David Thoreson – Eyewitness to Climate Change
Sun, Feb 24 | 2:30 PM
Southeast Iowa Sierra Club
Sondheim Theater

The Southeast Iowa Sierra Club and Humanities Iowa are bringing a very special speaker to Fairfield’s Sondheim Theater on Sunday, Feb 24 at 2:30 pm (free and open to all).

David Thoreson, extraordinary arctic sailor, photographer, and member of the Explorers Club is the first American to transit by sailboat the infamous Northwest Passage in both directions. Thoreson was also the documentary photographer and filmmaker on a 13-month circumnavigation of the North and South American continents.

Thoreson’s presentation is a stunning multi-media event using photography, humor, and storytelling drawn from often-harrowing experiences in some of the most remote regions of the planet, gleaned from 65,000 miles of sailing. Born and raised in land-locked Iowa, Thoreson became – quite unpredictably – one of the greatest sailor explorers of our time.

The presentation draws particularly on Thoreson’s unique experiences sailing amidst the northern ice. It illustrates the dramatic impacts of global warming, based on time spent in regions of our world that are changing most rapidly and most radically. Thoreson also highlights other affronts to planetary life, including rising seas, ocean acidification, the onslaught of plastics, and soil loss here in the state of Iowa.

Thorseson has presented at TED-x Vail and was a featured speaker at Minnesota’s Nobel Peace Prize Forum. His work has appeared in media ranging from the Smithsonian to the Wall Street Journal to PBS. His documentary on his circumnavigation of North and South America was nominated for an Emmy.

southeastiowasierraclub@gmail.com