Those of you who watched Al Gore receive the Dan David Prize last night, either on television or online from Tel Aviv, probably missed one very important thing. He was wearing cowboy boots. (We have proof – check out the footware we pictured above). This, of course, officially makes him my new favorite environmental hero.

With his subtle Southern drawl and cowboy boots, I’d take Gore over John Wayne any day of the week and twice on Sunday. And judging by last night, so would most Israelis.

In addressing the audience and prize laureates at the Dan David Prize ceremony last night, President Shimon Peres made this clear when he said that “Al Gore has many titles. I will not repeat them. Al Gore is a dear and good friend of the State of Israel.”

Related: New York Climate Week

During his prize acceptance speech, Gore called on those concerned about the environment to demand of politicians to make a change to renewable sources of energy, such as solar power. What we need, Gore said, is “sufficient political will. But as the people of Israel know, sufficient political will is a renewable resource.”

Sad, but true.

Gore will be making the opening lecture tonight at a two-day conference at Tel Aviv University called Renewable Energy and Beyond where, hopefully, he will convince others of the need to quit our dependence on fossil fuels. Topics to be discussed at the conference include the connection between global warming and geopolitics, Israel’s road to energy independence, and business opportunities for sustainable energy.

See more on Gore:

Al Gore To Receive Dan David Prize at Tel Aviv University Tomorrow
Al Gore to Visit Israel