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Agenda for the Nashville Training

Nashville, Tennessee | May 1–2, 2026

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April 30

4:15

Check-In

4:30

Doors Open

5:00 – 5:10

Welcome Address

5:10 – 6:00

“An Inconvenient Truth:” Then and Now

Few films have changed the world as profoundly as "An Inconvenient Truth." Get an inside view of the history-making documentary, the climate movement it inspired, and the challenges ahead in a special conversation with Al Gore and biographer Jon Meacham.

  • Al Gore, Founder and Chairman, The Climate Reality Project
  • Jon Meacham, Biographer

6:00 – 6:15

Performer: Kathy Mattea

Multi-Grammy® Award winning artist and Grand Ole Opry member Kathy Mattea isn’t just a Nashville legend. She’s also a longtime climate activist and one of the very first Climate Reality Leaders, trained in Nashville back in 2006.

  • Kathy Mattea, Musician; Climate Reality Leader, 2006 Nashville Training

6:15 – 7:30

Welcome Gathering

Get to know fellow attendees and enjoy live music from Scoot Teasley, one of Nashville’s most exciting new voices with songs merging Southern storytelling with hip-hop and soul influences.

  • Scoot Teasley, Country Artist

Training Day One: Friday, May 1

8:00

Registration and Doors Open

9:00 – 9:30

Host Welcome & Icebreaker

Today’s host welcomes you to the first full day of training.

  • Sybil Azur, TV and Film Writer; Climate Reality Leader, 2017 Pittsburgh Training; Green Ring Award Winner, 2022 Las Vegas Training

9:30 – 9:40

Welcome to Nashville

Mayor Freddie O’Connell welcomes you to Music City and highlights some of the city’s climate initiatives.

  • Freddie O’Connell, Mayor, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County

9:40 – 10:00

We Are Climate Reality: 20 Years of Leadership and Action

Learn more about Climate Reality from President and CEO Phyllis Cuttino as she highlights the organization’s evolution over the last 20 years, the growth of our global leader network, and the impact areas that drive the focus of the organization through 2030.

  • Phyllis Cuttino, President and CEO, The Climate Reality Project

10:00 – 12:00

Presenting the Climate Crisis: Science, Impacts, and Solutions

Vice President Gore delivers the iconic presentation made famous in "An Inconvenient Truth," updated for 2026, that highlights the latest climate science, impacts, and solutions worldwide and across the US.

  • Al Gore, Founder and Chairman, The Climate Reality Project

12:00 – 1:20

Lunch and Group Discussions #1

Meet with your tablemates to reflect on and discuss Vice President Gore’s presentation and submit a question for the Q&A with expert scientists on May 2.

1:20 – 2:20

Issue Panel and Audience Q&A | Inside Big Oil’s Playbook: Deception and Accountability

With decades of practiced denialism and greenwashing, Big Oil has refined a playbook designed to delay climate action and evade responsibility. This panel unpacks those tactics and explores the growing movement to hold fossil fuel companies accountable through policy, litigation, and public pressure.

  • Moderator: Vanessa Hauc, Anchor and Director of Planeta Tierra, Noticias Telemundo; Climate Reality Leader, 2013 Chicago Training
  • Naomi Oreskes, Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University; Principal, Grenville Science Consultants, LLC
  • Sara Shor, Director of Organizing and Partnerships, Fossil Free Media and Make Polluters Pay Campaign
  • Suzie Ross, Chair, Green Ossining; Co-Chair, The Climate Reality Project - Westchester County NY Chapter; Advocacy Team Lead, The Climate Reality Project - NYS Chapters Coalition; Lead, Stop Climate Polluter Handouts Act Coalition (NY);Climate Reality Leader Trained in Pittsburgh 2017

2:20 – 3:10

Skill-Building Session #1 | Building Power Through Advocacy: Practical Skills for Climate Advocates
Learn the core skills of effective climate advocacy – from articulating your “climate why” to accessing lawmakers and successfully moving decision-makers.
  • Madeline Dyke, Campaigns Strategy Senior Manager, The Climate Reality Project
  • Eliza Nemser, Network Action Vice President, The Climate Reality Project

3:10 – 3:40

Coffee Break

3:40 – 4:00

From Data to Action: Scaling Climate Solutions with Climate TRACE

Climate TRACE combines satellite data, remote sensing, and AI to track climate pollution from 745 million sources worldwide. Hear from Vice President Gore how you can use TRACE to identify action opportunities and track emissions in your communities.

  • Al Gore, Founder and Chairman, The Climate Reality Project

4:00 – 4:20

Speed and Scale for a Clean Future

How do we build a clean future? Hear from John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram about a net zero action plan that uses Climate TRACE data to drive transparency and accelerate climate action at scale.

  • Moderator: Al Gore, Founder and Chairman, The Climate Reality Project
  • John Doerr, Chair, Kleiner Perkins
  • Ryan Panchadsaram, Technical Advisor to the Chairman, Kleiner Perkins

4:20 – 4:40

Group Discussions #2

Discuss your impressions of the training so far with your tablemates and consider how the tools presented can help address climate impacts in your own community.

4:40 – 5:00

The Intersections of Health and Climate

During this conversation, Vice President Gore discusses the intersections of health and the climate crisis with physician and former Majority Leader of the United States Senate, Bill Frist.

