The Grand Finale...?

Tomorrow is our last day of the documentary tour. This weekend marks the end of our 32-day nationwide trek to learn about oil. Next chapter: creating a film that will increase oil literacy for a broad audience. This blog has helped me describe my feelings about the topic and the people we have talked to. However, this final entry is personal--an account of what my thoughts and feelings are at this point in time.

What I Learned

I have learned how to take a step back and follow. I have always been a strong leader, for better or for worse. I have always known how to be assertive and voice my opinions (most of them fairly strong in nature). I have also always known how to succeed in any given situation. I have learned on this trip that sometimes, in order to succeed, you also have to scale back and observe.

I have, for the most part, been travelling with a very shy group of people. It is easy as an outgoing personality to be the first to break awkward silences--I have learned to live with silence. This is a trait I hopefully will continue to develop (I can name a few people in my life that wouldn't mind that whatsoever). I am happy with my level of confidence both in leading and following. I do believe confidence is necessary in order to learn to follow--confidence in other people.

I have also learned that things will always fall into place when the time is right. When we left for this trip, we had a lot of interviews lined up. More than double that amount is the number of interviews we currently have on tape--all thanks to chance. The key is listening to the people you talk to, paying attention to the environment around you, and seizing every possible opportunity that arises. Yet another benefit of scaling back and listening in silence. Our end result: hours upon hours of more than 40 interviews to upload, transcribe, and edit down. Turning that into one hour will be quite the challenge, because every hour of that footage is meaningful. We won't disappoint.

What I Feel

I am not sure I can put into words how I feel at this moment, but I will try my best. Is this trip what I expected? Absolutely not. Is that a good or a bad thing? A little bit of both. I am not afraid to say this because that is always how life is. You let the good in with the bad. Would I change anything about this experience? Absolutely not. I feel that everything I have dealt with, learned about, and improved on throughout this past month has been incredibly meaningful. The fun times, the difficult times, the frustrating times, the wonderful times--I wouldn't change any of it. With a whole lot of good you let in a little bit of bad, and all of that and everything in between makes this trip the meaningful experience that it has been (and will continue to be in the stages to come).

What I wish I knew was what to expect from here. I just got used to this fast paced, yet seemingly slow alternative universe. Now, with a transition from gathering material to creating a product, I don't know what to expect. All that I know for sure is that the learning has merely just begun. October is months away, but in terms of the amount of material we are working with it is just around the corner. Stressed? Yes. Nervous? Yes. Excited? Of course.

What Now?

I am going to take this experience, along with everything I have learned, and apply it to a new outlook. I have grown a lot in just a month, and I know that the growing will continue. I simply hope that I can keep a firm grasp on this project as I am thrust back into work, life, reality, and everything in between. I care about this project so much, and I truly believe in what we are doing. I just hope our film can instill these same feelings in all of you. This is a very reflective explanation, and gives the illusion that I am nearing the end--but I am not. This is only the beginning. I hope you will all still be with me come October.

Until next time...and there will be many.

Five Cities, Seven Days, One Blog.

Much time has past, but not too much to tell relatively speaking. In comparison to the jam-packed couple of weeks that our team had at the beginning of our trip, the last week has been somewhat of a light load. However, when I say light load, that doesn't mean insignificant. We were just more leisurely with our importance recently.

Detroit

Tuesday we were scheduled to interview the Director of Sustainability and Environmental Policy at Ford Motor Company John Viera in Dearborn, MI. After arriving just outside of Detroit very late Monday night (or early Tuesday morning, depending on how you want to look at it), I was hoping the long drive wouldn't be in vain. This interview was definitely worth the drive from Chicago.

It is clear that this man is comfortable talking with the media--he was a quote machine and had no problem generating meaningful soundbites. He talked a lot about the priorities of automobile companies, the difficulties in developing alternative technologies, and how Ford has engaged in the progression towards economic and environmentally sustainable practices.

One thing I thought was really fascinating was a third area of sustainability that he introduced to us--social. He focused a lot on the ways in which Ford puts its employees first in terms of health, safety, and benefits. He said that without a sustainable and socially acceptable work environment, employees are being neglected and in turn the company is neglecting its values. This was a different way of viewing sustainability, and it was very refreshing to hear a corporate executive speak so passionately about rightful treatment of company employees. It definitely wouldn't be the first thing that comes to mind regarding sustainability, but it makes sense nonetheless.

Finally Mr. Viera talked about the one thing that all automakers need in order to progress in economic and environmental sustainability--a federal energy policy. He said that politics has segmented the discourse surrounding energy into short terms (mainly due to quick institutional turnover and new elections every 2, 4, or 6 years). He said it is time that we develop an energy policy so the provisions are regulated enough to create progress but loose enough to avoid overly-restrictive regulations. This is something we have heard before throughout our trip, and I am sure it will not be the last time we hear it.

