Written in 2018 and kept as originally published. Ages, figures and references to “recent” events reflect that time.
IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS
Pique Newsletter Letter to the Editor – Link to Article
IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS
By Lance Bright
If I were to win the lotto—the Big One—I would not do the usual things. They no longer impress me. I would want to use the money to accomplish something, so that when they tossed my ashes across the melting snow, my son could say, "He did this, and I am proud of him."
I would buy a bunch of pigs, along with some goats—I really like goats—and a nice animal home for them to live in onsite at staff housing, a must today.
Now when it came to feeding them, I would follow the example of my first dog, a very large stray St. Bernard with an enormous appetite. To feed this beast, we collected food scraps from J.B.'s, the restaurant we operated at the time. Every night, the wait staff was so happy to fill a bucket for her, though she soon became spoiled, only liking prime rib and beef tenderloin. Pigs, however, eat everything! So to feed them, I would drive around to all the restaurants picking up food scraps.
To do this, I would use a truck powered by "used" vegetable oil, sourced from the same locations. After all, if I did not take it away, it would have to be put on a truck and taken far away, creating an expense to do so, as well as creating carbon emissions.
As for the fuel I recycle, it's fuel that did not need to be trucked into the valley. I know a gardener who would take any excess I managed to produce.
Now back to spending my millions! Next, I would buy a pyrolysis machine, which turns plastic into diesel. They are doing this in other parts of the world and claim no harm to the environment except heat!
Plastic is better in the gas tank than in the ocean, especially when every litre of gas we use has to be trucked here. I would love to hire a well-known local named Bill, as I am confident that with him, every piece of plastic that entered Whistler would soon be used to run our snow cats, buses, and other vehicles.
Our goal? That not one piece of recyclable plastic would be put on a truck and shipped away, a carbon footprint reduction worthy of worldwide attention.
Whistler has an imbalance of social statements and signatures. We are all about enjoying the breathtaking beauty of nature offset by the pollution involved in bringing guests here and the disproportionate amount of consumption and waste produced.
Would it not be cool that when our guests return to their homes, they could rave not only about the magnificent mountains around them, but also about how Whistler "effectively" re-purposes over 60 per cent of its waste? That would send a very powerful message!
If my young son one day looked up to me and asked, "Dad, are you going to use up all your lottery winnings—and my inheritance—on your passion to prove life is sustainable?" I would say, "Yes, Jack, but I will leave you the most valuable gift any father could give his child and his descendants: The gift of hope, the gift of a chance."
I hope all these ideas may one day prove sustainable and economically viable. I fear not, but it's the good fight, we, or someone, has to take on.
So, I bought a lottery ticket today.
Lance Bright
Whistler
Originally published September 17, 2018 on lancebright.com.