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Targeting the Tar Sands
Opinion Featured | Toronto Star | EDITORIAL | February 12, 2010
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When an iconic, organic retail chain like Whole Foods Market declares the tar sands politically toxic, it's a wake-up call for Alberta. Calgary, we've got a problem.
The virtual boycott of fuel derived from the oil sands, announced this week by Whole Foods and another trendsetting retailer, Bed Bath & Beyond, may be a harbinger. These two wildly popular companies are the first to heed a pressure campaign by environmental lobby group ForestEthics, which is targeting Fortune 500 companies.
Despite ample warning of a PR debacle in the making – think of last year’s unflattering spread in National Geographic – Alberta and Ottawa have pressed ahead with plans to expand oil sands production, notwithstanding the accompanying increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Domestic opposition – including some critics inside Alberta – has been stared down or ignored.
But external critics may prove harder to deal with. The blackballing of the tar sands by Whole Foods and others in the American private sector (ForestEthics says 30 more large U.S. brands are in the boycott pipeline) will not be easily undone. Nor will the plans of 21 American states to impose low-carbon fuel standards that would penalize the oil sands. Alberta and Ottawa may have to rethink their strategy.
Tagged with: forestethics, toronto star, whole foods