We conducted the interview on the same floor as Bill Ford's office, the President of the company for those of you drawing a blank on the name. Following the interview, we were given a short tour of the Ford World Headquarters, which is actually one of the smaller buildings associated with Ford. The rest of the buildings are sprinkled elsewhere in Dearborn. Inside the building's lobby sat a Harley Davidson edition brand new F150, in addition to some of the first Ford vehicles ever made. And of course, how could I forget about the half-a-dozen Mustangs (of all years, editions, and colors) lined up around the corner from the security desk. Overall, our morning at Ford wasn't too shabby.

Washington D.C.

We arrived in D.C. a little after midnight, and took a long detour to Vienna (Rob's hometown in Virginia) in order to do some midnight site-seeing. I completely fell in love with the city after merely driving through it, which was a good sign already. On Wednesday morning we met with a diplomat at the Canadian Embassy who talked with us casually off camera about oil and energy issues in Alberta, especially in regards to US and Canadian trade relations. That was very informative, and a lot of the language paralleled what we already learned from other government officials on our original trip to Alberta.

The rest of Wednesday we toured the city and enjoyed the memorials and monuments at night. I especially enjoyed the sparkling fireflies that flickered just above the grass (is it crazy that one of my favorite things about D.C. was the fireflies? Nah).

Thursday morning we were up bright and early to head to the Archives II site of the National Archives just outside of D.C. It was a very interesting experience. This place is like a public library on steroids--and there are many more rules that you must abide by. Otherwise, you risk upsetting the armed guards at every corner of the facility. It is like a five year old visiting great-grandma's house and being ordered to sit in a corner and not touch anything.

It was an amazing experience despite the hefty rule book. We were granted a Researcher Card that is essentially a year-long archives membership. After stripping ourselves of all jackets and purses, we were granted access to rows and rows of old footage. The most recent material in the archives dates back 25 years, so we were looking through very historical footage. Most of the films were old instructional silent movies about oil. We compiled about 2 hours of footage, most of which was government property and public domain.

It was really neat going through so much history. It really put the current technology into perspective. The tapes we were looking at were three times the size of your average VHS tape, and a lot of the animations were very primitive to say the least. I very much enjoy tradition, so the footage was fascinating to me.

Friday morning we had an interview at the Pew Center for Research. After talking with the director, who formerly worked with Rob as a political reporter at a local D.C. paper, I decided on another alternative career path. The Pew Center is a non-partisan research facility that monitors public policy and public opinion through polling, surveys, and independent studies. I was fascinated by the work they do related to the climate of discourse surrounding very hot-topic issues, and I feel that it is the perfect blend of education, media literacy, politics, and reporting. Rob said that people formerly employed by the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and many more have worked for the Pew Center. You can never have enough back-ups as a journalism major, and I am definitely going to look into this career path further.

Fitting Play into Work

We spent the weekend doing street interviews and b-roll in New York City. We spent a few hours both in Central Park and Times Square talking with a diverse group of people about issues regarding energy. Those places are definitely hot-spot places to talk with a variety of people--a street vendor from Edmonton, a New York-grown couple who retired to Florida, a sweet woman from North Carolina with a very pronounced southern accent, and a couple from Brazil were all on the list of interviewees for the afternoon. The half-naked, guitar-playing cowgirl (or I should say cow grandma) wanted to be a part of the action, but we decided against the request.

After a relaxing yet productive weekend in New York, we headed back towards the border. We are currently in Montreal, and enjoying the very distinct east-coast Canadian culture. This area is very different from Alberta, and I am very excited about that. We are trying to reach as many audiences as possible, and not all of Canada is the same. The French-speaking culture of Quebec is very important to include in this documentary, because this area of the country is affected as well, and are sometimes forgotten as part of the whole of Canada.

Although we haven't had the chance to do street interviews, we had a very successful interview this morning with a French man named Jerome, who has lived in Canada for three years and is the director of an environmental group here in Montreal. The group specifically focuses on the education of the youth in Quebec about environmental awareness. He mentioned that it is important to focus on children because they have not yet formed "bad habits." He said that it is important to raise awareness amongst adults as well, but that children are easier targets at the beginning of implementing a program.

One of the most interesting things that he said was in response to media coverage of the environment. He said that the media focuses too much on the negative, and although issues of the environment are pressing, he thinks that the media should attend to the dialogue differently. Rather than saying "this is catastrophic and you shouldn't do this," he suggests that the media frame the issues as "this is what we should be doing and this is what can be done." Essentially, both of these approaches address the same issues, but the latter is bound to be received better by audiences. Very profound, in my opinion. Let's turn negative news into positive news and attract people to what is important. Otherwise, we turn people off regarding the important issues.

Winding Down

It is almost Tuesday June 29. We have a final day of street interviews in Montreal before heading to Ottawa. After a few short days in Ottawa and Toronto, we will cross the border into Buffalo and fly home to conclude our tour. I can't believe how quick this month went by, and I have gained more insight than I would have ever imagined. The crazy thing to think about, despite the exhaustion and intense travel, is that we are merely beginning. This is the end of the easy part. All I can think about is how fast October is going to be here--and I can't contain my excitement! This film will definitely not disappoint, and I can't wait to see what we come up with in the months to come. Stay tuned, or you might miss something.

