Since I'm on my own on this tour and I'm simply not very good at taking pictures of myself while talking, I don't have a lot of pictures (or any, really) of me in front of audiences on this German Leap tour. Those are kind of repetitive, anyway, though, so here are a few behind-the-scenes type takes on the tour (with my hearty thanks to the Embassy and Toronto Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany and local partners the Sustainability Network, Sustainable Waterloo Region, and Sustainable Prosperity for their help with the tour.)

Düsseldorfer Altbier! The real deal! At the German Consulate in Toronto, they had a keg of genuine imported Altbier from a previous event, and they generously donated it to the German Leap event. There were also German soft pretzels and other goodies. Plus we were expecting 90 people and got something like 200. An excellent night all around.

The day after my Ottawa event, Senator Grant Mitchell - an Alberta Liberal, believe it or not! - generously had me as his guest for lunch at the parliamentary dining room and then toured me around the Hill. This is not a particularly flattering photo of either of us. Thanks, anyway, Senator Mitchell!

Somewhat more flattering: I'm seated at the table where Pierre Trudeau sat with Queen Elizabeth II and signed the Canadian Constitution. The table is now in the office of the Speaker of the Senate.

Detail of the elaborate woodwork above the door leading from the antechamber of the Senate Speaker's office to the formal dining room (where President Obama, among others, dines when he's in Ottawa). Those are some seriously vicious-looking squirrels on that crest. If this whole beaver thing falls through, Canada could reinvent itself as the Land of the Badass Squirrel.

For a limited time, a sample chapter of The Leap is available for reading online. it's Chapter 3: The Leap in the Nation, which focuses on Germany's dramatic jump to the forefront of the global green economy. Click below to have a read!

CHAPTER 3: THE LEAP IN THE NATION

Attention Upper & Lower Canadians: 

I'm headed your way again. The German Foreign Office is sending me on a four-city speaking tour starting next Monday to talk up Germany's pacesetting role in the global green economy. These aren't technically book events, but they do draw heavily on the German chapter of The Leap, as well as new research conducted this June in Berlin, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Essen.

Here are the details:

Monday, 21 November:

TORONTO

co-sponsored by the Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in Toronto

and the Sustainability Network

5pm to 7pm

Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany

2 Bloor Street East, 25th Floor

RSVP: rsvp@toro.diplo.de

Invitation with full details

 

Tuesday, 22 November:

KITCHENER-WATERLOO

co-sponsored by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany

and Sustainable Waterloo Region

5pm to 7pm

WalterFedy office

675 Queen Street South, Suite 111, Kitchener

Online registration

Invitation with full details

 

Wednesday, 23 November:

OTTAWA

co-sponsored by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany

and Sustainable Prosperity

5:30 to 7pm

University of Ottawa - Desmarais Building, Room 12110

55 Laurier Ave East

RSVP: info@sustainableprosperity.ca

Invitation with full details

 

Monday, 28 November:

MONTREAL

co-sponsored by the Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in Montreal

and the Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce

5:30 to 7pm

Goethe-Institut Montreal

418, rue Sherbrooke Est

 

Here's the event overview blurb:

The German Leap:

Innovation in Sustainable Design and the Cleantech Sector in the World's Leading Green Economy

In a new presentation sponsored by the German Foreign Office, Chris Turner (author of the new book The Leap: How to Survive & Thrive in the Sustainable Economy) showcases the latest and greatest innovations in German cleantech and sustainable design. For more than a decade now, Germany has been the global pacesetter in renewable energy and sustainable industrial development. From industrial boomtowns in Saxony's "Solar Valley" to offshore wind ports on the North Sea coast, from self-sufficient solar communities in the sunny south to Hamburg's grand experiment in sustainable urban redevelopment at HafenCity, from rejuvenated Berlin's fashion houses to thriving Düsseldorf's architectural wonders to coal plants reborn as green design models in the Ruhrgebeit, Germany is a country reborn on sustainable foundations. Chris Turner's tour provides a vibrant series of portraits of this German Leap.