Rather than spending millions building new electrical generating facilities, utilities like FortisBC encourage their customers to use less. That „”less” becomes an inexpensive source of new sellable power.

October is the month to conserve energy dollars and curb your winter expenditures on lighting and heating. FortisBC and a number of area retailers are ready to help reduce your energy bill.

Special events and promotions are ongoing throughout the southern Interior, including a three-week radio contest in the Central and South Okanagan and the Kootenays.

Throughout the month, the FortisBC PowerSense team will also be available to provide advice and answer questions at local community events across the southern Interior.

“October is a great time of year to focus on energy efficiency, making homes more comfortable and saving money,” says Keith Veerman, FortisBC‚s manager of energy efficiency.  “Turning down the heat, insulating and using less hot water can make a big difference in energy consumption.”

“Heating and cooling costs can account for up to half of your energy bill,” adds Veerman.  “As we approach the winter heating
season, it‚s a great time to increase your home‚s energy efficiency and help manage energy costs.”

Since its inception 19 years ago, FortisBC‚s PowerSense program has helped southern Interior customers save more than 300 million kilowatt hours of electricity, enough energy to power more than 24,000 homes each year, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50,000 tonnes each year.

The average family in BC will spend up to $1,700 on their home‚s energy bill this year. Customers can reduce their costs between 10 and 50 percent by using a few energy-saving tips and solutions, as well as making some long-term improvements in their homes.

Simply by adjusting your thermostat, you can save two percent on your heating bill for every 1 degree Centigrade it is lowered. A programmable thermostat allows you to automatically drop the temperature at night or when you are away.

In addition, heat only the rooms you use. Close vents or turn off the heaters in rooms you aren’t using.

Don‚t forget to let the sunshine in. Keeps blinds or drapes of sun-exposed windows open in the daytime to help naturally heat your home and closed at night to conserve heat.

By sealing gaps around doors and windows, the foundation sill, and places where pipes pass through the exterior walls, you can save up to 10 percent on your home’s heating costs.

Keeping your home illuminated eats up between 15 and 20 percent of your monthly energy bill. Replace all incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs that use 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer. You can also receive up to a $5 rebate per bulb from FortisBC PowerSense.

A longer-term investment that will pay energy dividends is the installation of an air source heat pump (ASHP). An ASHP can provide your home with heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Heat pumps use electricity efficiently and can save you up to 40 percent on your heating and cooling costs.

If your home has single-pane windows, it‚s a candidate for new energy efficient ENERGY STARA windows. These new windows will not only save energy, they will improve your home’s comfort level and increase its resale value.

For more energy saving tips, visit www.fortisbc.com.

FortisBC will be holding a number of community events to provide conservation and energy efficiency advice. The FortisBC PowerSense team will set up information booths at a number of Home Hardware stores this month throughout the Central and South Okanagan and the Kootenays. Check with your local store for times or call PowerSense at 1-866-436-7847.

Also this month, Home Hardware stores have special prices on weatherstrip and insulation products. Every time you buy a 2-pack of Blue Planet energy saving bulbs at Canadian Tire, the store will donate $2 toward planting a tree.

When economists begin bandying around the recession word, the best advice is to hunker down in one‚s home and seek shelter from the storm.

But if your own home isn’t up to the task and starts to drain needless money from your wallet, then it’s time to get some power sense.

Don’t forget that a little conservation can make a big difference.

BC Hydro estimates if every home in the province reduced their energy consumption by just 7.6 percent over the four winter months, enough energy could be saved to power 44,500 households.

A 2007 study by McKinsey, an international consulting firm, showed that changes in building design and construction could offset up to 6 billion tons of carbon emissions annually “through measures with a zero or negative net life-cycle cost.”

This constitutes about one-fourth of the abatement required to keep atmospheric carbon emissions below 450 parts per million in 2030.

Earlier this year, the tri-national Commission for Environmental Cooperation reported that promoting the green design, construction, renovation and operation of buildings could cut North American greenhouse gas emissions more deeply, quickly and cheaply than any other available measure.

