Where I live we currently ask ourselves one question. Will winter ever end? The onslaught of snow has been so relentless that some may wonder if global warming is really happening. Alas, Toronto is not the centre of the universe. The ice caps are still melting, Australia is drying up and malaria is on the rise.
But since winter is still kicking around like an unwelcome guest, I thought I’d focus attention this week on roadside salt and sand which help prevent nasty crashes and slips on the ice.
Salt and sand of course are not very nice for the environment.
Environmental Impact
Salt, a.k.a. sodium chloride, is mined rock salt that has been crushed, screened and treated with an anti-caking agent. It’s used because it lowers the freezing point of water. Sand, sometimes also used, contains carcinogenic crystalline silica.
Both substances damage soil, vegetation, water and pets, not to mention your boots!
To my shame, I bought salt last year in a panic and have been using it ever since. Last time I used it, I felt so guilty I decided to retire the rest of it. I will hand it over to the City of Toronto for safe disposal during Environmental Days this spring.
The Green Alternative
As if sensing my guilt, CBC-TV recently featured an Ottawa-based company, Earth Innovations Inc., which produces a green alternative to roadside salt and sand - Ecotraction.
Ecotraction is a green volcanic mineral that is proven effective in preventing wintry slips without poisoning and damaging anything. According to the website, it was developed when the “co-founder's dog Grover and two other dogs on his street died from cancer within a one month period. Veterinarians suggested that it may have been due to licking ice melting toxins from their paws after walks.”
You can pick up Ecotraction at Home Depot and other eco-friendly stores.
In the News
Earth Hour!
It’s coming. March 29, 8pm. Where will you be when the lights go out?
Don't burn food: biofuels standards now!
AZAAZ asks us to sign a petition for tougher standards on biofuels.
Carbon Output Must Near Zero To Avert Danger, New Studies Say
Climate change czar aims to paint province green
Ontario gets a climate change czar. Let’s hope this one fairs better than that of the house of Romanov.
Showing posts with label Green Survival Guide for Winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Survival Guide for Winter. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Conservation Bonanza!
Jane and I are happy campers. Our gas bill this month is $93. This is down from our regular monthly payment of $147, a 37% drop!
This winter we save because we:
- Keep the temperature between 15 to 19 degree Celsius (and stay cozy in sweaters).
- Replace the furnace filter regularly.
- Caulked around windows and along baseboards to reduce drafts.
- Wrapped the windows in a plastic thermal shield and the water heater in a thermal blanket.
- Seldom wash our clothes in warm water, never using hot.
Our last bimonthly electricity bill was $38. Every time I get the bill I wonder if there’s been a mistake. We hardly pay a thing. Due to new pricing by the Ontario Energy Board, folks who keep their kilowatt hours down to a dull roar enjoy lower rates than those who don’t - 5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for the first 1,000 kWhs of use per 30 days, jumping up to 5.9 cents after 1,000 kWhs has been reached. My household average is 350 kWhs every 60 days. We do the following:
- All light bulbs have been switched to compact florescent. The aesthetic non-compact florescent bulbs in the bathroom are energy efficient.
- We turn off all lights when leaving a room for a length of time.
- We turn off the computer when not using it.
- Electrical cords in the kitchen, living room and office are connected to power bars. We turn them off when we turn off appliances, the TV, stereo and computer, eliminating phantom power.
- We do not use the dryer. We hang our clothes outside during the summer and on clothes lines in our basement during the winter.
- Our refrigerator, stereo computer, monitor and printer are rated Energy Star.
Have you too earned bragging rights when it comes to your utility bills? Leave a comment on my blog as to what you’ve been doing to conserve and save.
In the News
The Energy Challenge
Articles in this NY Times series examine the ways in which the world is, and is not, moving toward a more energy efficient, environmentally benign future.
Scientists identify 'tipping points' of climate change
Dead Plant Walking
What’s North America’s largest coal plant up to?
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Yummy Potatoes and Being Cool
Did you Hear the News?
Canada’s brand spanking new conservative government is pulling the plug on the popular One Tonne Challenge. Ah, so it begins… But hey, perhaps Harper has something much better up his sleeve to help reduce our GHG emissions. You never know.*
Earth Day is April 22
To find an event in your area, click the Earth Day International site or Earth Day Canada.
And Another Thing…
It’s a challenge, isn’t it? Using up all your fruits and veggies before they become a bio hazard lurking at the bottom of your “crisper”. And for you Torontonians, who can toss this fungal slime into the green bin for bio-recycling, don’t think this problem is solved – it still takes energy and torrents of water, not too mention fertilizer and pesticide (if not organic), to produce that which you once considered appetizing food.
