Has green living become a national priority?

[CamTheCat]

Time to Face Facts

Has green living become a national priority? It seems that our government wants us to believe that it's doing good things for Canadas ecology, but are we really doing enough?

I found some interesting facts in a National Geographic magazine from May, a few years ago. The issue had a big article on climate change and how our studies and models were not certain, but there are some facts that everyone agrees on. As the wet get wetter and the dry get drier, we are seeing some facts emerge.

- Oceans serve as a vast 'sink' for carbon dioxide (but we're unsure how this happens)
- Human activity releases about 7 billion tons of carbon (on the form of CO2) into the atmosphere every year, adding to the 750 billion tons already there.
- Only about half our emmisions stay in the air, and the rest is taken up by terrestrial and marine plants, buried in ocean sediments, absorbed in seawater, or otherwise sequestered.
- The ocean apparently removes at least 2 billion tons from the atmosphere each year.
- Volcanic eruptions and burning sulfur bearing coal can reduce the effects of global warming temporarilty.
- The IPCC (Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change), sponsored by the UN, estimates that rising CO2 emissions, mostly from burning fossil fuels, account for about 60 % of the warming observed since 1850.
- Carbon Dioxide concentration is about 30% higher than it was before the industrial revolution.

I could go on, but the point is that we have had a negative impact on our earth. As we reduce our role in the consumption of our natural resources, we ensure a higher quality of life for ourselves and our children.

By using one flourescent lightbulb, turning our lights out when we leave the room, lowering the temperature on our water heaters, insulating our homes better, composting, reusing, and doing all the other little thing that don't seem to make a big difference we can combine our efforts to have a cumulative effect.

This IS a political issue, as most parties talk a big environmental game but don't show up to play. The NDP and the Green Party both have the environment high on their list of priorities, and personnaly I prefer the Green Party as they are fiscally conservative.

I'm happy to see that Canada is realising the gravity of this situation.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Has green living beco

So what is your plan for getting people to reduce their use of fossil fuels?

 

[Karlin]

It certainly IS possible
We saw Woody Harrelson last night, describing his community on Maui where THEY USE ZERO FOSSIL FUELS.

It is cheaper for then too!!

Bio Diesel in their diesel motor vehicles, they have a solar and wind power grid that satisfies all their electrical needs, and use ZERO fossil fuels. They grow most of their own food too. And dope I suppose, taking that out of the hands of criminals.

Good on ya Woody!!

And yes Rev, it CAN be done anywhere at about the same cost as using fossil fuels {but without the cost of losing our planet!!]. All these alterantives have been made out to be so expensive, but it is not true anymore with advances in technology [that have been allowed to surface].

 

[bevvyd]

I've switched to compact fluorescent bulbs, I compost and I recycle (I have to pay for garbage disposal so I have incentive) and I co-ordinate all vehicle related trips to minimize on gas. And I'm about to get a new hot water tank. Made sure the kids new car gets really good gas mileage. And I'm still looking for ways to reduce, reuse and save $$

 

[manda]

We use the compact flourecent energy saver bulbs, water and energy efficient washer, energy saver dryer, feul efficient furnace, and try to drive as little as possible. I have a pharmacy grocery, movie, liquor, dollar, and ice cream store as well as 2 bakeries, 2 coffee shops, 2 pizza joints, Chinese food and Subway , all within a 3 minute walk

We have a province wide compost and recycling program as well

 

[Reverend Blair]

And yes Rev, it CAN be done anywhere at about the same cost as using fossil fuels {but without the cost of losing our planet!!]. All these alterantives have been made out to be so expensive, but it is not true anymore with advances in technology [that have been allowed to surface].

It still costs more for a lot of things initially, Karlin...solar energy, heat pumps, and personal wind generators would be examples of that. The thing is that you save in the long run so not only does it not cost more, but it's cheaper if you consider the life of the technology. The price of the technologies has come down though, so it's already often cheaper even in the short run if you are in a remote location.

