Asked at the climate summit...

Travel Alberta To See These Unique Attractions!

TravellingAlberta.com offers one-of-a-kind oil sands vacation packages

Edmonton, Canada — As the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) embarks on a synchronized propaganda campaign aligned with the Province's "rebranding" of the tar sands, Greenpeace has launched its own website to counter the greenwashing.

TravellingAlberta.com is a tongue-in-cheek travel site that uses humour to communicate a very serious issue to Canadian and international audiences about the destructive nature of the world's largest industrial development. The website showcases showcases some of the unique attractions that await travelers to Alberta: Black sand beaches, toxic lakes and clearcut forests. Until now, this kind of vacation destination was merely the stuff of science fiction; but now, it can be experienced first-hand.

"We thought we'd help the province and CAPP with their "rebranding" campaign by bringing Alberta's newest tourist attractions to the world's doorstep. Any visitor to the Alberta tar sands can see the pollution, smell the sulfur, taste the toxins and hear the air cannons — we're saving them the trip," says Mike Hudema, a tar sands campaigner with Greenpeace.

"Premier Ed Stelmach and CAPP can spend 25 million dollars of tax payers' money trying to cleanup the image of the tar sands, but this development is still dirty, ugly and foul. That money would be much better spent cleaning up the tar sands themselves, rather than just the global image."

But while a real cleanup of the area is still a way off, the current state of northern Alberta offers a rare treat for the seasoned globetrotter who's craving something new. A seemingly endless expanse of bitumen-laden sands — coupled with the powerful scent of oil from refineries wafting through the hazy air — makes Northern Alberta a truly one-of-a-kind destination. As the long weekend approaches and families make their summer vacation plans, TravellingAlberta.com offers these adventure tips:

* Diversion surfing: Catch a wave, Alberta-style, and join Big Oil in taking advantage of the nearly 92 billion gallons of water diverted from provincial rivers each year!
* Animal sightings: Moose playing in tailings ponds, loons drenched in tar and ducks sinking in oil: it's not everywhere that you can see some of Canada's most prized wildlife in these unique settings. Hurry though! They're going fast!
* Tailings sailing: Come enjoy the vast lakes of toxic water, so big they're visible to the naked eye from space! Chase that horizon, but be careful not to capsize!
* Fun in the sun: Forget Cancun, Alberta is sizzling! Boasting more greenhouse gas emissions than Canada's three other most populous provinces combined, it's really heating up out here!

Greenpeace will promote the website internationally, calling on visitors to share the site with friends and to write Premier Ed Stelmach, Travel Minister Cindy Ady and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to demand they put the brakes on tar sand development.
TravellingAlberta.com

Energy [R]evolution

Join the campaign for energy efficiency!

Alexander Gillespie: World watches as species face oblivion - 13 Aug 2007

The human impact on biodiversity is devastating.

read more | digg story

Al Gore's new book: a book report in 90 seconds

Why individual efforts are only part of the solution

clipped from www.fborfw.com

It is discouraging, isn't it?! We all need to do our part, but we need more than individual efforts to protect our environment.

Otherwise it's like bailing water out of a rapidly sinking rowboat with a teaspoon. Every little bit helps, but the overall prognosis is bleak.

Fuel Economy: How does your vehicle rate?

clipped from www.fueleconomy.gov FIND AND COMPARE CARS... Gasoline Prices   Find the Lowest Prices Frequently Asked Questions Gas Mileage Tips   Driving More Efficiently Maintaining Your Car Hybrid Vehicles   How Hybrids Work   Tax Incentives Alternative Fuel Vehicles   Flex-Fuel Vehicles How Fuel Cells Work MPG Estimates from Users... Calculate and Share 'Your MPG' View MPG Estimates from Drivers Like You Find Your Car's Energy Impact Score Hybrid Tax Incentives Updated!

I looked up the energy impact of my Ford Ranger pickup & although at 9.4 tons per year of greenhouse gas emissions (based on 15K annual miles) it is only midway between the worst and best vehicles, not the worst, it still consumes 18 barrels of petrol per year. My only saving grace is that I drive only about 3K miles per year, thereby reducing my truck's energy impact by 80%. I also learned that the 2007 Ford Rangers are the most fuel efficient of the trucks listed. (Unfortunately my truck is 10 years old). One of the best things about my truck is that it is paid for. It does the job for me. Living in the country a person needs to be able to haul stuff. A person does not need a big gas guzzler to haul stuff, unless they often haul big stuff. Most of the trucks I see on the road, and especially the big macho ones, aren't hauling anything.

Anyway, this site provides you with the opportunity to examine your own and other vehicles in terms of fuel economy and energy impact.

E-Zone...a new environmental website for elementary students

clipped from www.ene.gov.on.ca It's easy to forget sometimes just how important the natural environment is to all of us.  The air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we use to build our homes and schools are all part of the Earth’s natural environment, and we use them every day. Meet Maya, Jay, Katie and Eric. These four teens are heroes, simply because of the choices they make and the actions they take. Click on each one to find out a little bit about them, and to learn about the environmental issues that are important to them. clipped from www.ene.gov.on.ca Meet Eric. Eric plays guitar and drums, and dreams about being an international rock star someday. Click here to get the Global Warming story from Eric. You’ll learn that this big problem has some surprisingly simple solutions! This site is maintained by the Government of Ontario SPREAD THE WORD LEAD BY EXAMPLE BE A LOCAL HERO books glossary Comics air quality conservation climate change waste/recycling famous heroes

artwork pictures

air quality

Obviously.ca....new environmental website for teens

clipped from www.obviously.ca obviously.ca is the brainchild of a group of 20-something-year-old Ontario government employees. Our bosses thought that the province and the planet could benefit from letting us young’uns do the talking about environmental issues for a while. Specifically, we were asked to develop and environmental website. And so, we did. Obviously. The purpose of the site is to bring you up to speed on environmental issues (without putting you to sleep), and to give you a slew of answers to the age-old "What can I do?" question. We want you to want to play a part in rehabilitating the planet. clipped from www.obviously.ca “Get Out of the Damn Shower!” … And Other Neato Water Conservation Tips! By Jess. Posted on 3:25:01 am - Monday, March 26, 2007. The Time Has Come for Canadians To FLICK OFF By Josh. Posted on 6:19:00 pm - Wednesday, April 25, 2007. You Go Gore! By Stephen. Posted on 4:17:00 pm - Wednesday, May 02, 2007. How Can We Sleep When Australia’s Burning By Stephen. Posted on 1:56:00 pm - Tuesday, April 24, 2007.

Obviously a worthwhile website to explore and share!

The Ministry of the Environment has created this website for secondary students "to explain the challenges facing our planet and inspire them to take actions that protect the environment - all within an interactive media experience that includes music clips and videos. "Obviously.ca is unique. Most environmental government websites bombard you with information and boring statistics," said Sandra Giangioppo, a student at William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute in Toronto. "But obviously.ca uses creative techniques such as video clips and interesting facts to grab your attention and really help you understand the important environmental issues out there. It is a very innovative and cool approach to increasing environmental issues awareness."