Speaking of organic – now that you are being a careful shopper, and saving over $500 a year, why not invest that money, which amounts to $41 a month, in organic fruits and vegetables? Organic is good, and not just the purview of yuppies pining for their hippie roots. Organic farmers practice methods that give back to the soil and the surrounding environment. As I explained last week, soil erosion and degradation pose serious threats to human beings partly due to industrial farming practices. But enough of that doom and gloom stuff! Organic is tasty!! Have you ever tried an organic potato or banana? No….?
TO Do This Week
Buy organic potatoes and bananas and rediscover what potatoes and bananas are supposed to taste like. Yum!!!
Be Cool! - Turn the Temperature Down
I’m going to start delving into hefty stuff. Home appliances and heating. According to Dave Reay, in Climate Change Begins at Home, space heating and cooling make up 41% of GHG emissions of the average American home. Appliances make up 34%. In the weeks ahead I’ll look into ways in which you make your home more energy efficient.
Of course, it’s ideal to bring in an inspector to test your home’s efficiency. I will discuss how to do that later. Some of you may be renting and living in an apartment, so bringing in an inspector is not an option. There are simple things that you can still do to make your home a little more energy efficient, such as….
To Do – Turn down the temperature by one degree.
What’s the Big Deal - This may not seem like a big deal now that the weather is getting warmer. And now that it’s getting warmer, we’ll soon be dusting off the air conditioner.
Heating the average American home emits four tonnes of GHG emissions a year. Cooling it emits another tonne, and ironically heats up the outside air. By reducing your temperature by just a degree in the winter and increasing your air conditioner by a degree in the summer, you will reduce your annual GHG emissions by a third of a tonne.
Please resist cranking up the temperature in the winter so you can walk about in shorts and t-shirts. That’s what flannels and sweaters are for!
In the News
World-Wire
Truth Out
* Photos taken from Rick Mercer’s blog - http://rickmercer.blogspot.com/. Image credits: Neal Domenico and Big Jule
Canada’s brand spanking new conservative government is pulling the plug on the popular One Tonne Challenge. Ah, so it begins… But hey, perhaps Harper has something much better up his sleeve to help reduce our GHG emissions. You never know.*
Earth Day is April 22
To find an event in your area, click the Earth Day International site or Earth Day Canada.
And Another Thing…
It’s a challenge, isn’t it? Using up all your fruits and veggies before they become a bio hazard lurking at the bottom of your “crisper”. And for you Torontonians, who can toss this fungal slime into the green bin for bio-recycling, don’t think this problem is solved – it still takes energy and torrents of water, not too mention fertilizer and pesticide (if not organic), to produce that which you once considered appetizing food.
Speaking of organic – now that you are being a careful shopper, and saving over $500 a year, why not invest that money, which amounts to $41 a month, in organic fruits and vegetables? Organic is good, and not just the purview of yuppies pining for their hippie roots. Organic farmers practice methods that give back to the soil and the surrounding environment. As I explained last week, soil erosion and degradation pose serious threats to human beings partly due to industrial farming practices. But enough of that doom and gloom stuff! Organic is tasty!! Have you ever tried an organic potato or banana? No….?
TO Do This Week
Buy organic potatoes and bananas and rediscover what potatoes and bananas are supposed to taste like. Yum!!!
Be Cool! - Turn the Temperature Down
I’m going to start delving into hefty stuff. Home appliances and heating. According to Dave Reay, in Climate Change Begins at Home, space heating and cooling make up 41% of GHG emissions of the average American home. Appliances make up 34%. In the weeks ahead I’ll look into ways in which you make your home more energy efficient.
Of course, it’s ideal to bring in an inspector to test your home’s efficiency. I will discuss how to do that later. Some of you may be renting and living in an apartment, so bringing in an inspector is not an option. There are simple things that you can still do to make your home a little more energy efficient, such as….
To Do – Turn down the temperature by one degree.
What’s the Big Deal - This may not seem like a big deal now that the weather is getting warmer. And now that it’s getting warmer, we’ll soon be dusting off the air conditioner.
Heating the average American home emits four tonnes of GHG emissions a year. Cooling it emits another tonne, and ironically heats up the outside air. By reducing your temperature by just a degree in the winter and increasing your air conditioner by a degree in the summer, you will reduce your annual GHG emissions by a third of a tonne.
Please resist cranking up the temperature in the winter so you can walk about in shorts and t-shirts. That’s what flannels and sweaters are for!
In the News
World-Wire
Truth Out
* Photos taken from Rick Mercer’s blog - http://rickmercer.blogspot.com/. Image credits: Neal Domenico and Big Jule
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