That knowledge makes Dockside Green on Victoria’s inner harbour a project that should inspire everyone in British Columbia – especially anyone planning to build a home, office building, or other developments.

Dockside Green is generating global buzz as a showplace of sustainable design and technology that will eventually house 2,500 people on a 15-acre former brownfield.

A mixed-use project, the development will feature residential, retail, office and light industrial uses. Windmill Developments and it’s main partner Vancity Credit Union have a goal of creating a greenhouse gas (GHG) neutral community that will have no net emissions from a building energy perspective.

Synergy, the first phase of the Dockside Green development that includes 95 homes in two condo buildings, townhouses, and commercial space, is the highest-ranked platinum LEED project in the world. REPEAT: IN THE WORLD!

A point-based system, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rates buildings according to key environmental attributes such as site impacts, energy and water use, materials and resource conservation, and indoor environmental quality. It is the most recognized certification system for green buildings in North America.

Dockside Green earned 63 of a possible 70 points, achieving the maximum possible number of points in five out of the six categories.

Dockside Green will eventually comprise 26 buildings totalling 1.3 million square feet and will be built over 10 to 12 years. The developers are so committed to their environmental vision that they have agreed to pay a $1 million penalty to the City of Victoria if they fail to meet the LEED platinum rating in any of the additional construction.

By using a holistic, reusable approach to storm water and sewage treatment, Dockside Green is the first large scale development in Canada that will collect, treat and filter storm water while treating 100 percent of sewage onsite.

Dockside Green’s green roofs will recycle water by directing overflow water into rain cisterns on each resident’s balcony, providing water for planters and houseplants. Naturalized creeks and ponds will clean and control storm water flows.

By using water-efficient fixtures such as dual flush toilets, 1.5 gallon per minute showerheads, water efficient taps and high-efficiency dishwashers and washing machines, Dockside Green will reduce the annual use of potable water by 65 percent over traditional developments.

Among the other features of Dockside Green are a car-share program, a biomass gasification system utilizing wood waste to create heat and hot water, low-e double glazing and exterior blinds on the west and south faces of the buildings to keep interior spaces cool. In addition, the buildings are designed to use 45 to 55 percent less energy than the Canadian Model National Energy Code, saving residents money while reducing GHG emissions.

A unique feature of the development is a fresh air system that utilizes a heat recovery ventilator to preheat 100 percent of incoming air saving energy costs while providing fresh air.

Other energy efficiency measures include compact fluorescent lighting, LED lighting in corridors, highly energy efficient appliances, occupancy sensors to ensure lights are used only when needed, and some solar lighting in landscape areas to reduce electrical costs.

In addition, each suite in the development has a meter to measure hot and cold water use, heat, and electrical consumption. Studies have shown that when individuals are given the ability to monitor their own water and energy use, they traditionally use up to 20 percent less than those who aren’t able to do this monitoring. Residents can monitor and adjust their settings on the meter while out of their unit via a computer with a secure website.

Various renewable energy systems will also be used at Dockside Green including solar photovoltaics, solar hot water heating, and wind turbines.

Every building built from today onward will have a long-lasting impact on future generations. To make the world a better place, builders need to make the wisest decisions regarding energy use, building materials, and water consumption.

Dockside Green has set the best example to date.

The Beijing Olympics ended with the host country topping the gold-medal standings with 51 as might be expected from a nation with 1,330,044,605 potential athletes.

As the world‚s largest and most populous country, China also leads in categories far less flattering. Of the 20 most-polluted cities in the world, 16 are in China. About 300 Chinese cities suffer from severe water shortages. A Chinese research institute recently reported that 400,000 premature deaths are caused every year in China by diseases linked to air pollution.

China is the “factory of the world.”  In a global search for the lowest possible prices for goods, the world came knocking on China‚s door and a boom was born, resulting in an economy that has grown by almost 10 percent every year for the past three decades.

