Oil Spill Animation from Living Oceans

When Geoff Gilliard, Communications Manager at Living Oceans, heard about YouTube at that training session in May, he had no idea how it would change the lives of orcas and his organization.

But when a barge spilled its contents into the Michael Bigg Ecological Reserve at Robson Bight in a little-publicized accident, it seemed that it was time to test the waters of his new-found knowledge.

Living Oceans soon discovered that a truck carrying diesel fuel had been part of the barge’s cargo and that the spill happened 886 metres inside the reserve boundary. This, despite assurances from officials that the accident had no adverse effects.

Living Oceans is a non-profit research and public education organization that promotes the need for a healthy ocean and healthy communities on Canada’s Pacific Coast. They knew that two family groups of orcas were nearby in Robson Bight when the incident happened. And they knew it was time to act.

They got some footage of the wreck which Geoff quickly edited and posted on YouTube — the organization’s first such endeavor. The results were amazing: the media picked up the story and ran with it, raising awareness for the issue that had previously been swept under the rug.

Since then, Living Oceans has been diving into the multimedia that brought so much recognition to the cause. Go to their site now and you’ll see an interactive oil spill animation illustrating the potential impact of an oil spill on British Columbia’s coastal ecosystem and communities. There are photos from Google Earth outlining the extent of the damage, more video and audio of the orca whale families threatened by the spill as well as CBC News coverage.

And the results?
With over 1,600 views of the Robson Bight barge spill video grabbing all sorts of attention, they’ve raised $33,000 in donations out of the target $35,000 for an independent underwater exploration of the area. They’re partnering with Greenpeace to get down there with an underwater camera in October to discover the status of the fuel tank and figure out if further action is warranted. Fuel is still being reported washing up in Robson Bight.

And Geoff? He realized he didn’t have to be a tech guru to take advantage of the technology opportunities already out there. He only had to innovate his own thought and business process to incorporate these tools into what he does every day: bringing awareness to his cause.

View the video that started it all:

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