The Green Room

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!

Anna Maike from Ladysmith, Vancouver Island shares her strategy for a "green" getaway:

This summer I took myself, my three kids, and a babysitter to the Island’s Folk Festival and camped in a Toyota Yaris. We strapped foamies and a tent on the roof, and everything else fit in the car. We sat on our pillows with the kids’ backpacks at their feet. We didn’t pack food since we were fed as performers. Comfortably compact, I was so proud when I left my co-workers to climb into their giant trucks with the 3-bedroom "camping" rancher towing. I only spent about four bucks on gas and had plenty to spend on vendor food.

Gail Mills from Golden Lake, Ontario writes:

Our local paper is the Eganville Leader and when I read something that really bothers me, I tend to react by writing letters to the editor. Earlier this summer, there was a letter that talked again about global warming being a bandwagon that the Liberals recently jumped on and that scientists are paid by the government to sway the "simple-minded!" What a load! So I responded and my letter was published on August 6, which I wanted to share:

In response to Wed July 29, 2008 "Get Down from Global Ivory Tower"

It amazes me that there still are those who question the impact of the activities of human beings on our planet. Whether you want to believe that global warming is happening or not, the simple fact that we pollute the air, water, soil, and other living creatures on our earth every single day in so many ways is not open to debate by anyone. Anyone, including scientists, that call global warming complete nonsense, is missing the point. The real issue is pollution, and it needs to be addressed by everyone. Thank God that the Liberals and Kyoto are doing at least something - it won’t be enough, but it will be a start. Scientists have been trying to get governments and everyone to see the problems of pollution for many, many years (even since the 1600’s!). Spending money to help our environment is necessary, and is more important than ever before. Gas prices will not go down - alternative fuels and automobiles are coming, and new technology will hopefully help solve some of the problems that fossil fuel overuse has caused. (If you haven’t heard about compressed air engines, they are amazing - check them out on the internet! Imagine using air to run your engine, and filling up your tank using an air compressor! I can’t wait for the day that most of my hard earned money is not burned up in my car engine!)

The environment IS the biggest issue in Canada. The best thing you can do is learn more about pollution and start doing what needs to be done. I love looking out my window every morning and seeing the wonders of nature. I don’t want to think that my grandchildren will not see this same beautiful country. We need to do all we can to protect and care for our land, air, and water. Without these essentials, there is no future. Now that’s something to think about next time you fill up your gas tank.