-Wading River, Massapequa, Lehman, Sleepy Hollow and Hoboken School Districts for bringing students to share this special and unique learning opportunity. Also, thank you to the many teachers who attended.

Comments

[Michelle Mason]

Hearing Al Gore's speech was not only informative, but also rewarding and inspiring. In Al Gore's speech, he informs but keeps it light with humor. His words seem to entice the listener and keep them on the edge of their seat anticipating his next words.
In his speech, he urged America to take an active role in the environment. America represents freedom, liberty, and democracy throughout the world. It has stepped into World Wars and struggling countries with the intent of spreading hope and freedom to many lives. Why has America refused to take that role of leadership in the environment? This is our world and our future and we have a chance to make a difference. Al Gore challenges America to take the initiative in solving the environmental problems that will affect the world for generations to come.

[Lindsay Cafiero]

I was very grateful to have the opportunity to attend Al Gore's lecture. I enjoyed his presentation and was surprised at his sense of humor. Mr.Gore spoke a lot about how the Earth needs attention not only from the President, but from the people most of all. I was made aware of things going on in the world that I didnt know about such as ice caps melting at an increasing rate. As an 8th grade student, I now feel more responsibe for changing the way we treat our environment. I will also continue to encourage my peers to do their part in helping creating a better enviroment for not only us, but for our children as well.

[Kathleen Moore]

I enjoyed the opportunity to see former Vice President Al Gore speak at Radio City Music Hall. He was very interesting and funny. I also watched his documentary An Inconvenient Truth which he spoke about similar topics. This was an educational experience I will never forget.

[Dan Stratford]

Thomas Mann once stated that "What we think we are, in part we become." This statement is certainly evocative of Mr. Gore's presentation on climate change and its societal, cultural, and political facets. Mr. Gore challenges Americans to rise to the occasion and rescind our national addiction to the oil and other fossil fuels we consume so voraciously in our day-to-day lives - a habit which we pay for with a multi-trillion dollar trade deficit. What was most enthralling about the entire presentation was his firm belief in the inherent worth of the individual - that even the smallest person could make a difference. One could extrapolate from the reaction of the audience that when Mr. Gore spoke of climate change and energy reform as a moral issue, and not merely a political issue, he transcended the political spectrum and engaged in that most American practice of dissent, a practice which is in short supply in our era. With regards to politics, he maintained his transcendent stance by not endorsing any particular candidate for the Presidency in November but took an informal "applause poll" of the audience, which Barack Obama seemingly dominated. He stated that he knew that the audience was "primarily Democratic," but in true bipartisan fashion, he also stated that "Republicans are welcome too." This is drawn from his firm belief that the issue of climate change transcends "one president" or "one party," and that all people have a part to play. Asserting that rescinding our addiction to oil would be a test of national greatness, he also captured the hearts and minds of the audience, mine included, and will certainly hold them for decades to come with the test of political and moral gusto that is climate change.

[T.J. Hynes]

I first would like to thank Power to Learn for giving Bethpage High School tickets to see Mr. Al Gore speak at the Radio City Music Hall.

Second, I would like to thank my School for choosing me to be a part of this experience.

Now finally, I can tell you what I thought:

Mr. Al Gore, I thought was fantastic in how he talked about serious issues and made them lighter by adding humor. In his speech, he brought up many points which I think are overlooked by many. One of these is what we are doing to the North Pole. I was greatly shocked. I mean, how is it that the North Pole has "shrunk" by at least a quarter of its size and people still say, "There is no Global Warming." What is going on with these people? They see the signs; why don't they start taking drastic preventive countermeasures?

I was equally shocked to hear how members of President George Bush's administration were planning to invade Iraq before the World Trade Center Attacks. George Bush had no reason for just invading Iraq. It is like saying this:

The bully on the street has tortured toys(like in Toys Story) and another bully throws an egg at your house. You knew about both situations and decide that you needed to get revenge on the toy-torturer. So you go and invade his house with your friends and you say that you are fighting a "War on Bullies". Is that fair? That is what happened in 2001 with the aftermath politics of the World Trade Center Attacks. That is what Mr. Al Gore was trying to get across.

Global Warming is not the only major ethical issue, but as Al Gore pointed out, so is this "War".

[Nefertere Smith]

This was a wonderful experience and I thank Power to Learn for giving myself and others, the opportunity to hear Mr.Al Gore speak at the Radio City Music Hall. The topics that he spoke about were things that everyone should know, even teenagers because of the ways that we can help an issue; for example the issue of global warming. The different isseus and facts that Mr.Gore spoke about were important and informative, and again I would like to thank Power to Learn for this wonderful experience.

[Colin Chadderton]

Being able to see Mr. Gores speak was an incredible experience. I had never dreamt that I would be in such close proximity to someone of his stature. Mr. Gore surprised me with his charm, as he opened up with some jokes and how he tied in subjects with stories. During his speech he captivated the audience time and time again with the facts and reality's of global warming and they way they hit home. What really blew my mind was when he said that 90 square miles of solar panels would be enough to supply power to the entire United states. Also i was shocked to learn that many of the richest, most powerful, and most industrialized nations, such as the US and China, had not signed the Kyoto Protocol. We could be leading the world to a clean and green age but instead we are trying keep it relying on a steadily decreasing supply of fossil fuels. Its scary really, and their are a lot of negative outlooks about how global warming is destroying the earth as we know it, but Mr. Gore did give us something positive to look to. He believes in the individuals ability to contribute. We need to stop waiting on the government to enact laws and start changing our own ways little by little. Things are changing in the world, less and less of the north pole is refreezing every year, the permafrost is melting, the rain forest which holds the most biodiversity in the world is being laid to waste. It might not happen right away but we need to start going green. Mr. Gores speech really opened my eyes to many of our environmental problems and how we should be acting towards solving them.