  • Moderator: Al Gore, Founder and Chairman, The Climate Reality Project
  • Senator Bill Frist, MD, Global Board Chair, The Nature Conservancy; Former Majority Leader, United States Senate

5:30 – 7:00

Partner Fair and Group Reception

This evening, meet Climate Reality’s training partners and chapter leaders to hear more about their work, join a campaign, and build community with fellow attendees.

Training Day 2: Saturday, May 2

8:30

Doors Open

9:00 – 9:20

Welcome Back

We’re back! Today’s host introduces the second day of the training.

  • Suzie Ross, Chair, Green Ossining; Co-Chair, The Climate Reality Project - Westchester County NY Chapter; Advocacy Team Lead, The Climate Reality Project - NYS Chapters Coalition; Lead, Stop Climate Polluter Handouts Act Coalition (NY);Climate Reality Leader Trained in Pittsburgh 2017

9:20 – 9:40

Invoking the Spirit: How Faith and Wisdom Traditions Can Inspire Climate Action

The climate crisis is not only an environmental challenge — it's an invitation to awareness and transformation. In this session, Reverend Jen Bailey and Karenna Gore examine how spiritual truths and practices can inspire individuals, strengthen community, and support the climate moment.

  • Reverend Jen Bailey, Executive Director, Dan and Margaret Maddox Fund
  • Karenna Gore, Executive Director, Center for Earth Ethics (CEE)

9:40 – 9:55

Musical Interlude

Banjo virtuosos Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn have become one of the most exciting acts in folk music today. The duo joins us to share some music that resonates with the moment.

  • Béla Fleck, Artist
  • Abigail Washburn, Artist

9:55 – 10:15

Truth in 20

Vice President Gore presents Truth in 20 – a shorter version of his iconic presentation and a key educational tool to use for climate advocacy.

  • Al Gore, Founder and Chairman, The Climate Reality Project

10:15 – 11:05

Answering Your Climate Science Questions

Now’s your chance to dig a little deeper into the climate science of it all. During this live question-and-answer session, Mr. Gore and two scientists answer audience questions on climate science, impacts, and solutions.

  • Moderator: Al Gore, Founder and Chairman, The Climate Reality Project
  • Rosina Bierbaum, Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan; Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland; Board Member, The Climate Reality Project
  • Dr. Michael E. Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania; Director, Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media

11:05 – 12:05

Issue Panel and Audience Q&A | Clean Energy on the Rise: Towards Affordable Abundance

Clean energy is increasingly the cheapest energy. Learn how expanding renewables and greening infrastructure will lower your bills, create new jobs, and benefit the planet.

  • Moderator: Saharnaz Mirzazad, Executive Director, ICLEI USA
  • Dr. Alicia M. Johnson, Commissioner, GA Public Service Commission
  • Ari Matusiak, Co-Founder, President, and CEO, Rewiring America
  • Chéri Smith, President and CEO, Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy; Climate Reality Leader, 2013 Chicago Training
  • Matt Traldi, Founder and CEO, Greenlight America

12:05 – 1:25

Lunch

1:25 – 2:10

Skill-Building Session | Making the Case for Clean Energy

Clean energy is both cheap energy and commonsense energy. But sometimes the way we talk about it can leave audiences scratching their heads. Learn how to talk about clean energy using everyday language that connects with audiences and make people want to get involved.

  • Lacey Kohlmoos, Reducing Emissions Campaign Manager, The Climate Reality Project
  • Kristen Winzent, Head of Communications, Gigascale Capital

2:10 – 3:00

Issue Panel | Stories from the Field: Climate Reality Leaders in Action

In honor of The Climate Reality Project’s 20th anniversary, Mr. Gore spotlights Climate Reality Leaders whose work has made a difference. Their conversation celebrates progress, recognizes standout leadership, and reflects on how Leaders are a powerful force for change.

  • Moderator: Al Gore, Founder and Chairman, The Climate Reality Project
  • Maxine Burkett, Emerson Collective Professor of Climate, Environment, and Society, Stanford University; Faculty Director, Stanford Center for Just Environmental Futures; Climate Reality Leader, 2007 Nashville Training
  • Chris Castro, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Climate First Bank; Founder and Vice President, IDEAS For Us; Climate Reality Leader, 2015 Miami Training
  • Haley Crim, Climate Curriculum Developer, MIT; Founder, climateliteracy.earth; Climate Reality Leader, 2021 Virtual US Training

3:00 – 3:15

Group Photo

3:15 – 3:45

Coffee Break

3:45 – 4:05

What’s Next: Staying Engaged with The Climate Reality Project

As we close the training, hear from Climate Reality staff on how to get involved with local chapters and action teams, plug into our ongoing campaign work, and join Reality Hub, Climate Reality’s online community.

  • Rolando Velásquez, US Senior Branch Manager, The Climate Reality Project
  • Ben Sackler, Digital Community Organizing Manager, The Climate Reality Project

4:05 – 4:15

Participant Survey

Let us know how the training went!

4:15 – 4:45

Group Discussions #3

Work in groups to design a mock campaign plan for a proposed climate impact. Then discuss where and how your individual strengths and skills best position you to take action after the training.

4:45 – 5:00

Presenting the Alfredo Sirkis Memorial Green Ring Award and Closing Remarks

Vice President Gore presents the Alfredo Sirkis Memorial Green Ring Award to and deliver closing remarks.

  • Al Gore, Founder and Chairman, The Climate Reality Project
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