A Message from David Suzuki on the Legacy Project

In 2009, I was approached by Laszlo Barna, whose company, is a very successful producer of films. He enquired whether I would be interested in doing a feature film with me. I have long felt that feature films can have a powerful impact because the audience actually makes a commitment to take the time, pay money and then sit through a commercial-free show. That's very different from radio and television, so I jumped at the chance to propose what I realize now would have been a multi-million dollar production. I wanted to look at the origin of the universe, the Sun, Earth, life, human beings and modern technology, a rather modest proposal. Laszlo came to a speech I gave in Toronto and decided that I was a powerful vehicle for getting ideas out and should be at the centre of the film.

As I tried to figure out what I could possibly say that would hold up in a feature film, it occurred to me that a tradition in some universities is for professors reaching retirement age to give a last lecture that tries to sum some of the wisdom of an academic lifetime. So I began to wonder what I would say if near the end of my life or career I would like to convey to coming generations….the result is a speech based on my perspective of humanity's transformation from just another species on the plains of Africa to one that is now altering the physical, chemical and biological features of the planet on a geological scale. Scientists now refer to this as the Anthropocene age, when we have become a force of nature. And it has happened so suddenly within what I call Living Memory, encompassing the span of my life and that of my elders, that we haven't come to grips with the enormity of our power as a species. It is also a personal journey where I explore some of my own history as it relates to these ideas.

To make Force of Nature, Laszlo recruited Sturla Gunnarsson, a renowned director For whom I have developed tremendous respect both as a director and a human being. Over several months, I drafted the speech and Sturla helped sculpt the ideas through several iterations into something I'm very proud of and then he made them into Force of Nature. It's a film that amazed and delighted me. Force of Nature will open in theatre's across Canada on October 1st 2010. This site is full of information about the movie.

The second component of the Legacy Project is the book. Turning the contents of the film into a book was the inspiration of Rob Sanders, publisher of Greystone Books. I had begun with a very long version of the speech which Sturla helped me pare down to an hour talk. So there was lots of material I regretted losing in the speech but which I could now add to the book as well as amplify ideas only dealt with quickly in the speech. The book is called The Legacy: An Elders Vision for Our Sustainable Future and I will cross Canada and then Japan, Australia and New Zealand this fall to promote both the book and the film. To find out when and where I will be, please look under the book tab of this site.

The final part of the Legacy Project has to do with my foundation, the David Suzuki Foundation. This September is the Foundation's 20th anniversary. I am very proud of our staff and volunteers and all we've achieved over the last 20 years. The Foundation has not only enabled me to make a much wider contribution, it will carry on long after I'm gone and there is no question, it will play an increasingly important role as we come to confront the enormity of our species' effects on the planet. There's still a lot to be done and as long as I'm healthy, I will do all I can to find solutions to a sustainable future, but I can't do it alone.

Our hope is that at after seeing the film or reading the book you will be inspired to act - to Live Your Legacy. People ask me all the time what they can do to help make a difference, under Live Your Legacy, we offer you some suggestions on how you can join the work of the Foundation… a major piece of my legacy.

Thanks for your interest in my Legacy Project.