If you do one thing during your Christmas holidays, set aside 45 minutes to watch environmental documentary ‘spOIL.’
The video can be watched on youtube and gives information about the fight to save the Great Bear Rainforest from the tar sands expansion.
I had been meaning to watch it ever since I was told a screening of it was being hosted at the Vanderhoof library in September.
Within the film, the Gitga’at First Nation and the International League of Conservation Photographers team up to showcase the incredible wilderness and cultural values at stake from tankers that would carry tar sands crude through the area. ‘spOIL’ recently received the environmental film prize at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival.
I was glad to hear at the all-candidates forum in November that a couple of councillor candidates who have now been voted in, stated their opposition to the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline. I agree with the views of Brian Frenkel and Kevin Moutray that the pipeline will offer little economic value to most of the communities that it effects, and the potential for disaster is all too possible.
Before I watched the documentary ‘spOIL’ I wasn’t too sure whether I supported the pipeline or not. The film definitely helped sway my opinion against the pipeline project.
Films such as this can have a great effect on such potentially destructive projects. It all depends on how many people are reached. The video has currently only been viewed about 13,000 times. More people need to watch this free video and really take some time to think about whether they are for or against this project.
Many people seem to think there is no point in really having an opinion or doing anything about it because their voices will not have an effect on the outcome of the project. This is negative way to think - you are either an activist or an in-activist. In my opinion it is much better to be active and make an effort to at least become more informed and have an opinion on such projects. It would be great to see the number of times that documentary is viewed increase greatly.
You can watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3bKmz4od3g.