by Jeff Gailus / Photographs by Daniel Wood + JProcktor
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This article was originally published in June of 2008
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
_Dr. Seuss
As far as I know, Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) never visited Alberta. Yet one of his most popular books has proven to be an astoundingly prophetic parable about the nature of 21st century Alberta: the tremendous wealth we have created, the grave environmental problems that have accompanied it, and the seed of a possibility for another kind of future, one in which economic health does not come at the expense of a healthy natural environment.
First published in 1971, the year Peter Lougheed led the Alberta Tories into power for the first time, The Lorax illustrates the unintended consequences of unfettered (if well-intentioned) capitalism. Lougheed may seem, from the vantage point of 2008, a thoughtful and compassionate Conservative with a strong environmental ethic. But the party he brought to power has embraced a Milton Friedmanesque philosophy that, despite all the government’s crooning to the contrary, has promoted economic, largely industrial development at the expense of Alberta’s environment. Only a Thank You For Smoking-calibre PR genius could argue otherwise.
As in Geisel’s Lorax, as insightful a social commentary as any episode of South Park or The Simpsons, the direct and indirect impacts of industrial activity aimed at providing “things that everybody needs” are devastating our forests, poisoning and depleting our water resources, transforming our climate, and hastening the disappearance of numerous species from our mountains, forests and prairie. To be sure, these activities provide jobs and generate wealth, but the environmental and social costs associated with what we have come to know as the Alberta Advantage are enormous. Continue along the path followed by the greedy Once-ler character, Geisel warns, and the future we leave for our children will be fundamentally different in ways I can’t imagine we would have wished on them.
Thankfully, a new generation of Albertans are coming to this realization much faster than the Once-ler did in the land of the Lorax. No need to wait until the rivers are fouled (or empty), the air besmirched, the climate inextricably warmed, the Swommee-swans and Humming-fish and brown bar-ba-loots gone, our cities depopulated and ruined. Time, instead, to rise to the greatest challenge of the 21st century: reducing our unsustainable impacts on the environment without compromising, perhaps even enhancing, our quality of life.
The antithesis of the Once-ler, the environmental stars profiled here represent the best and brightest of a growing constituency of Albertans choosing to pursue careers and business opportunities and (it’s impossible to put it any other way) lives that reflect their commitment to improving the state of the environment. Armed with the entrepreneurial, can-do spirit that has defined the province for more than a century, and bolstered by unparalleled wealth and triple-bottom-line thinking, these green hotshots are helping to develop and implement solutions that could turn Alberta into a true hub of sustainability. Into a global leader.
The variety and creativity of the work these people do represents the breadth and range of technological and policy solutions that will be required to make the jump from our currently unsustainable society to one that balances the needs and limits of the natural world with our increasing desire for luxury and comfort. There are no shortcuts; there will be no easy answers. The path to sustainability will take hard work and commitment, of which these entrepreneurs and environmentalists are in no short supply.
But there is more to the answer than simply discovering and applying technological solutions to environmental problems, or popularizing ideas that, if actualized, will help to transform society. The real transformation will be neither technological nor economic – it will be cultural. What makes many of the people profiled here exceptional is less the substance of what they do – cutting-edge solar engineering, say, or writing inspiring and well-researched books – than the courage and creativity and sense of responsibility (all hallmarks, by the way, of successful entrepreneurs) to choose careers and lives that veer from the conventional. Instead, they embody a new path to a more sustainable New World, the very beginnings of which we can only glimpse today.
“We need to be careful about heroes,” Marlo Raynolds, executive director of the Pembina Institute, told me as I prepared these profiles. “In a lot of ways we’re a hero-driven society – that someone else out there will save the day for us – and that gives us an excuse not to get off the couch. We’re not going to win this game with heroes. We’re not going to tackle global warming with a few heroes. Ultimately, we have to look at ourselves for our own inspiration and take our own action.”
A sustainable Alberta, then, will be a place where our environmental stars are no longer exceptional, a place where all Albertans factor in the environmental implications not only of how they spend their money, but how they earn it. Had the Once-ler incorporated this kind of triple-bottom-line thinking into his business plan when he first arrived on the scene in The Lorax, of course, there would still be Truffula trees and brown bar-ba-loots aplenty (not to mention clean air and water), and the story would have a very different ending.
Although none of them characterized it that way, perhaps that’s exactly what these Albertans are doing today. Regular people trying to rewrite the province’s story, so that it always contains so many of the things we are precipitously close to losing. U
Danielle Droitsch
lawyer, executive director
watermatters + bow riverkeeper
I was a reporter for a newspaper in North Carolina. My editor asked me to cover a story about a pulp and paper mill that was polluting a nearby river. There had been fish kills and the community downstream had disproportionately high levels of cancer. These people needed help – not another newspaper article. I asked to be pulled from the story. It changed my life. I went on to become an environmental lawyer.