Until next time...

Hofmeister, High-rises, and Harvard Grads

Today went from an exciting interview with an exciting person to an INCREDIBLY exciting experience involving a bunch of exciting people. We originally scheduled an interview that was supposed to last less than an hour, and that magically turned into an afternoon of festivites (which eventually added up to 5 1/2 hours).

Thrown in Deep Water

We woke up bright and early for an interview that I set up over a month ago with Mr. John Hofmeister, the founder and CEO of Citizens for Affordable Energy and author of the newly-released book "Why We Hate the Oil Companies: Straight Talk from an Energy Insider." He is the former CEO and President of Royal Dutch Shell (retired in 2008), and has been a corporate executive within energy consuming companies such as General Electric and AlliedSignal. To put this man's prevalence into perspective, we were slightly delayed in interviewing him because CNN was doing a live interview with him (in response to the BP spill) RIGHT before he headed over to speak with us on camera.

Mr. Hofmeister has interviewed with the long list of media conglomerates (that I mentioned in a previous blog), and today was no different (he had 10 other speaking/interview engagements back-to-back all day). So naturally, when Rob unloaded the equipment and out-of-the-blue said, "Whelp, good luck. See you later," I was a little nervous and taken off guard. But after all the new experiences I have encountered on this trip, no sweat.

After another slight delay, we were notified by his wonderful PR representative, Diana Espitia, that John was not going to have ample time to meet with us. She said he was very excited to have as much time as he could give, so we were offered to attend a speaking event down the road with them and then wrap up our interview following that event. This sounded like a great opportunity to shoot video of him speaking, and we had nothing else to do--so we went.

Up in the air...literally.

This was so much more than we bargained for, and I loved every single minute of it. We were John's "special guests" at the Harvard Business Alumni Club's annual end-of-the-year luncheon, and when you are the "special guest" of the keynote speaker you are definitely treated as such. Diana was like a magician and somehow arranged name tags, special equipment to set up wireless audio, seating arrangements with the rest of the guests, and a complimentary meal. This, however, is only half of it.

The event was held a few blocks down the way, and we arrived in a stylish "eco shuttle" which seemed to me like a corporate VIP, oversized golf cart. It was at the Petroleum Club on the 44th floor of the ExxonMobil building in downtown Houston, which is probably one of the tallest buildings in the city. You heard me right...44th floor. VIP. Private Harvard alumni party. Special guests. I was dumbfounded for about fifteen minutes, and was having a very difficult time containing myself looking at this corporate suite and private staff all dressed in black tie. Dumbfounded doesn't even begin to describe how I felt, actually.

After I got ahold of myself and we figured out the audio situation, we were able to sit down and help ourselves to a catered three-course lunch alongside some of the mosst powerful people in Houston. Mr. Hofmeister's speech was about 30 minutes long, and his passion was unprecedented. I have never seen an ex-corporate executive care so much about a grassroots cause, all in the name of education. It was a speech fit to fill a person up on optimism (after sifting through the apocalyptic forecast of energy policy, of course).

He discussed how we need to remove politics out of the energy sector to avoid the energy crisis we are currently headed for. Much like the Federal Reserve (which was formed to solve problems in the monetary system in 1913), Mr. Hofmeister suggests that we form an independent, non-partisan governing board of experts to regulate issues of energy in our country. He said that is the only way that we can avoid our "dysfunctional, broken, and unfixable" federal government from driving us straight into an "energy abyss." This man is fascinating, moving, and incredibly appealing to nearly all perspectives in energy discourse.

After the event (and a very responsive Q&A session following Mr. Hofmeister's speech), we piled back into the "eco shuttle" and headed back to the office. Mr. Hofmeister had to do a couple of radio phone interviews, but was able to spend a brief 15 minutes wrapping up the interview we started that morning. After answering a handful of questions in a concise and profound manner, he was off to impress some folks at Fox Business News at a live interview. Today reinforced my vocational goals, to say the least. I could get used to this interviewing-important-people thing.

Hop, skip, & a jump to the Dow

Immediately following our mind-boggling trip to the top, we took another trip to the top (19th floor of J.P. Morgan Chase building, to be exact) to meet with Susan Daker, the energy beat reporter for the Houston bureau of Dow Jones. She is a young journalist who writes about energy in the heart of the US energy capital, and she had some fascinating stuff to talk about.

One of the most interesting things that she pointed out, speaking to misconceptions within the public about oil, is that it is impossible to boycott an oil company in the way people have attempted in the past. She said that oil is a commodity, and is constantly changing hands. Just because you are pumping gas at an Exxon doesn't mean that gasoline necessarily "belongs" to Exxon. Many gas stations are independently operated, and are merely branded by a company. So you may be at an Exxon gas station, but you could be pumping gas that was refined by Shell.

