[imc-alberta] from Barb, Nov. 18

[rbcc]

Hi Everyone. Please forward this as you see fit.

I am currently working on a co-production with Shaw TV, which will be
broadcast soon. But, today, I was asked to answer some questions about the
most important environmental problems in Alberta today, and what are the
solutions? Well the problems are myriad. Fortunately so are the solutions,
but I had to pick one to mention first, and it had to be investing in energy
efficiency.

Some of you might remember that Tooker Gomberg's last campaign here was
about a study that was done by the AB Department of Energy. It was completed
in 1992, called "A Discussion Paper on the Potential to Reduce Carbon
Dioxide Emissions (by 7.8%) in Alberta 1988-2005" (and make a huge profit
off it). He  became obsessed with having Ralph Klein reconcile these
findings with the Alberta Gov't position that Kyoto would bankrupt us. With
one lone exception, the media completely ignored it. Finally, he locked
himself in Ralph Klein's storage area in his office in Calgary and starting
faxing press releases from inside. He was brutally arrested and thrown in
jail. Two years later, the week he died, he was supposed to be in court in
Calgary facing related charges.

I have been haunted by this document since Tooker's death. I didn't sleep
very well last night, knowing that today I was going to mention the fact
that the Alberta gov't already has a plan to meet our Kyoto requirements. I
conquered my fear of speaking up. I gave it a positive spin and beat around
the bush as much as if I were running for office.

Tom Marr-Laing from Pembina was also on the show, seeming much more
composed. He talked about the promise of wind power and their new campaign
to get 20,000 computers powered by wind.

Ten minutes goes by pretty fast. I didn't get to talk about other things I
would have liked to, like practicing smart growth and preserving wildlife
habitat.

Anyway, this one's for Tooker. If you'd like to bear witness, and you have
cable, it's on Shaw TV, channel 10, starting this afternoon. It runs once
per hour between Fri. at 4:00 PM and Sat. at 4:00 PM.

Thanks for the moral support.
Barb Allard