Can clean energy be scaled up to the global level, so as to deal with the global challenge of climate change? Can it compete – in business terms – with oil, gas, and coal? There are lots of clean energy projects on Salt Spring Island, ranging from the solar panels on the Gulf Islands Secondary School to the electric-car charging unit in the ArtSpring parking lot. But what about the bigger picture?

On Saturday, May 30th at 7:30 p.m. Ross Beaty joins the Salt Spring Forum to discuss Clean Energy: From Alternative to Mainstream.

Ross Beaty is a geologist and resource company entrepreneur with over 41 years of experience in the international minerals and renewable energy industries. He founded and chairs Alterra Power Corp., a clean energy company with geothermal, solar, hydro and wind power operations in British Columbia, Ontario and Iceland. Alterra operates five power plants, including British Columbia’s largest run-of-river hydro facility and largest wind farm, and two geothermal facilities in Iceland.

In addition to Alterra, Ross Beaty also founded and currently serves as Chairman of Pan American Silver Corp., one of the world’s leading silver producers, and since 1985 has successfully founded and divested a number of other public mineral resource companies.

He is a director of The Nature Trust of B.C. and the Pacific Salmon Foundation, president of the Sitka Foundation, and patron of the Beaty Biodiversity Center at UBC. He is an avid sailor who will be using wind energy to travel from Vancouver to Ganges for this Salt Spring Forum event.

Tickets available at ArtSpring (537-2012 or http://www.tickets.artspring.ca) or at Salt Spring Books. $15 Forum Members; $20 General Public. The event takes place on May 30th at 7:30 p.m. at ArtSpring.