In 2007, China consumed 38 percent of the world‚s total coal output. The country is also the biggest importer of logs and tropical wood. Natural resources are shipped to China where they are processed and turned into products exported to the global market. The resulting pollution is left behind in China.

With higher personal incomes, urban Chinese are buying more cars. According to the Traffic Management Bureau (TMB) of the Ministry of Public Security, China saw an increase of 4,084,176 new cars in the first half of 2008, or over 22,000 every day.

The total number of cars in the country has topped 126 million, with 1,300 new cars being added to Beijing‚s streets every day.

China recently surpassed the United States as the world‚s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. It is estimated that the general burning of fossil fuels and the coal consumed by the cement industry together produced 6.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide in 2006.

The United States consumes roughly 20 million barrels of oil per day, almost one quarter of the world‚s daily consumption. China by contrast consumes 6.93 million barrels per day, an amount that is rising rapidly.

China invested more than $40 billion US in the Olympic Games. The host country viewed the athletic event as a chance to show the world its dynamic economic progress. Telecasts of the event garnered record ratings in both China and the United States, with a global television audience of at least 1.2 billion people.

The world saw a beautiful country with spectacular architecture and ultramodern technology. China now has more than 200 million “netizens” and 500 million mobile phone users.

The Olympics will leave a positive, enduring legacy for China, including a more aggressive approach to curbing air pollution and other environmental problems. Smog that shrouded the city early in the Games gave way to mostly clear skies, easing fears that some endurance events might be hazardous for athletes.

Urban legends perpetuated by climate change naysayers suggest China is building either one new coal-fired power plant a week or two a week, or one a month. Whatever the number, 70 percent of China’s electricity is produced at coal-fired plants and the fact they are among the dirtiest energy generators in the world has not gone unnoticed among hundreds of millions of Chinese.

Sandstorms, polluted air, blizzards, flooding, algae blooms, and extreme weather have reached an extent that neither the government nor the public can continue to ignore.

We can boycott Chinese products because we may disagree with the country‚s crackdown on individual and religious freedoms and dissent. We may look with disdain on China‚s communist government that has dominated every moment in the country for the past 59 years.

Or we can help China build on the renewed sense of nationalism that the Olympics engendered. Let‚s rally behind this nation‚s haul of 100 medals and assist its government to become more self-confident and secure. Such support will aid the country in becoming more willing to relax repression and entertain reform on some issues.

China has the world‚s greatest potential to develop renewable energy, including both wind and solar energy. “The China Wind Power Report,” prepared by Greenpeace in November 2007 predicts if the Chinese government gave full policy support to wind power, the country could become one of the top three wind energy markets in the world by 2020.

The climate change group 350.org which is trying to use the number to motivate the world community to strive for a reduction in current atmospheric CO2 levels from 387 to 350 parts per million says many Chinese have grown unhappy with the plunging quality of life caused by out-of-control environmental degradation.

Everyone from students to business leaders understands the need to build cleaner, more creative, higher-tech industries. Many are strategizing how to grow a 350 movement in China and they need our support.

Like numbers, sport can be a universal language in the fight against global warming and social injustice.

For more information on China‚s environment, visit the Greenpeace website http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/about/lowdown-on-china-environment.

In April of last year, Canada’s “new” government released a major study predicting that compliance with the Kyoto Protocol would result in an economic apocalypse.

The Environment Canada analysis revealed the Kyoto greenhouse gas emissions-cutting targets for Canada could only be met by introducing a massive $195-per-tonne carbon tax that would wipe out thousands of jobs and undercut Canadians’ quality of life.

Environment Minister John Baird said every Canadian family and business would have to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by one third starting in eight months. “There is only one way to make that happen - the government would need to manufacture a recession,” Baird told the Senate environment committee.

The only conscientious response to such nonsense is that the study was rigged and Mr. Baird is more than misleading. He is either badly misinformed or lying. (Baird commissioned the study in response to the opposition parties’ passage of Bill C-288 that calls on Canada to ensure it meets its climate change obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.)