Another thing she addressed is the complexity behind the price of oil. All these years I have listened to bickering about our "greedy corporations" unnecessarily jacking up gas prices for profit. That just simply isn't the case. Prices are controlled by market, the price of crude, the blend, the methods used in refining, policy, subsidies, and so much more than that. She pinpointed different blends of oils--sweet, sour, heavy, and light--which all cost different amounts to produce. After listening to the complexities of mining in Canada, and the complexities of refining in Houston, AND the complexities of regulation and political influence, I will never blame one entity for high-priced gas again.

A Side Note (that shouldn't be)

Today my privilege hit me like a train again, and once again I am struggling with what that means. When I was in Uganda, privilege is something I had to come to terms with and it has made me socially aware of my privilege back in my home country.

Today when we were at the top of one of the tallest buildings in Houston, in the company of nearly a hundred Harvard alumni, two things were evident to me:

1) The attendees were 99.9% white and male
2) All of the people serving the predominantly-white-male guests were minorities (mostly Hispanics)

It really speaks to our culture and our socio-economic make up in the US. Unfortunately, I was one of the white, privileged members of the crowd. The difference is (which is even more unfortunate) is that it would be safe to assume that the majority of those 99.9% white, privileged men probably don't recognize their privilege, let alone the lack of people-of-color around them. I wish that I could give away my privilege to someone else, but the reality is that it is what it is. However, I have the freedom to choose what I want to do with my privilege. What I will do is use my privilege to reach my potential, and tell the story of someone who can't.

One of my favorite quotes resonated with me today in the car leaving the swarm of overwhelming disparities behind: "Be the change you wish to see in the world."--Ghandi. That's the plan.

Until next time...

Down South Searchin' for Oil

It feels like ages since I was in the cold Canadian rain, but it has only been a few days. The humidity, the culture, and the thunder storms were definitely a wake-up call that we weren't in Alberta anymore. Our time down here is very brief, but we are definitely covering ground.

June 14

Yesterday we had two interviews in Houston, TX. We checked out of our very interesting Baytown hotel (if you are interested in an off-the-wall and unrelated anecdote, ask me in person) early in the morning. We then headed off to find the home of Christopher Ross, Vice President of Charles River Associates International. He has been a consultant in the oil and gas industry for decades, and authored a book called "Terra Incognita: A Navigation Guide for Energy Leaders" (which he signed and gave to us as a gift).

I was the leader in this interview, running all the primary questioning. I wasn't nervous until he sent me a document full of complicated graphs and risk assessments right before pulling into his drive way--saying that this man is smart is an understatement. He was a fascinating person to talk to, and his resume reveals how he managed to work his way into such a beautiful house in an even more beautiful neighborhoood. He is a native Brit, and actually started his career working for BP (ironically enough).

He talked mostly about the economic and risk side of the business, and was a very articulate, middle-ground voice. Conservative, but progressive in his thinking (again, it is all about how you define progression). My favorite thing he said was that the machinery and the industry is "absolutely beautiful" and that is the reason he "fell in love with the industry." By beautiful he meant the chemical and mechanical engineering is so innovative and incredibly complex (he is a chemist, so this response is less than surprising). He is a genuine believer in the progress that industry can make, and seemed optimistic in all of his responses.

After a Barnes & Noble/Starbucks lunch break, we headed off to our final interview of the day (another one I arranged previously) with professor Andre Droxler from Rice University. He is a geologist and has travelled the world for various research opportunities (he has worked for Rice and only Rice since the mid-80s). This past year, he served his sabbatical leave working for the ExxonMobil research lab. He said that he has had a lot of experience examining oil and gas from an academic perspective, and wanted the chance to do the same from an industry perspective.

What was most interesting in the interview with Mr. Droxler was his comparison of infrastructures in Europe and the US. Being a Swiss, he talked about how Americans think that they pay an arm and a leg for gasoline, when in fact it is much more expensive in Europe due to high taxes. The disparity comes from a lack of extensive systems of public transportation in the US. The difficulty we have in the US establishing intricate systems of public transit is due to the sheer size of our country--we are massive and spread out. Mr. Droxler said you could fit Switzerland in the state of Texas three times, and that is why we have such a demand for independence of mobility and the Swiss don't--we are just so much bigger!

Following our interview, we took a wonderful tour of the campus (compliments of Dr. Droxler). Rice is amazing, and I would be preparing my graduate application right away if it wasn't in the middle of Hades aka Houston. This school is very prominent (especially during both Bush administrations) for hosting world leaders and political figures (with an entire gallery of photos to show for it). I even got the chance to touch a piece of the Berlin Wall that is on display on campus. How many people can say they touched the Berlin Wall? I can.

June 15

After a late-night drive over the Louisiana state line and a restful night's sleep at yet another Super 8 motel, we were up and ready to tackle the day. We began in the parking lot of the Lafyette, LA Target interviewing an oil surveyer who is related to Lorna's PLU flute instructor (yeah...random). Then, it was off to find what everyone has been talking about on the news.

We decided to head for Venice, LA since it is one of the main areas that were affected by the BP spill. After getting turned around (more than a little), and shooting some amazing b-roll of refineries on our detoured route (while attracting the attention of some unmarked vehicles with tinted windows, which we concluded were refinery security/spies), we reached the marinas in Venice. After scouting the area, we found a spot to walk around and try and get some local interviews. With a little help from Fox News broadcasters reporting from the field (and learning that their contracts prohibited them from talking with us on the record), we were pointed in the direction of some people that could speak with us.

