Imagine a world where you never stray more than a few kilometres from home. Your diet might consist entirely of potatoes and sugar beets. You’d never hear Cockney on the streets of London. And you’d never see the Panama Canal, Great Wall of China or even the world’s largest pysanka in Vegreville, Alberta.
They’re loathed and despised around the world, perhaps by no group more than by the stout hearts who rise each work day to commute to oil sands facilities.
We citizens may sometimes be loath to admit it, but there’s no question governments have become more effective and efficient in delivering some key services in recent years.
Over the last two decades, foodies have encouraged people to slow down and take pleasure in the simpler, finer things in life, such as home-grown foods, craft beers and artisan wines.
Celebrities undoubtedly hate the gossip website TMZ.com for its uncanny ability to get the scoop, usually accompanied by unauthorized and usually unflattering video and photos, and latest detail about their private lives. TMZ, by the way, stands for Thirty Mile Zone. Anything film production that happens within 30 miles of the intersection of West Beverly Boulevard and North La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles is counted as “local Hollywood,’’ and determines the rates and work rules film industry unions demand for their members.
Depending on who you ask, the world’s seven billionth baby has already joined us or intends to arrive around 2013 (no pressure). Whether or not that global population milestone has been reached, one thing is certain — the more of us here on Earth, the more energy we’re all going to need.
What’s the difference between an all-inclusive vacation resort and a steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) in situ oil sands facility? Not a lot, really. Both are hot and steamy, involve copious amounts of oil and operate a full schedule of activities around the clock.
From California to China, electric cars are being touted by governments, environmentalists and automobile marketers as the ultimate green transportation solution.
Oil Sands Question and Response (OSQAR) is a blog created by Suncor Energy to support constructive dialogue about the oil sands. In our weekly posts, we talk about the energy industry, environmental impact, tailings management and reclamation, water management and the social and economic implications of oil sands development.
Our oil sands operations are near Fort McMurray, Alberta, where we recover bitumen from oil sands through mining and in situ operations. The bitumen from both operations is then upgraded to refinery-ready feedstock and diesel fuel. More about the where and the what of the oil sands can be found on our oil sands resource page.
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