Can An Oil Company Help Our Environmental Crisis? Unlikely Alliances Working Together For Change
The planet’s current ecological crisis is without precedent. As we look toward the future, new environmental challenges loom before us. Despite the seemingly endless stream of bad news, progress is being made and you may be surprised at some of the unlikely partners who are working together to better the earth.
(PRWEB) June 29, 2005 -- The planet’s current ecological crisis is without
precedent. As we look toward the future, new environmental challenges loom
before us. Despite the seemingly endless stream of bad news, progress is being
made and you may be surprised at some of the unlikely partners who are working
together to better the earth.
Our current energy difficulties have
created some strange bedfellows. Alliances desperate to improve some aspect of
the environment have formed partnerships you would have never thought possible.
General Motors is in advanced discussion with Toyota about jointly building a
factory to make hydrogen-powered car engines in order to share the heavy cost of
developing hydrogen power. This historic partnership between the world’s two
largest carmakers will help speed up the adoption of environmentally-friendly
technology.
You would
think that an oil company would be the last business to back hydrogen fuel
technology, but that is exactly what is happening in Iceland, where an oil
company, a gas-powered combustion engine auto company, and an isolated nation
have joined forces to develop hydrogen fuel cells. The revolutionary and
unlikely partnership between Shell Oil and Daimler-Benz could end up bringing
about the next major shift in the world’s energy sources.
“As awareness
of the fragility of our ecosystem grows, even some corporate and government
hard-liners begin to realize the importance of concepts like alternative energy
research, land trusts, public transportation, and slow-growth,” says Karen
Roberts, author of Passions and Patience: Fostering Earth’s Future through
Unlikely Partnerships. In addition to detailing the situation in Iceland,
Roberts cites examples of unlikely partnerships from familiar locations like
Oregon to faraway locales like Nepal and Antarctica. Illustrated by the skilled
photography of Tim Hauf, Roberts takes readers on a world tour of earth-saving
efforts in diverse cultures.
“What I found surprising was that many of
the environmental crusaders are usually cast as villains on the environmental
battlefield,” says Roberts. She highlights the surprising efforts of hunters,
ranchers, developers, and even oil companies. Her book details a situation where
hunters and artists worked together with farmers to save ducks. Both sides had
nothing in common, yet both worked successfully for the survival of the
ducks.
“I truly believe that partnerships, especially
between unlikely collaborators, are the solution to discovering innovative,
creative plans for the future,” says Roberts. These unique partnerships serve as
models for future collaborations and create vital awareness of the environmental
challenges we face in our near future.
For a review copy of the book or
to set up an interview with Karen Roberts for a story, please contact Jay Wilke
at 727-443-7115, ext. 223.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb255892.htm