Endorsed by Utah, Earth Day poster contest sparks outrage

[btfc]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/560247...r.html.csp



"A state-endorsed Earth Day poster contest rewards students for singing the praises of mined resources, sparking criticisms from parents and an administrator who see a disconnect between the event and the conservation values associated with the annual observance.

"Where Would WE Be Without Oil, Gas, & Mining?" is the theme of this and last year’s contests, inviting all Utah elementary schools and their students to craft 11-by-17-inch posters describing the benefits of coal, oil and natural gas, but not the impacts associated with burning them."

[Lemon Drop]

Fossil fuels need love too!

[OWC Jamie]

Can you say: " Somebody's little girl's poster didn't even get an honorable mention ? "

[Ted King]

"The Division of Oil, Gas & Mining’s abandoned-mines program administers the statewide contest..."

I don't like to see a regulatory agency advocating for or against interests that they oversee. (I'm assuming it is a regulatory agency.) They should just make sure laws and regulations are being followed.

[$tevie]

It seems as if that division COULD claim a kind of connection to Earth Day http://linux1.ogm.utah.gov/WebStuff/wwwr...outus.html however, the themes being chosen definitely promote the interest of current and former sponsors (Society of Petroleum Engineers, Rio Tinto/Kennecott Utah Copper, Wheeler Machinery Company, Bill Barrett Corporation, Anadarko, Petroleum Corporation, U.S. Magnesium, Wind River Resources, Simplot Phosphate, Newfield Exploration, the Utah Mining Association, Arch Coal, Inc., the National Energy Foundation, Savage Companies, Arch Coal Sufco Mine, Summit Energy Management Corporation, Canyon Fuel Skyline Mine, and Enpro, LLC) rather than promoting any kind of conservation or reclamation.

http://linux1.ogm.utah.gov/WebStuff/wwwr.../tabs.html

[cbelt3]

I participated in the first Earth Day. These guys don't get it.

[Lux Interior]

cbelt3 wrote:
I participated in the first Earth Day.

You're 4.5 billion years old?