Sweden on the other hand has pledged to become fossil fuel free by 2020. In 1970, Sweden got 77% of its energy from oil. By 2003, that figure had fallen to 34% despite a dramatic increase in industrial production. No recession here.

National government timidity in both the United States and Canada has forced cities to take the lead. Their successes fly in the face of both Baird’s comments and the Environment Canada study.

Portland and Multnomah County have reduced per capita GHG emissions by 12.5% since 1990. Their emissions are about the same as they were in 1990, while nationally emissions have increased by about 13%. No economic apocalypse here either.

Portland and the county got there partly by building light rail, enhancing the Portland Streetcar and developing 730 miles of regional bikeways, actions that have resulted in a 75% growth in public transit use since 1990.

The Central Okanagan city of Kelowna is saving more than 3.75 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually through improvements to more than 80 city-owned facilities, resulting in $168,000 energy cost savings per year and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The city also encourages new and retrofitted buildings to take advantage of state-of-the-art energy efficient technology whenever practical.

Since 2005, 527 mayors representing 66 million American city dwellers have accepted the challenge to reduce global warming pollution. The effort is the brainchild of Seattle mayor Greg Nickels who has championed the Seattle Climate Action Plan.

Here is a list of large and small actions that Okanagan, West Kootenay and Boundary cities should consider to reduce greenhouse gas emissions immediately:

1. Encourage shoppers to choose more locally grown food by shopping at local farmers’ markets. A recent World Watch Institute study shows that 17% of global fossil fuel use goes to fertilizing and transporting food.

2. Offer energy efficiency audits to all residents and businesses to encourage weatherization to reduce heating bills. Austin, Texas’ city-owned utility was able to cancel construction of a 550-MW coal-fired power plant as a result of its green building program that also retrofitted schools and installed insulation and shade screens to reduce sunlight in low-income housing.

3. Change local building bylaws so that all new construction utilizes the latest energy efficiency and alternative energy technology. In Melbourne, Australia, the new Council House has reduced CO2 emissions by 87%, electricity consumption by 82%, gas by 87% and water by 72%.

4. Convert all traffic lights to energy efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs) from regular bulbs. Kelowna has achieved a 90% savings in electricity use by replacing signal lights at all intersections with light emitting diodes. It is also using solar powered pedestrian signals. Salt Lake City, Utah will save 454 tonnes of CO2 pollution annually and save $53,000 through its conversion program.

5. Give incentives to citizens to turn in their gas-powered lawnmowers for push or electric-powered models. According to one estimate, gas mowers cause as much as 5% of U.S. air pollution. A typical gas-powered mower emits 36 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year and produces as much pollution in one hour as driving a car 225 kilometres. Seattle Public Utilities this year offered a $25 rebate toward a push or electric mower for residents turning in their gas mower.

6. Introduce a solar ordinance making it compulsory to use solar energy to supply as much hot water as possible in all new (both private and public) buildings, renovated buildings, or buildings changing their use. Barcelona, Spain became the first European city to have a solar ordinance in 2000 and by 2004 had resulted in energy savings of 15.675 megawatts per year and reduced CO2 emissions of 2.756 tonnes per year. More than 35 other Spanish city councils have followed Barcelona’s lead and introduced legislation on solar thermal energy. Barcelona won the ManagEnergy Local Energy Action Award for their commitment to sustainable energy solutions from the European Commission in 2007.

7. Ban the incandescent light bulb in your community well ahead of the federal government’s 2012 ban. Kelowna’s Best Western spent $100,000 replacing the hotel’s interior and exterior incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents and recovered their expense in less than three years through reduced energy costs. Furnishings retailer Ikea has just announced it will give all of its 9,600 employees in the U.K. a six-pack of compact fluorescent light bulbs as part of its goal to green its workforce.

Canada’s “new” federal government has offered no innovative ideas through its recently released green plan. In fact, it is being sued by the environmental group Friends of the Earth that alleges in a lawsuit that by failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently, the government is violating Canadian law.

Canadian municipalities should look elsewhere for role models and fresh ideas.

