ScottishPower to
pay for trips to Gore film
Dec 4, 2006 - Scotsman, The
Author(s): Ian Johnston Environment Correspondent
EVERY schoolchild in Scotland is to be offered the chance to see
former US vice-president Al Gore's film about the dangers of global
warming under a scheme by energy company ScottishPower.
The firm, an important wind farm developer which also runs the
coal-fired Longannet power station, is prepared to commit "tens of
thousands of pounds" to the project and is in negotiations with the
Scottish Executive to secure its backing.
ScottishPower, which has also given copies of Mr Gore's book of the
same name, An Inconvenient Truth, to hundreds of its staff, plans to pay
for cinema screenings for older children in primary schools and all
secondary pupils. The firm is discussing with the Executive how pupils
could be bussed to cinemas, and with cinema owners about times for
screenings.
The idea came about after Stephen Dunn, the company's director of
human resources and communications, bought the book in the US while
visiting a company owned by ScottishPower.
"On the way home, I picked up the book in a bookstore in Oregon. We
flew right back to the UK and I basically read the entire book during
the night on the flight," he said.
"The thing that grabbed me about it was it's actually quite a simple
book, telling a simple story about the world and what we are doing to it
and how we have the opportunity to improve it. That sort of very
personal picture of what we are doing struck home with me. The film is
equally powerful.
"We are working with the Scottish Executive to see if we can put
together a funding package to get this film viewed by schoolchildren
across Scotland.
"We are putting up the cost of the cinemas and the cost of getting
the film and we're just looking for a bit of support from the
Executive."
Mr Dunn said ScottishPower was also looking at biomass generators and
wave power in addition to its wind farm programme in an attempt to
reduce emissions and the impact of global warming.
"In helping get this film out to schoolchildren, we give them the
opportunity to think about what we are doing to this Earth in a very
simple way - kids take very complex things and make them very easy much
better than adults can."
David Eaglesham, general- secretary of the Scottish Secondary
Teachers Association, said: "The film certainly puts across a view about
how the environment could be affected in the coming years, and climate
change is something that is already being looked at in many areas of the
curriculum."
Ronnie Smith, the general-secretary of the EIS teaching union, said
that the film would have to be put in context.
"I entirely accept that the environmental issue is moving up the
agenda, but I think it would be preferable that it was used as part of
the curriculum, rather than taking an one-off, piece-meal approach," he
said.
James Douglas-Hamilton, the Scottish Conservative's education
spokesman, said he had not seen the film, but added he was in favour of
the "principle of greater environmental awareness, provided it is
objectively done".
A Scottish Executive spokesperson said: "We are aware of the film
proposal from ScottishPower and are currently considering this."
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