If you are talking about a generator that runs on eco-diesel, it's the same as any other diesel generator and costs no more to install.

And I'm about to get a new hot water tank

Have you considered an in-line heater, Bevvy? I'm not sure how much hot water you use etc., but if usage is fairly limited they make a lot more sense. Instead of paying to heat water all day while you are at work and all night while you are sleeping, you only pay to heat water while you are using it. They are available in gas and electric.

In-line heaters still cost a little more than conventional tanks, but you make the money back pretty quickly. Some people have reported savings of up to 80%. You save a lot of room in your basement too.

 

[Karlin]

In the situation where the alternatives and new technology costs more at start up,but will provide substantial savings over the long term, that is the exact place our government should step in.

The Role of government 'can be' to do the things that individuals cannot do, and providing start-up money is one.

Canada would be far ahead if we choose to move away from fossil fuels. However much govt. SHOULD be there to help us, they are being held back by "fossil fools" who are really running the show 'cuz they got the dough'.
Campaign donations alone keep governments from saying "we ill help you get away from fossil fuels".

 

[bevvyd]

Rev, I looked into those inline heating systems the other year, pretty cool. Not sure if we are going to go that way as we don't use huge amounts of hot water, but something to consider when making a decision though.

 

[Reverend Blair]

Rev, I looked into those inline heating systems the other year, pretty cool. Not sure if we are going to go that way as we don't use huge amounts of hot water, but something to consider when making a decision though.

That's definitely what we're getting when our present tank goes, bevvy. There are only the two of us, so our hot water usage is pretty limited...a couple of showers a day, a running of the dishwasher every 2 or three days, and maybe 4 loads of laundry a week. I think we'll go with electric too.

In the situation where the alternatives and new technology costs more at start up,but will provide substantial savings over the long term, that is the exact place our government should step in.

The Role of government 'can be' to do the things that individuals cannot do, and providing start-up money is one.

Canada would be far ahead if we choose to move away from fossil fuels. However much govt. SHOULD be there to help us, they are being held back by "fossil fools" who are really running the show 'cuz they got the dough'.
Campaign donations alone keep governments from saying "we ill help you get away from fossil fuels".

The governments, from municipal to federal, should be making changes to building codes and providing interest-free loans for people who want to upgrade.

One of the problems is that we do most of our heating with natural gas. It's considered to relatively clean (when compared with oil) and we already have the infrastructure in place.

 

[Karlin]

Good on Ya' for going Inline water heater. Much more efficient.

In the USA, the efficencies that could be achieved with current technology alone would 'return' more energy than the entire ANWR oil and gas reserves. Don't drill it, use the new light bulbs instead[etc] - makes sense to me!!


Geo-Thermal
It is tough on existing homes, but consider Geo-Thermal systems too.
It makes so much sense to use the steady temps of under-the-frost-line and heat or cool it from that point.

http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/groundsource/groundsourceeffic.html [/url]GeoThermal [there, I tried the Naming URL ins...x to shorten the URL ... hmmmm, did it work?]

 

[MMMike]

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/corporate/aw...ng/commitment-to-green.cfm?text=N&printview=N

Mountain Equipment Co-op: New Winnipeg Retail Facilities
Mountain Equipment Co-op and Prairie Architects Inc., Winnipeg
Dudley Thompson
204-956-0938

A Commitment to Green

Mountain Equipment Cooperative (MEC) operates a chain of seven retail stores across Canada that caters to outdoor enthusiasts. Owned by co-op members, MEC is committed to environmental and social responsibility – a commitment that influenced every aspect of the design and construction of a retail outlet in Winnipeg.

MEC's resolve was tested from the outset: three derelict buildings dominated the site of the proposed new store. Rather than demolish the buildings and increase landfill, MEC's design and construction team devised a way to deconstruct two of the structures and use 95 percent of the materials to create the new building.

