We're at a proverbial fork in the road and it's time to choose a direction. Regardless of which path we select, the journey will be tough. One path will be trying and will, at times, seem untraversable but the outcome will be great. The other direction will have greater and greater obstacles and the ultimate destination will be unfavourable.
Nearly a million litres of crude oil have been gushing into the Gulf of Mexico every day for the last four weeks, oozing slimy gunk into the ecosystem. The Deepwater Horizon drill rig exploded on April 20 causing crude to spill out over 10,000 square kilometres, according to some experts.
The oil slick has reached the shores of Louisiana and threatened countless wildlife.
That's just one accident, on one rig.
(Cue alarm bells)
We should pay attention and stop claiming ignorance or tolerating complacency. A rig explosion, or tanker spill can happen here in the beautiful West Coast if we're not careful.
The federal government created a moratorium on drilling and exploration along the West Coast in the 1970s but if Enbridge has its way, the moratorium could be lifted.
The North American oil giant Enbridge is hoping to build an oil crude pipeline from the Albertan tar sands over to the West Coast to a deep sea terminal near Kitimat, B.C. Tankers brimming with crude would sail up and down the coast while British Columbians, and Canadians alike would cross their fingers and hope there's no spill.
And Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems keen - he assures us Canada would never experience a disaster like the oil spill in the Gulf because of the nation's offshore drilling regulations.
Squamish's Norm Hann is not buying it. Hann is standing up for what he believes in and protesting the proposed pipeline. He's travelling from Kitimat to Bella Bella by stand up paddleboard to show British Columbians, Canadians and citizens of the world the exquisite flora and fauna we're putting at risk if the Enbridge pipeline gets a green light.
We should reduce our dependency on oil and start thinking about preserving the Earth rather than ways to make more money. We could save what we have left on this Earth, or possibly even undo some of the environmental damage humans have caused over the last 50 years.
If we could rejuvenate the ecosystem one forest or one river at a time, perhaps we'd get to see grey whales in Howe Sound every year.
Think about how disappointed you'd be if you knew that in 75 years, your grandchildren or great-grandchildren would get excited over the prospects of seeing a real bear, bird or even a squirrel.
They could ask you what it was like to see birds flying in the sky and you'd explain what chirps sounded like.
Eventually they'd realize the world liked the rumble of a car more than the sound of birds - that must've been the case since we failed to do anything to protect our beautiful, and delicate ecosystem.
