Dear Editor:
The sustainable alternative to the proposed Enbridge pipeline is not twinning the Trans Mountain pipeline and increasing tanker traffic in Burrard Inlet. With decentralized energy systems, we no longer need to pay the greatest part of the cost (economic, ecological and ethical) of centralized energy: transmission and distribution.
On-site solar, wind and geothermal systems, added to energy-efficient buildings and technologies, can supply all sectors: industrial, commercial and residential.
Added to the electricity grid, renewables stabilize it, reduce risk of rolling blackouts, and add energy when the owners have what they need. With renewable energy available at every location - including home charging for your electric car - we can save oil for lubrication and leave tar in the ground.
A pipeline and more tar sands would cost trillions of shareholder and taxpayer dollars.
Investing these in efficiency and renewables instead can supply on-site heat and electricity across the country, while creating countless jobs and industries in every local economy.
Hildegard Bechler, New Westminster
