The story of Salish Elements began when one man gifted a bundle of tobacco to another. Rueben George and Omar Kassem first met at a gathering designed to provide Indigenous communities with the support of technology and business activists.

Kassem is an energy industry engineer, working towards safely deploying hydrogen into British Columbia’s utility infrastructure. George is a globally recognized environmentalist and best-selling co-author of “It Stops Here,” the story of the spiritual, cultural and political resurgence of an Indigenous nation taking action to reclaim their lands, waters, and food systems in the face of colonization.

The gift of tobacco from Kassem to George led to discussions of how a green hydrogen energy business could provide an alternative to oil as well as share an economic opportunity with other Indigenous communities and First Nations in Canada.

The idea of producing green hydrogen across B.C. with other Indigenous communities has become the story of Salish Elements, which Omar and Rueben shared on a recent episode of  The Sustainable Finance Podcast.

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