First, we met a man who works for an NBC affiliate in Anchorage, AK who was down in the Gulf spotlighting Alaskans who have been helping with the clean-up efforts (after all, they are experts "thanks" to the last-biggest environmental crisis in our country's history). This man had some interesting insight about the media's role in the discourse surrounding energy, and the way that language plays a role in focusing on the crisis of energy, but never the other stories before and after crisis occurs.

Following this interview, we spoke with a regular visitor of Venice. He was a fisherman from Alabama, and he had a very interesting perspective about the economic ramifications surrounding the spill. He said that people stop coming to these tourist areas for no good reason, and that the media causes unnecessary panic by blowing certain aspects out of proportion. "I can't fish in my favorite spot" he said, but he is still fishing despite everything. "The fish we have caught and ate have tasted fine," he said. A very interesting perspective that you wouldn't expect to find.

Another interesting thing that this man said was in response to my question about how aware the public really is about energy. He said that it isn't really "cause for concern." When I asked him why, he simply said that all that matters is whether or not it is there. He said there should be cause for concern, but as long as energy is readily available there won't be.

The most frustrating part about today was talking with fisherman who couldn't talk to us. Fisherman is a loose term, because we discovered that these men are no longer able to fish, for obvious reasons. Instead, they have been contracted by BP to partake in the clean up efforts. What is interesting, however, is that these men signed a contract that prohibits them from speaking with anyone about anything related to the spill. All we wanted to know was general information about how they have been personally and economically effected, and they couldn't speak a word. "I would love to talk to y'all, but my first priority right now is my job," one fisherman said to me. In other words, the company that put them out of a job now owns their livlihood. Backwards, perhaps? I thought so.

Looking ahead...

Tomorrow is another day of intense travel (everything down here is so incredibly far apart). We will do on the street interview in New Orleans, followed by some authentic Cajun food, and then we will once again hit the open road towards Houston.

Thursday morning is the interview I have been looking forward to the most (shh, don't tell any of my new friends). Mr. John Hofmeister is the former President of Royal Dutch Shell, and founder of the organization Citizens for Affordable Energy. Here is a sample list of Mr. Hofmeister's media record: Meet the Press, Fox News, BBC World News, Sean Hannity, The O'Rielly Factor, NBC Nighlty News with Brian Williams, Fox Business News...just to name a few. He recently came out with a book called "Why We Hate the Oil Companies: Straight Talk from an Energy Insider" (which I have been reading a lot on this trip). I am taking the reigns on this one, and I am so incredibly excited about it. Nervous, yes. Intimidated, a little. Fearless, of course.

Until next time...

I Don't Know What to Think

It has become clear that blogging about everything that is fascinating would be a full time job. Everything on this trip is fascinating and I wish I had the time to devote to a full-time blog that outlines every thought in my brain. The reality is that I have too many thoughts and not enough time (or space, for that matter) to get them all down in print.

It has been a few days since I documented oil happenings, and a lot has happened. Here is the short-hand of the stuff that really stood out for me.

June 9

Wednesday in Ft. McMurray was very flexible in terms of scheduling. Our flight was scheduled for around 6:00 p.m., so we wanted to use our time wisely throughout the day. In the morning, while one interview was being conducted, Samantha (a member of the Calgary team) and I set out on a mission to get a good deal on a helicopter trip over the oil sands. We went to three different places, and came to find helicopters are anything but cheap. $1500 per hour was the minimum, and in some places this rate was before factoring in fuel charges (in other words, there was no way we could afford a helicopter).

After searching various helicopter companies and enduring condescending laughter from pilots regarding our expectations for cost, we struck gold thanks to a nice receptionist at a local helicopter company. She suggested we get a fixed-wing airplane instead of a helicopter (frankly because it is exponentially cheaper). So we headed to McMurray Aviation, and sure enough 3 people in one airplane would cost a flat rate of $172 per hour. And we were sold.

I was not one of the “lucky” ones to go up in the plane, but I was definitely not complaining. I can’t even handle small jets, let alone a four-seater propeller plane. I gladly forfeited my seat to Samantha. I will be a journalist someday, and I will have plenty of chances to do awesome fly-overs.

In the meantime, Rob drove Lorna and I to the local Peter Pond Mall to do street interviews. I was so happy that we did three female interviews in a row. Our film so far is HEAVILY weighted on testosterone, for obvious reasons.

The first woman was a glass blower from the Victoria area, who has visited Ft. Mac three times for glass shows. She talked about how the town is the only place where customers rave about “low prices.” She said that normally her prices are fairly high, but customers are willing to pay the price for her art. However, in Ft. Mac, everything is so incredibly expensive that people rave about how affordable her merchandise is.
The second interview was (thank God!) with a 19 year old girl who has lived in Ft. Mac her entire life. She had nothing but positive things to say about her life in the town, and said she wouldn’t have it any other way. Although she said she doesn’t plan on living there after she goes to school, she doesn’t like how people talk negatively about where she grew up.

