Alex Campbell was elected Premier of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island in the general election of 1966.

Under the umbrella of its 1969 "Comprehensive Development Plan," the Campbell government sought to transform many aspects of Prince Edward Island's economy and infrastructure. It did this, however, with a rather traditional view of the energy needs of the province.

That all changed with the energy crisis of 1973. In one season oil prices quadrupled, and the Island's economy, more dependent on oil than most, suddenly seemed very vulnerable.

Campbell's government did an unusual thing in reaction: rather than calling for subsidy or other rescue, it embraced a broader ecological view, suggesting that the Island's exposure to oil prices was not simply a short-term problem.

The clearest expression of this new attitude toward energy came with the establishment of a new Institute of Man and Resources, an independent body, funded by the provincial and the federal governments, with a mandate to explore renewal energy and sustainable design.

To learn more about the Institute, and the lessons we might learn from the last time Prince Edward Island was forced to confront its energy future, I sat down with Andy Wells, now retired, at his home in Hazel Grove.