CLIMATE PROJECT SPEAKER TO VISIT ASTON GARDENS

By STEPHEN HAMMILL

On March 22, the News and Views program of Aston Gardens will welcome Roberta Fernandez to speak about global warming and its impact on the community and the planet as a whole.

She’ll also roll out “Roberta’s Top 10,” a list of simple things people can do to help the environment.

The presentation is set for 7:15 p.m. in the Aston Gardens’ ballroom, located at 12951 W. Linebaugh Ave. 

Terri Eckstein, Aston Gardens resident, runs the News and Views program along with her husband, Gerald.

“She was one of the first that trained for this,” said Eckstein, referring to Fernandez’ involvement in Al Gore’s Climate Project initiative.

Fernandez was one of the first 50 trainees chosen to volunteer for the Climate Project, a grass-roots organization, started by Gore, meant to educate and motivate the general population to take action against global warming. Climate Project is aiming to recruit and train 1,000 volunteer presenters over the next year.

According to Fernandez, she saw the film “An Inconvenient Truth” in August of last year and became affected in a major way. A South Tampa resident, Fernandez founded the Hyde Park Montessori School 11 years ago as place to raise her young daughter, as well as other children, in the Montessori methods. She had intended on working at the school for another few years, but she felt that the climate work was too important to wait any longer. 
“I left the theater feeling like I needed to make a difference,” she said.

She traveled to Nashville to join the first wave of trainees in what was to become the Climate Project.

“We went to Mr. Gore’s house and had training in the barn. It was an amazing experience,” she said.

When she returned to Tampa, she told her partner at the Montessori school that she needed to retire and start her new calling. She spent her last day there on March 1. Fernandez has since returned to Nashville as a senior mentor for remaining sessions, helping to train more than 1,000 volunteers.

“The people there have different backgrounds, coming from different places,” she said. “They run the gamut of the kinds of people that are out there and are passionate about this.”

The slide show Fernandez presents is a shorter version of the Al Gore presentation featured in the movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” The talks typically last a little over an hour.

A trained businesswoman with little science background, she was initially wary of speaking to groups about global warming, but has come to see that her audience is typically thirsty for any information she can give them. She’s also beginning to sense that individuals and communities are paying more attention to the message.

“The difference in awareness – you’re starting to see it now,” she said. “We’re reaching that tipping point, but also realizing how much more there is to do.”
Fernandez thinks her presentations go a long way to help people realize the potential they have to make a difference.

“I spend a lot of time talking about solutions, which is something the movie doesn’t really go into,” she said. “There’s so many simple things that people can do, and we go into that.

“People hear ‘global warming’ but Floridians don’t always see it. I think a lot of people didn’t make the connection before, but when they see the effects in the slide presentation, it hits home. I talk about the main areas where people can make an impact, and I think they really appreciate that … When you start doing one or two things, it spirals.”

Fernandez knows having Gore’s name attached to the project isn’t always a benefit. Some people treat her skeptically because they don’t like him. She tries to take the emphasis off the messenger and back onto the message.

“Everything in that documentary is solid science,” she said. “I think it’s more than a political issue; this is an economic issue.”

Fernandez doesn’t charge for her presentations, of which she has given 40 since September. In an effort to make a living working in the field of environmental awareness, she has set up an organization called Environmental Advocacy, which is dedicated to advising businesses on how to be better environmental stewards.

“I want to work with other businesses to help them become more environmentally aware,” she said. “Some of the large companies are waking up to the fact that they can be green and be profitable at the same time. In fact, they can save money.

“The key with this in the long term is to keep it in front of everyone’s face,” she said. “The more people see this in different places, the more credibility it takes on. It’s a matter of time, but it’s a matter of education more than anything.”

The Aston Gardens’ News and Views discussion group meets monthly, welcoming residents of the retirement community and the public to partake in discussions and presentations from a variety of speakers and performers.

Terry Eckstein and her husband began the program after moving to Aston Gardens three years ago.

“There’s no stock format said Eckstein.  “Whatever we think would interest our people, we do, and we’ll certainly welcome any people from outside Aston Gardens who might be attracted to our program.”

Topics can range from lighter entertainment fare to serious current events topics, such as the one Fernandez will be discussing.

On March 29, News and Views will welcome speaker H. Bruce Rinker, Ph.D., Division Director of Pinellas County Environmental Lands Management. Rinker’s program is very specific to Pinellas County and Brooker Creek, and Eckstein thinks it will tie in well with the presentation by Fernandez.

For directions to the Aston Gardens, call 855-2811.

Roberta Fernandez can be reached by e-mail at .

The Climate Project can be found on the Web at http://www.theclimateproject.org.