Finally, our last interview was with a woman who approached us after eavesdropping on our script that we were feeding to local shoppers, trying to convince people to talk with us. She worked at a local clothing store, and was curious if we were focusing on a negative spin in our project. After explaining that our film is a journalistic, unbiased look at all sides of the debate and making clear that our goal is to bridge gaps between the polarized perspectives she was more than happy to speak with us. I was pleasantly surprised with her responses.

She was so positive about oil sands production, Ft. McMurray living, and everything in between. We came to find out that she was a former worker for Petro-Canada, and operated the big trucks in her short time with the company. She said “there was no better feeling in the world than climbing into that truck every day.” Her positive attitude about life in Ft. Mac and working in the oil sands was refreshingly different, and (coming from a woman) pleasantly surprising. Not what you would expect, which is probably why I loved it so much.

What was really amazing was how this woman actually acknowledged that Ft. Mac does have its problems, but that the community pulls together and unites to give back. She said it is part of what makes her community so great.

June 10

After a very bad migraine, a short flight back to Calgary, and a short night’s sleep we were off for a very jam-packed day of interviewing. We met for breakfast at 7:30 to figure out a game plan for everyone. We had to split up for two interviews that were scheduled at the same time. At 9:30, we interviewed the owner of AvatarA Pizza (which was located, conveniently, right around the corner from breakfast).

This interview was AWESOME! Here was this regular guy, an engineer who made six figures working for a company that he started with one other person, and now he makes pizzas in a tiny 200 square foot building and on a portable pizza cart. His goal is to give back to the community that supports his business. The entire time he was telling us his story, he was rolling and throwing pizza dough. We were even lucky enough to try some, and it was some of the best pizza I have ever had. Overall, this interview was a great way to tie together industry, environment, and the average citizen—we hit the trifecta!

Following this interview, we met with Preston Manning. He was a former candidate for Prime Minister, and started two of the major political parties in Canada. In other words, he was a pretty big deal. We must have chosen a very interesting topic, if we are having such an easy time setting up interviews with such important people.

Finally, we wrapped up the day with an interview at the SEEDS—which stands for Society, Environment and Energy Development Studies—Foundation. We met with two representatives from the foundation, and talked about the different programming that they support. One thing I thought was interesting is that they are completely funded by industry because industry recognized that they were not fit to educate the masses about all the issues surrounding the discourse of energy. In other words, industry admitted that they are strictly focused on promotion and would therefore be unfit to educate children fairly. This foundation has been around for more than 30 years, and they have curriculum available for teachers to educate K-12 students about all the issues in the economy, the environment, and the energy sector. The US could really benefit from programs like these.

June 11

After a three hour drive back to Edmonton the night before, we were ready for our early morning interview with the Parkland Institute (a think tank devoted to conducting reports and studies about the effects of oil sands development on the economy and society). We met with the director Diana Gibson, and she was fascinating to talk with. As Rob put it, she was a “quote machine.”

She talked a lot about the social impacts that the oil sands development has on Alberta, which isn’t something that immediately stood out to me during our prior research. Apparently, according to Mrs. Gibson and studies conducted, the boom and bust economy that is generated by such rapid development is very detrimental to Albertan economy and its people. Alberta’s entire economy rests on oil sands development and oil production (30% of Alberta’s GDP comes from the oil and gas sector). In other words, Alberta has all its eggs in one economic basket.

The reason that this is so harsh on the economy is that when oil and gas production is up, the economy is up, and vice versa. However, even when the economy is in boom mode, inflation is through the roof and the average middle-class Albertan can barely afford to live in such an expensive society. This creates a very problematic disparity of wealth. Basically, if you aren’t in the oil and gas sector raking in the cash, you are stuck in a middle-class that is borderline working-poverty.

Additionally, Mrs. Gibson talked about the effects on the job market. The only time, she said, that jobs are readily available is during the boom construction period. After everything is built, there are not nearly as many jobs, and the government doesn’t properly pace development and construction to head up this problem. Also, most of the workers used for the construction phase are temporary, foreign workers (most of which don’t have proper citizenship, and are victims of labor abuse). After the projects are done, they are laid off, poor, and don’t have the same rights that citizens do. Therefore, they are denied access to social programs that could help them in a state of poverty, and are stuck in homeless in an outrageously expensive town.

These were all issues that were new to me, and just as detrimental in my opinion as the environmental implications we have heard so much about.

It was interesting to immediately meet with the Albertan government following this very provocative interview. They, obviously, were very concerned with jumping right into our round-table discussion asking us what “misconceptions” we have heard since starting our research. This is very similar to the way our Syncrude tour began last week (which is very smart for business).

A lot of the facts we heard we very similar to the ones industry has given us, and they all made a lot of sense and seemed to be very concerned about the polarization of the issues due to skewed facts and figures presented in the media. Overall the meeting was very interesting and productive.

