Oil firm pitching in to help polar bears with day at the beach

By Patrick McNamee
Special Correspondent
Article Launched: 07/11/2008 01:00:00 AM EDT

WESTPORT - A Westport-based oil company is joining forces with a conservation group to save the polar bear and curb global warming.

The alliance, led by home heating oil provider Gault Inc., is hosting Polar Bear Empathy Day from 1 to 3 p.m. tomorrow at the town's Compo Beach. Visitors are encouraged to wear their winter jackets to understand the polar bears' plight.

Oil company President Sam Gault joined with Polar Bears International to raise awareness of the now threatened animal.

"Myself and some employees heard a story about a young girl who asked her parents to turn the thermostat down 1 degree to help preserve the polar bears' habitat, and it really struck a chord with everyone," said Gault, a Westport resident. "Once we saw they made the (threatened) list, we knew we wanted to get involved and started the day."

Polar bears were placed on the threatened list on May 15, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It estimates there are 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears worldwide.

Empathy Day is intended to raise awareness of what polar bears are going through because of temperature increases connected with global warming, Gault said.

In addition to visitors wearing jackets that will be donated to charity, there will be an ice sculptor on hand to create a polar bear and "chalk talk" educational sessions for kids. Polar Pete, the event mascot, also will be there.

Polar Bears International, which has scientists that look for conservation solutions

through research and education, was impressed with Gault Inc.'s stance on the subject.

"They're concerned not only for the community, but for the world," group President Robert Buchanan said. "We're looking to inspire, inform and empower people to make a difference and show individuals that they can make a difference by changing some basic things they do every day."

Buchanan, a resident of Soldotna, Alaska, said that what's going on in the Arctic is far more dramatic than anyone knows. Ice the size of California has already melted, even though it is not yet the melting season, he said.

Local officials said hosting the event was an easy decision.

"If you wait for someone else to begin, it's never going to happen," said Stuart McCarthy, director of Westport's Parks and Recreation Department. "We've already tackled issues like recycling and public spacing, which weren't easy, but we're going to take on the challenges."

The sessions with kids will focus on energy conservation, something Gault said he and his company are taking a greater interest in.

"What it comes down to is, less is more, if we can educate and have homeowners use less oil and electricity, it will be good for them and bring loyalty back to the company," he said. "We want to show how potentially efficient people can be from their windows to appliances and lack of insulation, we want to help with anything that relates to energy."

- Special Correspondent Patrick McNamee can be reached at patrick.mcnamee@scni.com or at 750-5345.