The birthday candle

This photo was taken of the oil refinery across the water from my family home in Deep Cove, BC. Growing up, we used to call the flame which burns from a pipe at the refinery the “birthday candle” and would attribute its burning to whoever's birthday was most recent. However, as I grew up and began to understand how industrial processing and manufacturing is impacting our environment, my attitude towards the flame that burns from the refinery changed. I now feel concerned about the mass amounts of emissions that are being produced and the proximity of the refinery to vulnerable coastal ecosystems. The spill response boat that sits in the nearby vicinity is a constant reminder of the potential detrimental effects that the production and transportation of oil could have on local waters.