All Articles

Shower With a Friend

15 December, 2009 | Carol Maas

For most Canadians, energy efficiency is synonymous with light bulbs. Switching to compact fluorescents might be simple and inexpensive, but it is not the only cost-effective way to reduce energy use in homes, businesses and utilities. Reducing water use, especially the hot stuff that flows from showers and cleans our clothes, also cuts the amount of energy we consume in myriad ways.

Published in: New Energy 36.1
Tags: xeriscaping, WaterSense, water efficiency, water conservation, sustainable water use, energy efficiency, energy conservation, ecoEnergy Home Retrofit

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Kulturträger: Blinded by Ecoporn

15 December, 2009 | Mark Meisner

Ah, the new year. Time to change the wall calendar. By October, our household had already acquired Greenpeace’s latest offering, a Group of Seven issue, and one of those generic versions that hardware stores and real estate agents give out for free. All of them feature beautiful scenes of pristine landscapes, robust ecosystems and healthy wildlife. I used to like these sorts of images for predictable reasons: they celebrate the beauty, wonder and sacredness of nature. They’re nice to look at and calming reminders of days spent outdoors.

Published in: New Energy 36.1

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Editorial: Messy, But Crucial

15 December, 2009 | Nicola Ross

In the mid 1980s, I was involved in one of those touchy-feely weekend retreats along with individuals from Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB). Among other things, we completed the Myers-Briggs personality test. My most vivid recollection of that meeting was when Vern Millard, the ERCB’s highly respected chair at the time and an economist by training, blurted out, “You mean that after all these years of tabulating statistics, numbers, and cause and effect, what people really want is warm and fuzzy assurances that the gas plant being built nearby won’t affect their kids?”

Published in: New Energy 36.1

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Eat This Recession

15 October, 2009 | Wayne Roberts

Photo by Ruth Huimerind

Suppose they had a depression and nobody came?

Instead of accepting today’s economic downturn as a pink slip that can’t be refused, what if our governments reacted as if they had received a Facebook invitation: by selecting “join cause,” “learn more” or “ignore”?

Published in: Work 35.6
Tags: Wayne Roberts, University of Toronto, Toronto Food Policy Council, Royal York Hotel, Markham, Local Food Plus, job creation, green roofs

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Give Trees a Chance

15 October, 2009 | Martin Von Mirbach and Lorne Johnson

The meltdown that swept through the world’s financial markets in late 2008 was simply the latest setback to hit the beleaguered Canadian forestry industry.