Casa Dominique is an ecolodge on Lanzarote’s northern coast. Julie Genicot, a French trekking guide, has lived in Lanzarote since her grandparents opened the Casa Dominique when she was a child. She worries that offshore oil drilling might ruin the natural environment she grew up in. Lauren Frayer/NPR

We cannot possibly say that Spain does not need more oil. But we can say that before going to the Canary Islands there should be more effort to use the sun and wind, as at least one European country with less direct sunlight per year than Spain has successfully done. Spain should dig deeper on the alternative energy front before drilling in the sea. Go, Julie, go! Thanks to National Public Radio (USA) for bringing this story to our attention:

An oil rig now floats offshore in one of Europe’s top winter beach destinations — Spain’s Canary Islands. For the first time, Spain has authorized offshore oil drilling there. It’s hoping to reduce its dependence on foreign oil. But the project has prompted massive protests by local residents and environmental groups like Greenpeace.

Julie Genicot is a French trekking guide who’s lived in Lanzarote, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, ever since her grandparents opened an ecolodge there when she was a child.

“We have all the elements. It’s very windy, we have tides, the sun. It’s a very energetic place,” she says, looking out her windows across sand dunes in a protected natural park, backed by the Atlantic Ocean. “You have earth, the fire — we’re surrounded by volcanoes. And the wind, the sea — it’s very powerful.” Continue reading →