However, there was one part of the meeting that was somewhat unsettling. Elizabeth asked the question about cancer clusters in the oil sands region, and how Dr. O’Conner was very concerned that the government seemed to sweep the problem under the rug. Representatives around the table were immediately on the defense, and very quick to step on the breaks. One man said “We want to be careful what we say, because we don’t have a representative from Health Canada here.” They did say that there is some type of cancer, and that they are working to figure out what is causing it, but that Dr. O’Conner was “quick” to judge what sort of cancer it was.

I was upset that much of the conversation focused on accusing Dr. O’Conner of diagnosing the “wrong cancer.” No matter what type of cancer it was, it was cancer nonetheless. People are dying. I am very upset that a government can write off a question like that when it is dealing with people’s lives and health. I understand why the answer was presented the way it was, but that doesn’t mean it sits okay with me.

Some General Thoughts…

I am very intrigued by the language aspect of this research. It seems that everyone we talk with is very good with words, and is incredibly convincing. We will meet with one person who has facts and evidence that back up their perspective, then we meet with someone with the same facts and evidence supporting an opposite perspective. Both are convincing, and both are essentially right. It is a matter of context, relativity, and values that dictates what is the “right” answer. Frankly, I think they are all right. One thing I do know is that all parties we meet with agree that progress is vital in this ever-increasing dependence on energy in society. The disparity is what the definition of progress actually is. If anyone figures out the answer, my scattered brain would appreciate a response.

Tomorrow we meet with Christopher Ross, Vice President of Charles Rivers Associates who has worked in oil and energy for decades. Then we are scheduled to meet with Dr. Andre Droxler, an Earth Sciences professor at Rice University, who has been working at the ExxonMobil Research lab during his sabbatical leave. Updates to come…

Pictures speak for themselves...

CAPTIONS ARE HERE!

Standing on "reclaimed" overburden area looking at the Syncrude site in the distance (with a wonderful tailings pond in plain site). There were canons going off to scare birds away and keep them from landing on the pond.


One of the "smaller" trucks toting bitumen, the sand-like substance containing the oil, back to the initial production site.


Another earth mover heading back to the mine site right past our bus.


The tail end of a 400-ton earth mover.


An earth mover headed down hill towards the mine site, with the main production plant in the background.


The mounds of bitumen recovered from the mine at the production plant. The tower is the part of the machinery that begins upgrading (a process of adding hot water to a pipe full of resource to separate the oil from the sand).


Me standing inside one of the OLD shovels used at one point in time for mining (now it is old technology and is on display for tourists right outside the syncrude site).


View of the Syncrude site from the highway. There is no real physical barrier separating the main highway from the tailings pond seen in this photo.


What the Borreal Forrest looks like before actually getting to the mine (AKA what the mine used to be before production started). Companies say they are working to reclaim every mine site to be as close to this as possible.

Taking it all in...and still trying.

Ft. McMurray is a place that words can't describe, but I am going to attempt to now (and I will supplement my attempt with some pictures to follow). To start, here are some fun facts about Ft. McMurray:

-The average person working at the local KFC can make an upwards of $15 per hour.
-The real estate listings are outrageous. The average 3 bedroom house costs $600,000 and the local trailer park houses mobile homes that cost approximately $200,000.
-An entry level oil industry job (requiring only a grade 12 education level) pays $80,000 before bonuses.
-Renting a mid-size van for three days can cost approximately $900

These are just a few of the fascinating facts I have learned since arriving in this town, which is inhabited by about 75,000 people. It is humble and small, but very unique. The community is made up of a very diverse group of people, who come from all over the world. One man said that the reason he came here is because "this is where the money is." That's right--a town of 75,000 people that has one major highway in and out of town, an airport smaller than your average corner store, and a cost of living that resembles that of Orange County in the middle of nowhere is where all the money is.

Why such a boom-town status in the middle of nowhere? The answer is simple--oil equals money.

June 7

Yesterday we caught up with Celina Harpe, a very vocal elder in the Ft. Mackay tribe. Ft. Mackay is located about 20 KM from the oil sands site, right in the heart of oil sands leased lands. The people live in a community of about 300 people on the bank of the Athabasca River (which also runs right through oil sands country).

We were able to get Celina's name from Mike Hudema at Greenpeace, and she has been interviewed by media ranging from National Geographic to the New York Times. She is very vocal and very concerned about the social implications resulting from oil sands development. She talked about how the tribal leaders are corrupt and don't pay attention to the health problems in the communities, but rather keep their mouths shut while they profit from associations with the oil companies.

I nearly broke down in tears listening to this woman tell her community's story of suffering. She told one story of all the school children falling down ill from an unknown cloud of toxins that blew in from the oil sands area. She said children were passing out and being rushed to the hospital from the odor, and she has no clue what it is from (other than blaming Suncor and Syncrude operations). She said nothing happened as a result of the incident--no apology even. It broke my heart that she cares so much, but no matter how vocal she has been nothing will make a difference.

