GREEN PROFILE: Al Gore...Politician, Environmental Activist

Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. was born March 31, 1948 in Washington, D.C., USA.  Al Gore is the former Vice President of the United States (1993–2001), the 2000 Democratic Party presidential nominee, and the co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The award was given "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change". He has been involved with the environmental activist movement for a number of decades.

Al Gore's first environmental book, Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, was published in 1992, prior to his term as vice president. Before his life as an author, however, Al Gore was known for his support of hearings on toxic waste in the late 70s and ones on global warming in the early 80s.

During his term with Bill Clinton he focused on protecting the environment in economically sustainable ways. On Earth Day in 1994 he established the GLOBE Program that helped students gain environmental awareness and in the late 1990s he supported the Kyoto Protocol without the backing of the Senate.

After his term as vice-president, Al Gore continued his support of environmental awareness and launched Generation Investment Management in 2004. Gore serves as chair of this firm as it seeks out and supports organizations and companies that promote global and environmental awareness. Generation Investment Management combines traditional stock equities and economic strategies with environmentally conscious investment opportunities.

In May of 2006 Al Gore released his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, based on his best-selling book by the same name. The film and book focus on man's influence over global environmental conditions and our responsibility to change our personal and corporate strategies in order to support a sustainable future. The film won an Oscar at the 2007 Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and is the fourth-highest grossing documentary in American history.

As a result of his passion for environmental awareness, Gore began traveling the world giving lectures on global warming. According to Gore, he has presented these speeches over 1000 times. Every time he travels, Gore compensates for the greenhouse gases used to reach his destination by purchasing carbon offsets. He has also fitted his home in Nashville with energy efficient lighting and solar panels and purchases renewable energy. Despite the energy needs of his large home, Gore's mansion is considered one of the most environmentally friendly homes in the country. The U.S. Green Building Council gave Gore's home their second-highest rating for sustainable design.

With the help of Kevin Wall, Al Gore created Live Earth, as series of music concerts around the world to help raise environmental awareness for global climate change.  

He continues to speak on behalf of environmental awareness and actively spreads sustainable living through his international speeches and programs.