"Don't mention Al Gore. People out here just hate him."
"Out here," in this instance, refers to small-town Kansas, where many people seem to take a dim view of climate science--a majority don't believe that the Earth's temperature is getting warmer, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Despite this, the Climate and Energy Project has succeeded in convincing many people to adopt an energy-conserving lifestyle that would leave most greenies in the dust. Dining by candlelight. Installing geothermal heating. And constructing a $50 million wind turbine factory.
The Climate and Energy Project's approach wasn't to proselytize anyone into joining the Church of Al Gore -- they knew that would fail. Instead, the nonprofit program's leaders appealed to basic heartland values: thrift, patriotism and love of the land.
And they succeeded. Energy use was slashed, schoolchildren and church leaders alike espoused the virtues of conservation, and even die-hard conservatives applauded when the wind-turbine factory deal was inked -- especially when it promised to create 400 local jobs.
(Just don't call them "green" jobs.)
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