RESOURCES - Case studies of worldwide successes in reducing greenhouse gases in cities can be found on the C40 Climate Summit web site.

Resources for local governments can be found on this Seattle Climate Action Plan web page.

A one-day conference entitled Implementing Sustainable Cities: Planning for Climate Change will be held in London, England on July 4.

A workshop hosted by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas from July 10 to 13 will share strategies on realizing economic benefits through climate protection actions. It is entitled Saving Energy & Saving Money: The Economic Benefits of Local Climate Action.

The ICLEI has launched a software tool to support local greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions reduction planning. HEAT - the Harmonized Emissions Analysis Tool was developed to provide capacity to local governments who seek to reduce GHG emissions based on sound governance, economic development, improved waste management, energy efficiency, better urban mobility, and better air quality.

Michael Jessen is a BC based environmental writer and consultant. He can be reached by telephone at 250-229-5632 or by e-mail at zerowaste@shaw.ca.

Not content to stand by and force future generations to deal with the problem, Gordon Campbell’s government took a bold step, introducing the North American continent’s first revenue-neutral carbon tax.

Yes, buying any type of fossil fuel after July 1 will cost you more. Yes, no one likes to pay more for anything. But axe the tax?

Taxes are the most effective and efficient way to signal to firms and households the impacts and risks of their current energy use.

And don’t forget that as you pay more for fossil fuels, you’ll pay less in income and corporate taxes. Remember that revenue-neutral description?

The carbon tax is a tax shift – raising taxes on fossil fuels (which are a bad since their production and use cause the planet to warm) while lowering the taxes on a good (employment and business activity).

Our use of energy is excessive; the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found Canada is among the three worst countries on nine indicators (per capita greenhouse gas emissions, sulphur dioxide emissions, carbon monoxide emissions, volatile organic compound emissions, water consumption, energy consumption, energy efficiency, volume of trees logged and generation of nuclear waste).

A carbon tax is the only incentive that directly affects every economic decision we make. The objective is to help each of us make choices that contribute less to global warming.

Have we forgotten that 11 of the last 12 years were among the warmest since 1850? Have we forgotten the wildfires of 2003 that devastated Kelowna and other communities? Have we forgotten that over the last century, BC has lost up to 50 percent of its snow packs, and glaciers have melted away? Have we forgotten that warm winters have created the mountain pine beetle epidemic?

The good news is that BC’s government has made $160 million available to help use reduce our energy use and GHG emissions.

Let’s recap the largesse:

o    $60 million over three years to the LiveSmart BC: Efficiency Incentive Program to help British Columbians in all parts of BC to reduce their carbon footprint and energy costs through upgrades to 40,000 homes and businesses.
o    $23 million per year of Provincial Sales Tax (PST) exemptions for energy conservation equipment.
o    $20 million for clean energy projects and energy efficiency programs in remote communities to reduce environmental impacts and energy costs, support regional economic development and develop innovative energy solutions.
o     $5 million to expand the use of solar energy systems throughout B.C.
o    $2 million to support industry training, super-efficient gas water heaters and a provincewide energy conservation potential study and implementation plan.
o    $1 million to construct energy self-sufficient homes using renewable and waste energy sources.
o    $500,000 to extend the Community Action on Energy and Emissions program to more communities and First Nations to help them set and achieve efficiency targets.
o    $75 million in capital funding, to retrofit existing provincial public sector buildings.

So it’s up to you. Choose to save energy and reduce GHG emissions or gripe each time you fill up.

If you have a computer, go to www.gov.bc.ca and click on Climate Action Plan and BC’s Carbon Tax.

You’ll learn how you can be part of the solution.

Though the nights are getting longer and the angle of the sun is shading south, you should still be concerned about getting sun-sational – and limit your exposure to the Earth’s brightest star.

The warm feeling of sunshine on skin for a few minutes every day is a good thing. It helps the skin make Vitamin D that is essential for the assimilation of calcium and other minerals.

For that hour or two of serious beach tanning, well isn’t that what sunscreens are for?

