Q: What should I be doing to push for change in the tar sands?
A: What! You’re not buying the tar sands PR makeover into “ethical oil”? Maybe it’s time Alberta spun out some reality shows like Boys On The Rig or Canada’s Next Top Emissions Reducer to help us feel more connected to our most infamous polluter.
Despite all the marketing efforts (including half-time ads in the U.S. and sending secret oil sands teams to Europe) and the feds’ recent promise to bring in tougher emission regulations, international pressure to get our pollution in check keeps mounting.
Just last week, the European Union issued a statement in parliament telling us to get a grip and also called us out at the climate talks in Bonn.
And who can blame them? You certainly can’t trust the Canadian government’s slippery stats on the “greening” of our oil. According to Greenpeace’s climate man, Keith Stewart, they’ve been playing a shell game with tar sands emissions numbers.
So what are you supposed to do about it? Well, for one, you can participate in the International Day Of Action Against The Tar Sands on Saturday (June 18). Pretty much every green org will be part of it, from the Sierra Club to Greenpeace, so head over to Trinity Bellwoods Park.
Send Enviro Minister Peter Kent a quick email, too, telling him the world is waiting on real emissions controls, not just watered down intensity targets that let total emissions rise year after year (kentp@parl.gc.ca).
There are also some moves you can make as a consumer. Tell the big-name brands you support to join the league of 20 major corporations that, as of this week, will publicly pledge to avoid tar sands fuel wherever they can. Ten already signed up last year, but 10 more have committed and will be going public soon. but 10 more should be openly on board by the time you read this. (See nowtoronto.com for the update.)
Truth is, you might buy petroleum-free soaps and shampoos, but crates of those products still get shipped around the country on spewing trucks, partly fuelled directly by tar sands oil. No matter how you pump it, that bitumen-squeezed fuel is more polluting and carbon-intensive than other sources, so with the encouragement of ForestEthics, companies from Bed, Bath and Beyond to Levi’s have diplomatically announced their displeasure with Athabasca oil by committing to reduce the impact of their transportation.
LUSH and Whole Foods have point-blank pledged to stop using tar sands fuel wherever possible, and more surprisingly, Avon has asked its transportation partners, according to a company VP, to “avoid high-impact, high-carbon fuels such as those from the tar sands.”
Sure, this week’s announcements will create some backlash in Alberta, where last year anti-Avon campaigns were launched.
But native communities downstream from tar sands destruction are cheering. (See dirtyrainbow.ca)
Just keep in mind that PR moves by Avon and others don’t mean the companies have removed petrochemicals from their ingredient lists by a long shot. Even many health store brands have petrochemicals buried in there somewhere.
To avoid the oil spill in your bathroom altogether, look for brands made of whole plant ingredients you’d buy at the grocery store. And refill those bottles where you can!
Got a question?
Send your green queries to ecoholic@nowtoronto.com
