There is a new online magazine in town and its called Greening Of Oil. No, it’s not an algae bio-fuel site, its actually being brought to you by the petroleum industry!
In what could possibly be considered the ultimate in Greenwashing, Anchorage based Petroleum Newspapers of Alaska LLC, is pulling out all the stops to convince an uninformed public that extraction is environmental.
Complete with a logo that looks like a hybrid between a tree and an oil pump with green oil coming out the top, the website maintains that Greening Of Oil:
is a science-based, online magazine that tracks the environmental footprint of fossil fuels, scrutinizing what is being done to make hydrocarbons a more earth-friendly energy source during what is expected to be a decades-long shift to cleaner and cleaner power.
Greening of Oil also tracks the environmental impact of alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar.
With articles such as “Eat less beef, save the earth“ and “Canadian report: Oil sands should not be singled out” it looks as if this site is dedicated more towards Public Relations spin than it is about true environmentalism.
Under the sites Editorial Policy banner, they state: Stick to the facts. Let the science speak for itself.
- Well here are some facts:Oil is a hazardous material that pollutes our air, water and soil.
- Oil sand production uses more natural gas to produce the oil, than the oil that results as a product of that production.
- We use so much oil because gasoline is one of the cheapest liquid you can by in the US and costs less per ounce than bottled water.
- Oil deposits in South Africa drove the Genocide in Darfur.
- Oil is not like a field of wheat, or a flowing river. It does not grow and it does not flow. It is not renewable. There is only a certain amount of it, and when it is gone, we must wait another 300,000 years for the earth to produce 1 pint of it.
Lets stick to Greening of Oil’s own Editorial Policy: Stick to the facts. Let the science speak for itself.
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Just a thought… this may also be a signal that the major oil companies are far enough along in their own peak oil preps in an effort to protect their profitability.
In other words, under a green cloak, the can begin to spin a shift to renewable energy publicly, much like Walmart and the US Military.
IMHO
That’s a good point. But just like Exxon who spent a few Billion on solar energy research, but only about 1% of their profits, it doesn’t cost a lot of money to put a green spin on something. Especially if it makes your consumers feel better about buying your product.
I’m sure there is a part of this that is an attempt to appease enviro’s also. This keeps them out of court and protesters off their land. Money well saved.
Thanks for your comment Michael. Oh, and we are huge fans of Tiny House Design!
It’s fascinating what a dose of PR can do to change message…will be interesting to see how this publication progresses in the coming years.
I agree, I’ll be keeping an eye on it too.
I imagine that they are preaching to the converted.
Adam: Addressing your “facts” I have some questions/comments
* Isn’t oil something that is naturally occurring in nature? I would agree that I would not want to swim in it or drink it or breath it, but how does it pollute that from which it came from? It is harm to us, but not to the earth.
*That’s because natural gas is cheaper and they can sell the oil for more than the cost of producing it, thus making a profit. They would not be in business very long if they didn’t make a profit.
*That is sad that water cost more than gasoline.
*Oil deposits did not drive the Genocide in Durfur… It was greed. Place blame where it belongs.
*If the earth can reproduce it again, it is renewable. It’s just not on a timescale that is convenient.