Ah, there’s the rub. Not all sunscreens are created equal. In fact, according to the Environmental Working Group, some sunscreens do virtually nothing to prevent premature skin aging, skin cancer, and other skin problems.

EWG conducted an investigation of 832 name-brand sunscreens and found evidence that 84% of the products on the market are either unsafe or ineffective.

Their study concluded that one in every eight high-SPF sunscreens do not offer protection from UVA radiation, a form of ultraviolet sunlight that is just as harmful as the ultraviolet B (UVB) rays that most current sunscreens protect against.

It also identified 134 products that offer very good sun protection with ingredients that present minimal health risks to users.

SPF, or Sun Protection Factor, is a measurement of how well a sunscreen will protect skin from UVB rays, the kind of radiation that causes sunburn. If your skin would normally burn after 10 minutes in the sun, for example, wearing an SPF 15 sunscreen would theoretically allow you to stay in the sun for 150 minutes (10 x 15) without burning.

However, the SPF rating can be confusing and misleading at times since the scale is not linear. SPF 50 does not prevent burns two-thirds times longer than a SPF 30, and in fact blocks only about 1.3% more UVB radiation than the SPF 30.

More importantly, the SPF rating tells you nothing about the sunscreen’s ability to protect against the also harmful UVA radiation.
Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which in 1999 set the standards for formulating, testing and labelling of sunscreen products that protect against UVB rays, is proposing a new regulation for products offering UVA protection.

The FDA’s August 23rd announcement was labelled long overdue by the EWG.

“The proposed sunscreen safety regulations by the FDA are a positive step forward, but we’ve been here before and seen FDA cave in to industry objections,” said Jane Houlihan, vice-president for research at EWG.

“FDA first pledged to implement federal safety sunscreen regulations over 28 years ago and to date nothing has been finalized,” she added. “We hope this time FDA moves much faster so the public can have confidence in the claims that they see on sunscreen product labels.”

Under the proposed regulation, a scale of one to four stars will provide a rating system for UVA protection. One star will represent low UVA protection, two stars medium protection, three stars high protection, and four stars the highest available protection.

In addition, sunscreens that offer no UVA protection will have to be labelled such on the container near the SPF value.

The FDA is also proposing a warning statement be added to all sunscreen products. The warning will say: “UV exposure from the sun increases the risk of skin cancer, premature skin aging, and other skin damage. It is important to decrease UV exposure by limiting time in the sun, wearing protective clothing, and using a sunscreen.”

The warning is intended to increase awareness that sunscreens are only one part of a sun protection program.

Since the FDA is accepting public comment on the new rule until November 26, 2007, the EWG is urging everyone to tell the FDA to finalize and implement its proposed standards ASAP.

Your comment must be identified with Docket No. 1978N-0038 and can be submitted electronically at www.fda.gov/dockets/ecomments.

Think of it as a way of making your moments in the sun more healthy and safe.

Michael Jessen is a Nelson eco-writer and can be reached by phone at 250 229-5632.

Increasingly, citizens in villages, towns, and cities want their spaces to be green, smart, sustainable, or liveable – pick the adjective you like best. In a nutshell, they want their locale to improve their state of being.

As more of the world’s population moves to urban centres, residents are asking themselves how is my community prepared to take care of me and my neighbours now and far into the future.

To answer that question involves ranking your community on a number of different criteria, most of which impact its carbon footprint.

A vision of a sustainable city emphasizes mixed-use zoning, pedestrian-, bicycle -, and transit-friendly streets, renewable energy sources, locally grown food, affordable housing, clean air, drinkable water, and green buildings.

But liveability in our communities begins with how we move around in them.

According to James Elsen, the founder and CEO of Sustainlane.com, the biggest barrier to liveability in cities is on four wheels.

“When you add up all the numbers, sustainability comes down to the transportation sector,” says Elsen. “It’s the darn car thing.”