This woman was old, but she was very sharp. She wasn't optimistic about change coming to the region, and that made me very sad. She is so passionate, yet she has given up all hope. Despite her lack of optimism, she said that her "big mouth" is still running, and she will never stop telling the community what she believes in. I am meeting so many people with so many meaningful stories to tell, and I am so happy that I can lend a hand in giving them a platform to be heard.

June 8

Today was the day that I got to see what it was I have been researching and talking about for months. We were picked up by a Syncrude representative in a giant, private charter bus at our Quality Inn hotel just outside downtown Ft. Mac. The woman was just as I would have expected--slender, up-kept, very well dressed and decked out in a nice Syncrude winter coat. The first question she asked us before we even left was "So what preconceived notions are you coming with today?" I was very taken aback with that introduction.

We drove to the Syncrude headquarters, where our tour guide briefed us on the general history behind the operations. We learned some of the fun facts I mentioned earlier, including the fact that her husband (who works on both of Syncrude's private jets as a mechanic) is the highest paid airplane mechanical engineer in all of North America. Everyone makes good money in this town.

However, there are some downfalls--our tour guide said that she talked with her sister about income taxes the other day over the telephone (her sister lives in Newfoundland). Our tour guide pays more in income tax than her sister makes in an entire year--income tax in Ft. Mac is the equivalent of an average woman's yearly salary! This place is like no other, clearly.

After a brief overview of Syncrude operational history and structure, we loaded back onto the bus to drive through one of the main mines on the Syncrude site. I thought it would be quite the drive to get out to the site, but I was wrong. The tailings ponds, the mining pits, the plants...all of it can be seen from the road. There isn't even a prominent, distinguished barrier separating this industrial wasteland from the main highway.

We drove through security and saw the bitumen (the hard, sand resource that holds oil deposits) being sifted through a machine to begin the separation process (*add hot water which then separates the sand from the oil for upgrading to crude). It didn't seem to be too daunting--until we left the plant and reached the mine site.

Words cannot describe what this place looks like. Trucks called earth movers, which range from 150 to 400 tons, drove alongside our bus like we were in another dimension. We reached the North viewpoint and all you could see were sulfur stacks (*sulfur is one of the main waste products extracted during the upgrading process) and dozens of earth movers changing the landscape like it was nothing. One 400 ton earth mover filled with bitumen and sand weighs as much as a Boeing 747, and it is the height and width of a Walgreens.

The tailings ponds (which are the water wastes that remain after the bitumen is broken and the oil separates from the sand) are massive and settle right next to the highway and "reclaimed" land. Syncrude's tour lady explained the reclaimation efforts made by the company. They take land that they previously dug up on the mine site (called "overburden") and plant new life over the top of it. To "prove" that it can naturally sustain a sustainable ecosystem, Syncrude has partnered with Ft. Mackay First Nations to raise and maintain bison on the reclaimed land.

This "reclaimation" is anything but, in my opinion. Surrounding this ranch-like set up is the decades-old tailings pond (which also is surrounded by canons that go off every two seconds to scare off birds) and a fence to keep the bison under close monitoring. To me, this is a poor example of restoring land to its natural state. Apparently we have perfected the role of playing God in Alberta--humans take giant trucks, literally move earth to an entirely new location, and attempt to restart an ecosystem that took thousands of years to develop. And we are worried about stem cell research why? It seems this operation is a far more dangerous attempt to play God than that.

I could talk forever about the sites, smells, and sounds of the oil sands, but a picture is worth a thousand words (and I have tons of those!)

Family Physician, Full-time Advocate

Following our tour that ended with a free lunch with the Oil Sands Developers Group president, we were lucky enough to interview Dr. John O'Connor later in the evening. He is a prominent family physician that works with local tribes surrounding the oil sands region. He has especially close ties with Ft. Chipewyan, and is working around the clock here (16-24 hour shifts) treating local First Nations patients.

He is very vocal about the high rate of rare form of bile duct cancer in this community, which he believes is associated with the oil sands development. He said that he has personally seen about 3 cases in this community of 1,200 when in reality one would only see this type of cancer 1 in every 100,000 people. He has been in numerous articles and documentaries, and actually almost lost his license to practice regarding an investigation of causing undue alarm. The charges were immediately dropped following the investigation.

What was so powerful about this man's interview was his humble nature. He said that he used to fear talking to himself, and now he can speak "without script" to hundreds of people because he is so moved by his cause to create a grassroots effort for progress and change. He wants citizens to know about the sufferings in this community, and whether or not it is connected with industry, he simply wants someone to do something about it and own up to the responsibility of finding out the cause of these severe health problems.

Once again, I have met someone with a very profound cause and story. This man cares about what he does so much, but doesn't want anything but change and care. He could care less about the attention, the praise, or the thanks. All he wants is for the people of Ft. Chip to be healthy and happily reclaim their culture. He worked all day, went to meetings and emergency calls at the hospital mid-interview, works again tomorrow for 16 hours, and still made time after 9:00 p.m. to talk with my team. He said our project "refreshes" his cause. Again I say, I wish I could care about anything that much.

I have said to much...now pictures can speak for themselves...