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Crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill washes ashore in Orange Beach, Ala., on June 12. (Dave Martin/Associated Press)

It is “unlikely that an accidental surface or subsurface oil spill would occur” and if it did “….no significant adverse impacts are expected.” That statement was given in February 2009 before BP received approval to begin drilling the Deepwater Horizon well. Now the whole world watches as the disastrous effects of this oil spill unfold in the Gulf of Mexico.

It appears to me not such an unpredictable outcome and yet we continue to react with disbelief every time the unthinkable happens. Technological innovation has been the hallmark of our modern world bringing with it all kinds of life improving advancements. We remain ever confident in next year’s innovation to solve the problems of last year’s inventions. However, as events continue to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico, the cost of disregarding the impact of our behaviours on the planet and placing blind faith in ingenuity to solve all problems is becoming increasingly clear.

An exhausted oil-covered brown pelican sits in a pool of oil along Queen Bess Island Pelican Rookery, 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana June 5, 2010. Sean Gardner/REUTERS

To date over 380 million litres of oil have spilled into the Gulf, threatening marine mammals, fish and birds, and coastal wetlands. Over one billion dollars has been spent so far in trying to stop the leak and the costs to commercial and recreational fishing industries have not yet been included in the tally.

Our failure to apply a precautionary approach when making decisions about offshore drilling reveals our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels and the extent to which we will sacrifice common sense in its pursuit.

Instead of the risky business of looking for oil in ever more dangerous situations how about we just use less energy? Perhaps not as sexy as a massive oil rig, but surprisingly effective when we all do just a little more to use a little less. Take public transportation or maybe use your bike or why not just walk to the corner store? You don’t even have to commit to do this all the time just substitute these methods once a week for a time when you used to drive. Close off the lights when you leave the room. Use a space bar for electronic equipment and turn it off when not in use. Or consider participating in incentive programs like the Renewable Energy Initiative which make it easy to start reducing our reliance on non-renewable resources.

For more ideas about how you can make energy conservation part of your operations, check out GLOBE’s Sustainability Toolbox launching soon on our website. Conservation can be remarkably effective and best of all there will never be any negative consequences. Ever.

I was fortunate to be able to chair a session at the ONPHA conference on Sunday entitled Recruitment and Retention: Changing the “Image” of Social Housing. Our presenters for this session were excellent, but the real stars of the show were the conference participants that asked some great questions and offered insightful feedback.

Presenters from left: Neville McGuire, Michael Buzzelli, Merv Huges and Dave Colangelo

One of the best ideas was to establish an undergraduate housing essay competition. Not only would this motivate students at the undergraduate level to think and write about housing, it would also be an excellent public relations opportunity for a sector that could use a bit of good press. A bursary for students in financial need studying housing could also work in the same way. For the past three years SHSC has helped to fund and manage a research internship program for MA and PhD level students. You can see their work here.

A number of participants also mentioned the importance of involving tenants in the operation of their own housing. Who better to manage housing than someone who knows the place from the inside? This is a model that has quite a bit of traction in the UK (eg. Tenant Participation Advisory Service, Tenant Services Authority) and something that we could definitely use more of in Canada.

Fittingly, the conference wrapped up with awards for a group of tenants that had made outstanding contributions where they live. One of GLOBE’s Community Champions, Lynn Wood from Richview Residence, received an award.

If you have some examples of how tenants have made where they live a great place to live, or if you have ideas on how we can further engage tenants in the provision of housing, post a comment!