During the week from June 1 to 7, citizens across Canada have a chance to reassess their relationship with the automobile. That’s the week of the Commuter Challenge – a time to rethink how we get to work and how we can reduce our carbon output while making the daily trek to our place of employment or school.
Commuter Challenge is a national program that encourages Canadians to walk, cycle, take transit, inline skate, carpool or telework instead of driving to work alone. The challenge supports workplaces as they encourage their employees to leave their cars at home for their personal health, the health of their communities and the health of the environment.

All you have to do is register your workplace at commuterchallenge.ca. It’s an official part of Environment Week in Canada and celebrates Clean Air Day on June 4.

Businesses, local governments, community organizations, and schools are invited to participate and challenge one another for the right to be the greenest commuting organization in their region.

Taking the car – especially if we drive alone – creates copious amounts of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

Burning a single gallon of gasoline produces 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, which contains five pounds of pure carbon. It is, says environmental writer John Ryan, “like tossing a five-pound bag of charcoal briquettes out the window every 20 miles or so.”

In assessing your community’s liveability, one of the first questions to ask is what transit options do you have and how convenient are they. A bus system that doesn’t run late in the evening, on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, or frequently enough during rush hour is not really that convenient.

“Leadership in affordable and convenient public transport will pay dividends for a city, having positive impacts on childhood asthma rates, traffic congestion and associated stress, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gases,” says Elsen.

The average car produces between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds of climate-changing, globe-warming carbon dioxide every year. For every mile you travel, public transport uses around half the fuel of a private car.
Transit operations require multi-year, even multi-generational, funding investments and that means strong political leadership is required to push for the needed upgrades.

Transportation and land use are inextricably related. To encourage people to use a public transit system, we need to adopt land-use policies that reduce our needs for transportation and let us meet those needs in more energy-efficient ways.

Innovative leadership is needed to achieve improved public transport. Frieburg, Germany made its medieval town centre more pedestrian-friendly, developed a lattice-work of bike paths, and instituted a flat rate for travel on tramways and buses.

The German city has a car-ownership rate of 430 per 1,000 inhabitants, well below the United States average of 640 per 1,000 residents.

So give your car a rest during Commuter Challenge week. Find out about carpooling or ridesharing, ride a bicycle, take a bus, or just walk.

By reducing your commuting kilometres, you’ll help to reduce health care costs for Canadians – it is estimated that transportation-related emissions will cost the health care system $11 to $38 billion between 1997 and 2020.

Did you know that it takes 130 trees to produce the amount of oxygen needed to combat the carbon dioxide emitted from one car each year?

June 1 to 7 is not only a week to take the commuter challenge, but one in which to engage community leaders in discussions on how to improve transportation options in your community.
Remember to talk your walk

Typical electric clothes washers and dryers generate 2.27 kilograms of CO2 per washer/dryer cycle.

By developing energy efficient laundry skills, you‚ll not only save money but also reduce your global warming greenhouse gas emissions.

A typical Canadian household does 6.3 loads of laundry a week, using 810 litres of water. This converts to more than 327 loads of laundry and 42,000 litres of water a year.

There are lots of ways to get clean clothes, save money and energy as well as make the planet happy.

It all begins with your washer. Front loading washers use about 40 percent less water and 50 percent less energy than top loaders. Front-loading washers clean better and are gentler on your clothes.

If you’re in the market for a new washer, be sure to buy an Energy Star labelled washer. It will use 35 to 50 percent less water and up to two-thirds less energy than conventional washers. The average family can save up to $100 each year in costs by switching to an Energy Star labeled clothes washer compared to a 1994 model.

Next comes the water - keep it cold. Between 85 and 90 percent of the energy used to wash your clothes is used to heat the water. Use cold water and you‚re a big winner to the tune of another $100 annually and 130 kilograms of prevented greenhouse gas emissions.

Converting to cold water washing for one year will save an amount of energy equivalent to approximately 190 litres of automobile gasoline. This is equal to driving 1,610 kilometres in an average car.

If all the households in Canada switched to cold in their washing machines, about 1.5 billion kilograms of CO2 emissions would be saved. If all British Columbians switched to cold water washing for a year, BC Hydro says we would save enough electricity to power BC Place for over seven years.

