The Tour-- David Suzuki took to Canada’s open roads in February to meet with decision-makers, schmooze with celebs, and most importantly; open a dialogue with Canadians about the state of the nation’s environment. The single largest project ever undertaken by the Foundation, the “If YOU Were Prime Minister” tour made a historical journey from Mile Zero in St. John’s, NL, crossing plains, prairies and mountains, before reaching the shores of the Pacific in Victoria on February 28.

The tour officially began in St. John’s on Feb. 1 and the reception Team Suzuki received in North America’s most Easterly city was indicative of the strong support nationally. With the environment as the top-of-mind issue this 30-day, 41-city national tour couldn’t have come at a better time.

At each stop, Dr. Suzuki and his tour team asked Canadians to vote for the environment – a non-partisan act. Audiences packed theatres, churches and community halls, reaching capacity at every venue—30,000 people came to the events. The 250,000 on-line visitors during the tour were encouraged to spread the word to friends, and phone their MPs and local leaders to demand real leadership, real action.

“Polls are just numbers,” said Dr. Suzuki. “I wanted to hear first hand what Canadians had to say and help them turn politicians’ promises and talk into real solutions. They told us they’re sick of attack ads and rhetoric, and hungry for real leadership on the environment.”

Team Suzuki also hit the cyber-world with an interactive “speakers corner.” Nearly 600 individuals and groups recorded YouTube videos of what they would do for the environment if they were Prime Minister of Canada .

The tour galvanized local conservation groups across Canada. Partner groups (link to partner groups) managed the events in each city – from ticket sales and event catering, to stage management. In the belle province of Québec, Dr. Suzuki teamed up with the folks at Équiterre. In New Brunswick, sold-out shows in Moncton, St. John, and Fredericton highlighted a trip through the snow-covered maritimes.

In between stops on Rick Mercer’s program, CBC radio’s The Current and an Entertainment Tonight interview with the Barenaked Ladies, David urged Canadians and political leaders to “put the ‘eco’ back into economics.” And events with former UN Envoy Stephen Lewis and famed economist Sir. Nicholas Stern further underlined the inter-connectedness of the environment with health and economics, respectively. The celebrity support continued throughout the tour. Click here for fun facts

The tour even had its own theme song courtesy of Raffi – a rockabilly groove number called “Cool It.” The anthemic song on global warming played throughout the tour, urging government and business leaders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Best of all, the coast-to-coast tour went carbon neutral. All of the major emissions associated with the tour were offset through investments in sustainable energy projects, such as wind farms, solar installations, or energy efficiency projects.