An Inconvenient Truth

-Directed by: Davis Guggenheim

Starring:
-Al Gore

No, seriously. I really did mean Al Gore. The former Vice president becomes an unlikely movie star in what might be the scariest movie you will ever see. There's no blood, no language and no sex but you will be rocked by what this simple movie will tell you. This isn't a political issue. It's a social and moral issue and Gore is amazingly the right man for the job when it comes to explaining it all.

I'm not going to lie though. This is a two hour speech. What I would suggest though is that you go with an open mind and listen. I didn't expect to like this movie, let alone be awake by the end of it. What you'll find though is that it will make you think. You'll hear the reasons for global warming and the impacts it has had on our environment along with some very scary predictions for the future. It's not meant to preach, and with Gore's steady delivery it doesn't. Instead, you see a new side of the man himself and you see how very much he cares about this issue. It has been a life long crusade for him, and perhaps he's finally found the forum for which he might present this issue in the best way possible. Along the way, you also get to learn about his personal life. For the most part, that was fairly interesting until a slightly bitter mention of the 2000 election. You might get the sense he's still a little annoyed by that, but really that was the only glaring negative of the film. For the most part, it's very heartfelt and done with a true sense of purpose. Gore cares about the fate of our planet, and he'd like it very much if you would take a moment to listen to him.

Because I'm an internet junkie as much as a movie junkie, I went to the website of the movie and picked up some ways we can all help save our planet. It's simple stuff really that you can do, or you can point out to your parents to do.

Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)
CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.

Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible
You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year.

Turn off electronic devices you’re not using
Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo, and computer when you’re not using them will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%.

I think the bottom line here is that the movie doesn't want to scare you silly. It wants you to realize that if we all do a little bit then we can help save our world one person at a time. Go see it when it opens in your city, then spread the word. The best way people can hear the truth is if it's shared.

An Inconvenient Truth opens across the country throughout June and is now playing in selected cities. Check your local listings.

(Special thanks to Climate Crisis for the environmental information. Picture of Al Gore courtesy of Yahoo! Entertainment.)

-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
jennuntch@yahoo.com
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