The Institute of Man and Resources: An Environmental Fable

At the height of the oil crisis of the 1970s, Canada's smallest province made a bold attempt to counter escalating energy costs. In 1975, facing the highest oil prices in the country, the government of Alex B. Campbell created the Institute of Man and Resources. With a mandate to research, develop, and demonstrate systems for alternative energy and resource self-sufficiency, the IMR turned Prince Edward Island into a veritable laboratory for renewable energy. Most often associated with the Ark "bioshelter" experiment in sustainable living, the Institute of Man and Resources attracted an eclectic mix of engineers and scientists, back-to-the-landers, and concerned citizens. It garnered considerable attention internationally as well as here in Canada, yet within a decade the Institute was gone. Why did the IMR collapse? And how did it stimulate so much excitement in the first place? This timely history chronicles one of Canada's most promising environmental initiatives, contributing at the same time to the broader debate over global warming and the repercussions of fossil-fuel use.