A Passion for our Planet

When one our the most distinguished scientific publications take notice of one of our members,
we should all be proud. A letter published recently in Science magazine says that it’s time to establish a non-partisan initiative that will actively inform the public—including business managers—about climate change using the best available evidence. The letter calls on the science community to re-assert its role as the trusted broker of unbiased information that people can put to use, and overcome misinformation and misconceptions that undermine public confidence in their options.

One of the letter’s co-authors, Tom Bowman, is one of our own – an exhibit designer who is also an expert on communicating climate and energy science. This month, Tom Bowman and an interdisciplinary team of experts launched ClimateEngage.org. 

Tom and his associates are passionate about protecting our planet from what a majority of scientist believe may be a significant peril to our children and grandchildren's lives unless we develop a comprehensive plan to start coping with the scientific and economic challenges of global warming. We need to learn how to balance the risks and costs in addressing these challenges.

The website invites people from all walks of life to demonstrate their support for this “Call to Action” by publicly endorsing the letter. As a whole, we—the tradeshow and events industry—are not known for our environmental awareness. The industry’s historical practices clearly illustrate this shortcoming, but we’ are learning and some of us are making great strides.

Unfortunately, the subject of climate control has often been politically partisan. And the term "politically partisan" often conjures up opportunistic rhetoric that sometimes reflects an alternate agenda. It’s time to move beyond rhetoric and misunderstandings and put climate science in the hands of the people who make decisions everyday so they can make informed choices on their own behalf. We need to put our planet back into the hands of the scientists and not the politicians and pundits. We need more passionate people like Tom Bowman to show us the way.

Please join us in visiting www.ClimateEngage.org today.

Margit B. Weisgal, CME
President/CEO
Gordon Nary is Editor of AboutFace
Trade Show Exhibitors Association