The intensity of our land use has grown to a point that’s unsustainable. Our water supply is decreasing and water quality is degrading. We seem to be operating on an assumption that we can build, drill, mine and pave anything and everything in Alberta. Every boom has its bust, and our water can’t be sacrificed as part of the deal. Our “business as usual” approach no longer works. We need new legislation that sets targets for managed growth for water, wildlife, air and landscapes. These targets would be established by considering the cumulative impacts of multiple activities on the landscape (water usage, oil and gas activity, recreation, urban and rural development) and then establishing thresholds based on a community vision and environmental protection. The only way to make this happen is by changing legislation, which would hold individual government ministries accountable to these targets.
Watermatters isn’t a big national environmental group, but I’ve seen our small efforts have a big effect. I know we’ve changed people’s opinions. I know we’ve influenced government decision-making. It’s true that a few people can make a difference. If only everyone thought that way.
top | Click here to read the full Q&A with Danielle
Matt Beck + Mark Blackwell
university of calgary students + co-chairs
alberta solar decathlon project
Beck (above right): I consider myself a systems entrepreneur. As Adam Werbach (U.S. Sierra Club president turned Wal-Mart consultant) announced a few years ago, “environmentalism is dead.” It is an outdated worldview that focuses on individual issues at the expense of complex systems relationships, when an understanding of both are needed to create a positive future. Through building an energy-producing home – rather than a home that consumes energy – we are showing Albertans that through efficiency and innovation, we can both reduce our impact on the environment and continue to develop our energy sector.
Blackwell: With a project like this we have a real opportunity to really change how people perceive sustainable housing design. Consumers need to be aware of how their actions – like switching to a more efficient insulation system – will decrease the demand for fossil fuels. There is so much criticism on the producers, but the place people need to be looking at for fault is in the mirror. Until people are able to manage how they live their lives and rely less heavily on fossil fuels, no real change will take place.
top | Click here to read the full Q&A with Matt & Mark
Claire Ellick
engineer, sustainable transportation
city of edmonton
I’m a bike ninja. OK, I also do strategic planning and design for bike facilities in the city, as well as operational reviews and improvements, and generally anything else related to on-road cycling. After I finished my engineering degree, I wanted to do something that benefited people and that I really believed in. That’s this job. Cycling has always been one of my biggest passions, and it’s great to have input on city policy with respect to how bicycles are integrated into our transportation system.
If you can avoid driving a car to work and get there by biking or walking, or by taking transit or carpooling, these are all cost-effective alternatives to driving a single-occupant vehicle. With increasing gas prices, I think people will start to realize how little sense it makes to drive alone everywhere. Cycling makes sense on so many levels – but the most obvious are the environmental and health benefits. Look at the rising obesity rates in North America. Cycling saves you time and dollars: there’s no need to drive to the gym and pay for a gym membership to sit on a stationary bike for an hour. Cycling can add so much richness to the quality of anyone’s life.
top | Click here to read the full Q&A with Claire
Jon Mitchell
group lead, environmental strategies
encana corporation
EnCana is the biggest natural gas producer in North America and one of the biggest companies in Canada. I work with the leadership of the company and our operating divisions to identify areas where we need to develop a corporate approach to sustainability issues, coordinate our activities to address these issues, and work with external agencies on developing solutions. While the work involves issues related to air, water and land, the majority of my work at the moment is leading EnCana’s climate change strategy.
There is no longer a choice about whether to think about the environment or not. This is business. Environmental issues must be managed as they can represent a significant risk to the bottom line, now and in the future. Those that identify the opportunities to excel will be better positioned than their competitors in the long run. You can debate how effective certain initiatives are, but there is no debate about the need for them.
Environmental issues are front of mind for boards and executives – it’s our job as professionals to provide advice and input to help them make informed decisions. The discussions are no longer focused on “if” but have shifted to “how.” That is why it is not enough to just understand the environment; you must also understand business and politics. How could you not be motivated when you work in this field? There has been no time when environment has captured the attention of the public, business and politics like it has right now. If I wasn’t motivated by that, I’d be overwhelmed.
top | Click here to read the full Q&A with Jon
Stephani Carter + Brandy Burdeniuk
interior designer, sustainable building material specialist + industrial designer
ecoammo, green alberta
Carter (sitting): Our companies are designed to make the transition to a more sustainable building industry fun and easy. We educate people about building green and choosing healthy building products and materials. There is no “organic door” to a world where everything is perfect. We are living in a time of transformation. Each of us has to pick what is most important to us and act on it. We should no longer point fingers at one another. Instead, we must encourage everyone’s green actions. If all the energy spent pointing fingers was used to take action, we would certainly speed up this peaceful revolution.
