The Green Room

My son put my car out of its misery years ago and we decided not to replace it. We walk, cycle and bus as much as we can. Instead of spending the money we would have poured into that car on fuel, repairs and insurance, we have been investing the calculated equivalent each month. Boy, has it grown!

Tell us how your green actions are saving you money, improving your health (eg less car rides = more physical activity) and generally making your life better. We might use your story in the next issue of David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge newsletter.

/Gail

Lynn Keating from Calgary, AB writes:

For several years now, we have filled up our hybrid vehicles with fuel that contains ethanol, thinking this was the environmentally correct action.  However, lately I have been reading articles indicating this may not be so. What is your position on this controversial topic?

Ryan Kadowaki, Climate Change Administrator for the David Suzuki Foundation responds:

While our organization has not been directly involved with the biofuels issue, I would say that we foresee a niche market for these fuels. The large-scale use of biofuels, though, is problematic.

Biofuels are not capable of replacing oil entirely, and there is the very real concern about using farmland to supply fuel for vehicles rather than growing food for human consumption. For biodiesel, we absolutely support its production when the fuel source is recycled cooking fat (i.e. deep fryer grease), as this constitutes reusing a "waste" product (though of course there would be other potential uses for it).

For ethanol, we do favour lignocellulosic ethanol (made from straw, corn husks, forest residue, etc.) because it does not require arable land to produce and it also has a much higher net energy (although this may have negative consequences for soil nutrient levels). In terms of the net-carbon benefits of using corn-based ethanol, there is still considerable debate on this issue, but as of yet, the modest to non-existent greenhouse gas benefits do not appear to outweigh the issue of arable land use.

Additional insight on this issue can be found in a Science Matters article by Dr. Suzuki on September 14, 2007, "Biofuels not necessarily all that green" .

Jackson from Vancouver Island writes:

I’ve just taken David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge — a smart, easy guide to green living and a great way to help the planet.

We can all do this together, but I need your help by asking your MPs to allow slower-moving electric vehicles the use of highways just like gas-guzzling vehicles. I have just found a good vehicle supplier of electric trucks, mini vans, and freight vans (that don’t look like gulf carts) in the US.

The only emission from this vehicle would be hydrogen in its gaseous state. I’m presently in the process of purchasing one of their vehicles to run around the Island here. It will be equipped with solar panels so that it has a continuous charge and later I may even incorporate a windmill for perpetual motion ability.

Check them out — you may even want one of these to run around your village or to check out the trap line (they’re four wheel drive). The company is also looking for a Canadian distributor and dealers. I am considering the idea of becoming a distributor. Interested? As a dealer you would get 25% commission.

Ian Graham fed his van 100% vegetable oil this summer when he embarked on the more than 2,000 km road trip from Kitchener, Ontario to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He blogged his adventures, for which he only used solar power to charge his camping gear, iPod and to re-power the battery that runs the pump he uses to collect and filter the waste vegetable oil, at vegvan.ca .

His latest thrills have been looking into supplementing the vegetable oil with a small hydrogen cell for the van, and bringing with him a solar oven. Thanks for the inspiration Ian!

Sarah from Saskatchewan writes:

I don’t have a lot of money to make big upgrades for energy saving features, but I try and do little things. I still drive my car for errands, but instead of just hopping in and going whenever I feel like it, I plan my trips and routes to be more efficient and delay trips until I can carpool with someone else.

To save money, I ride my bike to work in the summer. In the winter, I ride the bus and actually enjoy it as I can read a book on the way home and relax. I unplug electronics when I’m not at home, and I turn off lights and electronics when I’m not using them. I am consciencious of how long I stay in the shower, and I don’t water my lawn (and it’s still green!). I get a good workout using a manual mower (and save money on gas) and pulling weeds by hand (no pesticides!). And I feel better for spending time outside.

I did spend money on a programmable thermostat, and that was well spent, as I have saved a lot on energy since. Throwing an extra blanket on the bed and turning down the heat by one more degree at night can make a big difference. I don’t hold the fridge open, I vacuum the coils regularly, and I use my own muscles to mix dough rather than running an electric mixer. I’m proud to say that I’ve made a difference doing the little things, and I hope I can encourage others to do the same and show them that they don’t have to spend money to go green.

Craig and Layla Baird from Rossland, BC are on a mission to reduce their carbon footprint and aid the Earth along the road to recovery. The husband and wife team launched an initiative this spring to do something green every single day for a year. After organizing a successful Earth Day Celebration in Trail, BC, they decided to go big and live green for a year until April 22, 2009 — and every day after that.

From building a solar cooker and limiting showers to five minutes, to only drying clothes outside, switching to a manual lawnmower and bringing reusable containers for take-out food, the Baird’s have been blogging their inspiring adventures to help spread their message, garnering press along the way.

Devoted to raising awareness about the environment and all the things people can do to change how they live and affect the environment, Craig and Layla are open to ideas for living greener. It’s an important change and we applaud you! Keep up the great work!

Todd Windley of Prince George BC wrote regarding The Green Spa issue of our newsletter:

I found this useless as I am a guy. Guys need a green car to get to work in the north though. One that will go up hill through some snow. Do you have any suggestions? Could you possibley do an EV shootout to see who has a practical green vehicle for the north and help solve a larger problem than cosmetic stuff?

Lindsay Coulter writes back:

Here’s a link with some general tips and suggestions:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/NatureChallenge/What_is_it/Transportation/

As a non-profit environmental organization, we cannot recommend brands. We don’t endorse any one make, model or technology…instead we try to workon policy to build sustainable communities, reduce emissions and improve alternative transportation options. Those who need some kind of vehicle, you can read about our position below here:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/Solutions/Transportation.asp

Here are some links specific to “green cars” that might interest you:
http://www.greenerchoices.org/pcategories.cfm?pcat=autos
http://www.treehugger.com/cars_transportation/

Any suggestions to help Todd on his quest for a snow-going green vehicle? Guys (and gals) - what other things would you like to read about in David Suzuki’s Nature Challenge newsletter?

“Five years ago, I ‘lucked’ into a job with my local transit system - one of the benefits is an employee pass, with one for a family member… I sold the car!… when my partner and I went looking to buy a house that meets both our criteria, while he wants "potential", I want accessibility to transit! So now we live on a "busy"… street, with huge development potential lot, on a bus route that provides 12 minute service when I want to get to work and when I want to get home.

Do your research before you move… don’t think that just because there is a bus stop that you will get the service level you’re used to. Most big developments that are selling houses today never even considered having transit as an option and don’t have access for buses. So if it is important to you… ask about it - don’t assume ‘they built it and the bus will come’.”

- Karen Kennedy, Victoria BC -

Access to public transportation is a kind of chicken and egg situation – transit systems want evidence of demand before investing in equipment and passengers complain about lack of service. Caught in the middle are the thousands of people who haven’t even tried to ride. Fredericton offered a free transit day – essentially a taste test of their product. Thanks for raising this issue, Karen! /Gail