With 500 ducks having recently died in an oilsands tailings pond and information coming to light that toxic water has been leaking into the Athabasca River from another site, the provincial government is encouraging Albertans to commit to “one simple act” to protect the environment.

Announced on June 2, the newly formed Alberta Conservation Team will challenge and inspire residents of the province to make one small change to their lifestyle to make a difference for the environment. The team will work with community-based organizations, municipalities and corporations to support environmental stewardship activities throughout the year and encourage waste reduction and energy and water conservation.

To celebrate Environment Week, Premier Ed Stelmach personally committed to plant one tree on the grounds of the Alberta Legislature. “Collectively our actions make an enormous positive impact,” said Stelmach. “An average tree absorbs 200 kilograms of carbon dioxide over 80 years. Imagine the results if just 10 people in every community in Alberta plants a tree.”

The answer to that rhetorical question: not much. According to Alberta Environment, one barrel of unconventional oil extracted from bitumen produces 75 kilograms of carbon dioxide during the process. Using Stelmach’s numbers for carbon dioxide reduction, and oilsands production levels from 2006 (1.25 million barrels per day), Albertans would have to plant 13.5 billion trees per year in order to negate the annual emissions produced by the bitumen extraction process alone. By 2016, production in the oilsands is expected to increase to 3.2 million barrels per day.

Not to be out-done, Environment Minister Rob Renner committed to replace the light bulbs in his home and constituency office with compact fluorescents. Renner’s decision to change his inefficient light bulbs voluntarily gives him a four-year head start before the use of compact fluorescent bulbs becomes mandatory. In April 2007, the government of Canada declared that a nationwide ban on the sale of inefficient light bulbs will take effect by 2012. (TH)