Most of the laundry products in mainstream stores contain artificial dyes, clingy perfumes and petroleum-based chemicals, some of which are carcinogenic or hormone disruptors. Look instead for non-toxic, cruelty-and chemical-free products.

Ecover and Seventh Generation are international companies that make a variety of ecological laundry cleaners. Quebec‚s Biovert and Toronto-made Nature Clean are good Canadian choices for your clothes washing needs.

High-efficiency washers also reduce the energy required for drying clothes. After completing the rinse cycle, these washers spin the clothes faster than conventional machines, lowering the moisture content of the clothes.

This makes it possible to eliminate the need for a dryer altogether. In winter, just use a sturdy drying rack in your house and in summer hang your clothes outside.

If you must have a dryer, be aware that up to one-third of your household‚s energy usage could be used tossing your clothes around in hot air. A new Energy Star model will save you about 300 kilowatts a year in energy over 1984 models.

After you’ve switched the dial on your washer from hot to cold water, these additional suggestions will save you more money on your laundry energy and CO2 bill:

Don’t wash clothes until they‚re actually dirty. Hang them up after each wearing to let them air naturally.
Only wash a full load of clothes.
Don’t set the dryer for maximum time and leave it running. Set the timer for a shorter cycle and check midway. When towels are partially dry, remove them and let them hang to dry.
An electric iron uses a lot of energy. Take clothes out of the dryer promptly and fold or hang them to prevent wrinkling and avoid ironing.

By following these simple laundry tips you won‚t be in hot water and hung out to dry when you get your electricity bill. Best of all, your dollar savings are good for the planet.

Who would have thought that how you do your laundry could be so rewarding?

1 - Replace an old fridge (at least 10 years old) with an ENERGY STAR fridge. CO2 reduction: 1,045 kilograms a year.

2 - Replace old clothes washer (at least 10 yrs old) with a new ENERGY STAR clothes washer. CO2 reduction: 386 kilograms a year.

3 - Line dry clothes in summer. CO2 reduction: 355 kilograms a year. Line dry clothes all year (using indoor clothes drying rack with the added benefit of additional humidity in the winter.) CO2 reduction: 636 kilograms a year.

4 - Cut standby electric loads in half. (Vampire loads account for 6% of electric usage in the US). CO2 reduction: 136 kilograms a year.

5 - Turn off home office equipment when not in use. CO2 reduction: 64 kilograms a year.

6 - Run your dishwasher only with a full load. Use the energy-saving setting to dry dishes. Don’t use heat when drying. CO2 reduction: 91 kilograms a year.

7 - Don’t overheat or overcool rooms. Adjust your thermostat (lower in winter, higher in summer) CO2 reduction (for each 2-degree adjustment): 227 kilograms a year.

8 - Install programmable thermostat to automatically adjust temperatures. CO2 reduction: 273 kilograms a year.

9 - Caulk and weatherstrip around doors and windows to plug air leaks. CO2 reduction: Up to 614 kilograms a year.

10 - Buy energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs for your most-used lights. CO2 reduction (by replacing one frequently used bulb): about 45 kilograms a year.

11 - Turn off unneeded lights. CO2 reduction: 173 kilograms a year.

12 - Turn down your water heater thermostat; 130 degrees to kill bacteria if you have a dishwasher, otherwise 120 degrees usually hot enough. CO2 reduction (for each 10 degree adjustment): 227 kilograms a year.

13 - Install low-flow showerheads to use less hot water. CO2 reduction: Up to 136 kilograms a year.

14 - Whenever possible walk, bike, carpool or use mass transit. CO2 reduction (for every gallon of gasoline you save): 9 kilograms.

15 - When you buy a car, choose one that gets good gas mileage. CO2 reduction (if your new car gets 10 mpg more than your old one): about 4,545 kilograms a year.

16 - Add solar hot water heating system. CO2 reduction: 682 kilograms a year.

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