Burdeniuk: As an industrial designer, I am a trained problem solver. We help facilitate the LEED certification process and ensure that the vision of a green building is maintained all the way through the design and construction process. We try to simplify the process so that it isn’t overwhelming. I’m not going to lie: we’ve had our financial ups and downs, but now we are really busy and the money is steadily coming in. I think today it is possible to be both environmentally and financially sustainable. It is essential to have this balance, as it allows for long-term planning and realistic solutions.
top | Click here to read the full Q&A with Stephani and Brandy
Justin Thompson
energy-efficient homebuilder + rancher + wind power consultant
Spending a lot of time in the foothills of southern Alberta as a child I gained a love for wildlife and wide open spaces. I also spent a lot of time in the wind near Pincher Creek, so when it came time to look for work, wind energy was a natural fit. As for the green building effort, this was a very conscious decision to try and influence an industry that to me has no excuse not to improve its practices, because so many of the improvements are so simple to make.
Most struggles in our history have involved an external enemy. This time, we are the enemy: it’s a struggle within ourselves to change our consumption patterns. That’s hard to reconcile for most of us, especially amid such wealth in Alberta. I struggle with it all the time because I know my personal footprint could be smaller and my quality of life would not be threatened.
The myth of the incompatibility between profitability and sustainability has been perpetuated for too long. Time and time again, companies who do the right thing benefit from increased efficiencies, which lead to reduced costs or create new markets or demand. What is required are companies that are willing to take risks and step out of the status quo. I’m not saying being green is a business slam dunk, but there are so many examples of success that it’s time we put this question to bed for good.
top | Click here to read the full Q&A with Justin
Leanne Allison + Karsten Heuer
filmmaker + author
We undertake grand-scale expeditions into critical landscapes and tell stories about our experiences through films, lectures and books. The first project was the Yellowstone to Yukon hike (1998/99), which highlighted the need for wildlife corridors. In 2003 we followed an Arctic caribou herd for five months to their endangered calving grounds and back again (Being Caribou). Last summer, we canoed and sailed across Canada with our two-year-old son to meet author and environmental crusader Farley Mowat, winding through the settings of his stories along the way (Finding Farley).
Somewhere in our early 20s, we began to realize the places where we canoed, skied, mountain biked and climbed had value beyond outdoor gymnasiums. A series of wildlife encounters, some university courses in biology, and a couple of summer jobs with wildlife ecologists deepened our appreciation for our surroundings and shifted the emphasis from the activity to the place. For lack of a better term, we are in the business of environmental education. Our impact is pretty hard to measure. We could talk about book sales (tens of thousands), viewers of our films (in the millions), and lecture attendees (tens of thousands). But it’s all meaningless unless it translates into action. On that front, it’s the notes we get from individuals that make our work rewarding – notes that describe real changes people have made in their lives and what they devote themselves to because of our projects.
The next big breakthrough? Wow, we wish we knew. We’ve stopped trying to predict how change will happen. We only believe it will.
top | Click here to read the full Q&A with Leanne & Karsten
Marlo Raynolds
executive director
pembina institute
Global warming, hands down, is is the biggest environmental challenge facing the planet. Never before have we had so much scientific brain power conclude that we need to make very significant changes in our energy system and our levels of pollution. If we don’t get on a track of deep reductions by 2020, we’re going to see significant changes that are not favourable.
The most important solution is having a very clear and adequate price signal on carbon dioxide pollution. Coupled with that, we need very strong regulations in the areas of energy efficiency, industrial emissions of CO2 and vehicles. Those two market-based mechanisms of price and regulation will drive a lot of change in behaviour. Boardrooms need to be given and shown incentives and reasons to build things differently.
There is no silver bullet for this one. Unlike the ozone challenge we had, with CO2 it is a much more distributed problem; it really requires a portfolio approach. We have to get a lot more out of our current consumption of energy: we need to be able to drive further on a litre of gasoline and we need to be able to heat our homes with less energy. We need to be more accessible to our workplaces, to our friends and relationships, and to the services we need. We also need different ways of producing electricity. Renewable energy is a huge opportunity, from wind power to solar energy and deep geothermal.
Ultimately, these changes have to be possible. The economy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the environment. Environmental protection needs to be a design criteria in our economy, and in how we conduct business. And I think we’re starting to see certain companies really taking this seriously. U
top | Click here to read the full Q&A with Marlo
Category: Career Track, Entrepreneurship, First Job, Profiles, Work
