neve campbell back home to film eco-thriller

"Burn Up," a Canada/U.K. co-production airing next Tuesday and Wednesday on Global, is a story of big oil clashing with "big green."

Sounds like a touchy subject for a production that was shot in Calgary, but Neve Campbell - who plays an environmentalist working within an oil company - says nobody there tried to run her over with an SUV.

"No, Calgary was very welcoming," says Campbell, who appears opposite former 'West Wing' star Bradley Whitford and British actor Rupert Penry-Jones in the conspiracy eco-thriller.

Campbell was drawn to the timeliness of the subject matter. Her character thinks she's been hired to nudge the company toward a greener future but she's really there just for the P.R. value.

The character is a "green wash," explains Campbell, a term for companies who set up an environmental department just for show.

"The inner workings of the company are very strong and it's going to be very difficult for her to change things," she says. That holds true for American TV network thinking.

While "Burn Up" will air here on Global and in the U.K. on BBC, it has yet to land an American network deal. The subject matter likely cuts a little to close to the bone during a U.S. presidential election year when gas prices are soaring and American car companies - especially those that sponsor TV shows - are hurting.

The 33-year-old native of Guelph, ON, who starred for six seasons on "Party of Five," is always proud to return and work in Canada.

She was a little disappointed, however, about Calgary's environmental efforts. She noted how her Halifax apartment had separate chutes for recyclables, yet the Calgary neighbourhood she lived in while shooting "Burn Up" was still not with the program.

Source: Canadian Press

but at what cost?

Last week, an estimated 500 migrating mallard ducks died after pitching in one of the toxic tailings ponds belonging to Syncrude Canada Ltd. in northern Alberta. That is a fraction of the birds that die each year and only the tip of iceberg on the deadly side-effects of the oil industry.

“Clearly, there's a heightened awareness in general around the oil sands and the way developments are carried out and the impact they have on the environment,” said Total S.A's (Canada) president Michael Borrell.

“When the expectations of society change, companies have to change and adapt accordingly,” said Pius Rolheiser, an Imperial spokesman said. “Companies that don't change and adapt will be in trouble.”

That should be a great mantra to go by, given the urgency over climate change and GHG's. The public is demanding that companies start behaving in a socially conscious and environmentally responsible manner otherwise...fear our wrath! Right? Well, there is that tiny little issue of money...the billions and billions of dollars to be made from the oil sands.

Development of the Alberta's boreal forest is paving the way for mines and toxic tailings ponds. That said, rapid growth is contributing to a whole host of other problems: high housing costs, severely lagging infrastructure and inflation.

Alberta is plentiful in oil and as a result there are plenty of industry-related jobs to go around...much of the young in Newfoundland and the East Coast have cleared out to go where the money is.

Global demand for oil is at an all-time high due to increased need (or is that want?). Developing nations China and India are both driving forces, but North America sure isn't helping with insatiable needs for consumer goods and growth all over the place.

Environmental Defence terms the oil sands project in Alberta the most destructive project on earth. That is a strong statement, but not one without merit...

Globe and Mail article here

Dead ducks