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, government, 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 (we waste more than half of the electricity we generate) and renewables instead, can supply on-site heat and electricity across the country, while creating countless jobs and industries in every local economy.

Instead of wasting resources on the old errors, we can renew local economies here and in Asia. Now is the moment to start on the win-win path that also leaves something for future generations.