The Wiebo Ludwig affair brought to the forefront the often explosive relationship between the oil and gas industry and the ranchers and farmers who live under the shadow of its rigs. But behind the headlines, an unreported sea-change is taking place in the long history of these very different players. Canada's petroleum industry is in the middle of a massive paradigm shift. The old focus of drill fast, pump profits, leave quick is long gone. New executives and directors are bringing a mentality of corporate and social responsibility to the industry that pays attention to a triple bottom line: environmental, social, and economic. A Patch of Green examines the forces that have come to bear to bring about this change. From the viewpoints of environmentalists, landowners, drill workers and corporate executives, veteran journalist Sydney Sharpe reveals an industry wrestling with the excesses of its past and learning to profit from a new economic future.

Sydney Sharpe is a journalist, anthropologist, and author or co-author of eight books, including The Gilded Ghetto: Women and Political Power in Canada. She was a senior columnist for the Calgary Herald and Calgary Bureau Chief for the Financial Post, and has written for numerous magazines and newspapers and anthologies. She lives in Calgary.

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