Environmentalism's New Whipping Boy

Chiquita announced that it would direct trucking companies it uses to try to avoid using fuel refined from the oil sands (AFP/File, Ernesto Benavides)

Chiquita Brands bananas made a name for itself back when the world was a whole lot younger by employing Carmen Miranda to sing the famous ditty whose purpose was to entice banana sales in North America while informing purchasers how best to store them in the home. It's now making a name for itself as a banana-empire hypocrite. Having decided to stop using fuel from Canada in trucking their bananas.

The brand may feel it is redeeming itself, at least in the United States, where it has decided to re-locate its head offices. After all, their corporate heads may reason that as long as the Keystone XL pipeline project is being stalled by an election-sensitive Barack Obama, acceding to the demands of the environmental lobby will be a popular move in the U.S. because its economy isn't the target.

But it will be. When Congress and the Senate finally make the decision that the country must balance its energy dependence between continuing to import oil from the Middle East and Venezuela whose political/social interests run counter to that of the United States, and where American money to buy that oil has been used to fund madrassas teaching violent jihad against the West - or from a friendly neighbour.

Charlotte, North Carolina is a beautiful, small city. Situated in a lovely geographic area where the climate is reasonable, the people are proudly civil, and there are amenities galore, including a world-class museum and plenty of professional-medical-research groups headquartered there; like much of the U.S. it too has suffered an employment downturn. So, good for Charlotte, they deserve a break.

But give the northern part of North America a break too. Really, seriously, boycotting the use of Canadian oil from Alberta's oilsands because of environmental groups characterizing it as 'dirty oil'? Chiquita's announcement at its annual conference with trucking companies must have taken them by surprise; it certainly took Canada by surprise to be metaphorically lifted off its feet by its earlobes.

EthicalOil.org is now doing its part to counteract - at least within Canada - the insultingly gratuitous public relations ploy undertaken by Chiquita Brands. Urging Canadians, through a campaign of public information, to boycott Chiquita bananas. As Kathryn Marshall, speaking for EthicalOil puts it: "We find that to be very unethical, discriminatory and misguided", of the boycott of Canadian oil by Chiquita.

"We want to hit back. We want to show Chiquita that Canada is proud of our oil industry. We're proud to be the world's most ethical producer of oil." Canada's opinionated, outspokenly resolute Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, added his opinion: "I gather that Chiquita Bananas has no problem with Iranian oil, but is boycotting Canadian oil. No more Chiquita bananas for me."

And just in case Chiquita is ignorant of the facts, Alberta's Wildrose leader's statement on the issue is clarifying in nature: "Alberta's oilsands are the most safe, secure and reliable source of energy in the world, and tremendous progress has been made in reducing emissions and environmental impacts. Personally, I will boycott Chiquita products until they reverse their ill-informed decision."

In the kitchens of the nation, people are rushing to have a look at their banana clusters, exhaling a sigh of relief as they read "Dole" on those little plastered-on stickers.