Summer Activities ARE Coming, and Energy Workers Are Helping Bring Them to You

April 13, 2020

With the Easter weekend past us on the calendar – and even with substantial snowfall still hampering the ‘feeling’ of spring – Alaskans are beginning to think about summer outdoor activities.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic still limits the ability to officially calendar vacations, celebrations and major life events, the planning for those continues from our ‘socially-distanced’ couches and home offices.

In the spirit of summer, let’s remember all of these items that help Alaskans enjoy The Great Land are brought to you by America’s energy workers, as all contain mined materials and/or petroleum-based products:

Boating, whether powered by humans or via combustible engines, plus the oars, personal protection devices, base layers, dry bags, GPS systems, trailers and most of the gear all are extraction-based.

Planning to fish?  Aside from the vehicle to get you to your favorite body of water, you’ll need rods (most made of graphite composite), reels, waders, boots, gear, even fishing line.  All of those require energy and responsible extractive techniques to help produce.

Camping?  Some ‘glampers’ will tell you the diesel-powered RV is crucial, while others prefer the rainproof tent.  Sleeping bags, stoves, mosquito coils, and water jugs all are made from petro- or mining-based materials.

Picnics wouldn’t be complete without coolers, camp chairs, fire rings and perhaps even cornhole games.  Hiking and climbing requite boots and rope with extractive-based components.  Even kiddy pools, bubbles, whistles, floaties and backyard volleyball/badminton kits are available because of energy workers’ efforts.

It may not look like spring quite yet, Alaska, but our summers will be here before you know it.  While we wait for ‘permission’ to engage in those in a post-COVID world, let’s thank the energy and resource workers for what is bound to be an epic Alaskan summer!