I saw an advertisement in the Economist for Ontario, Canada. The caption at the top of the ad says, "One natural resource in Ontario is mined more than any other." The natural resource referred to is the "highly skilled workforce," with 56% of the people having a post-secondary education; according to the ad, this is the highest rate of any industrialized nation. Basically, the ad is an effort by the Government of Ontario to attract business to this portion of Canada, as it indicates the competitive nature of the workforce there, in fields such as IT/communications, aerospace and biotechnology. The end of the ad then refers to the "renewable resource" of brainpower in Ontario, with new graduates every year in math, science and engineering.

I found this ad interesting because it serves as kind of a metaphor for both fossil fuels and alternative energy. In a way, it seems that the existing workforce that is being tapped into currently is the fossil fuel side, while the new graduates emerging from school are the renewable or alternative energy side. Or maybe the ad is a metaphor for something that doesn't seem to exist--i.e. a fossil fuel source that can be mined, like coal, that will never disappear and will always be replenished.

It got me to thinking about how smart the ad is, because it appeals to both those who want to exhaust what is already there and those who are more focused on something that will be renewed and never move into oblivion. Yet, can we really have it both ways when talking about real energy needs--not the workforce type of resource? I think most alternative energy proponents would concede that until we have enough infrastructure to run the world by methane, solar power and wind power, we need to use a blend of fossil fuels and alternative energy sources. Yet, many people, although they might completely go for the concept of using what's already there AND making sure there are endless replacements when talking about employees, do not share this vision with energy. The reality is that this vision does not transcend from a business concept to an energy concept. Instead, many individuals are resistant to any new players in the energy market; they simply want to continue using fossil fuels alone, until there are no more to use. It seems a bit ironic that these same people are probably drawn to the Ontario ad, with its references and allusions to energy.