"Thanks to this approach, we diverted 3 700 tonnes of waste away from local landfills," says Dudley Thompson, principal architect for the project. "The buildings themselves were in terrible shape, but they provided more than $200,000 worth of brick, wood and other building materials."

In keeping with MEC's policy of low environmental impact, environmental impact, the building was designed for energy efficiency. In fact, it is the second retail outlet in Canada built to C-2000 standards – the first was MEC's Ottawa location.

"One of the most important aspects of the project was the C-2000 integrated design process (IDP)," says Thompson. "Using IDP, all members of the design and construction team sat down with the owner to work out every last detail of the project. This is where the innovative and cost-savings ideas were spawned."

The new building features innovative heating and cooling systems. To heat the building, a heat pump extracts energy from water in an on-site well and uses the energy to warm a network of pipes encased in the concrete and brick floor slab. The floor acts as a heat sink and radiates heat slowly. During the summer, the water from the well is further cooled in a rooftop chiller and circulated through fins in the open ceiling. As the warmer surrounding air cools, it falls through the rest of the building without the help of energy-using fans.

To reduce electrical energy consumption, the building uses high-efficiency light fixtures; motion sensors control lighting in public areas; and a central skylight provides daylight to the centre of the building, which also reduces the need for artificial light during the day. Other conservation features include composting toilets and high-efficiency fixtures that reduce water consumption by 72 percent.

The rooftop garden, planted with prairie grasses, is another innovative, energy-efficient component of the building.

"It's been aptly described as a sweating green roof," says Thompson. "It's modelled on the human body, which sweats as a cooling mechanism."

The roof system features an irrigation system powered by a photovoltaic cell. As the sun rises in the sky, the cell generates more power and pumps more water, spraying it on the garden and cooling the roof. A drainage system leads to a basement tank with a storage capacity of 9 500 litres (2 500 gallons) of rain water.

"The green roof provides many advantages, including additional insulation to the roof, increased oxygen and humidity in the downtown air and reduced water flow into the storm sewer," Thompson says.

The net result of all these features is a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 64 tonnes per year. Energy savings are estimated at $30,000 per year, a savings of about two thirds the energy cost of a conventional building – all at no additional capital cost. Industry analysts consider it the most energy-efficient commercial outlet ever built in Canada and one of most environmentally friendly in the world. The building is currently being considered as one of three highest-rated LEED Platinum buildings in North America.

A great example of the ENORMOUS savings easily available to us. Note that for this building, there were NO additional capital costs.

 

[TenPenny]

You have to look carefully at inline heaters to see if they make sense. In order to be practical, you have to have one at each bathroom and kitchen....and when you think about it, how many months a year do you actually heat your house? Maybe, say, 8? The heat "lost" from a normal hot water tank is "lost" to ..... the house. So really, there's only about 4 months a year that the heat "lost" to the house is actually not wanted anyway.

When we built our house, we went with an air to air heat pump system, which has worked out well.

 

[Reverend Blair]

A great example of the ENORMOUS savings easily available to us. Note that for this building, there were NO additional capital costs.

Actually there were additional costs, but they were more than paid for by the savings. In the end, MEC actually saved money. Those additional costs were mostly in the area of labour too, so they provided a bigger boost to the local economy than using conventional methods would have.

The techniques used on buildings like that should become standard practice.

You have to look carefully at inline heaters to see if they make sense. In order to be practical, you have to have one at each bathroom and kitchen.

That's dependent on your lifestyle. If you don't generally shower while washing dishes, it is not a concern. In most houses you can't do both at the same time anyway.

and when you think about it, how many months a year do you actually heat your house? Maybe, say, 8? The heat "lost" from a normal hot water tank is "lost" to ..... the house. So really, there's only about 4 months a year that the heat "lost" to the house is actually not wanted anyway.

Heat lost to a house by a water heater is not terribly efficient. It is lost in what tends to be the coldest part of the house. It loses much of its energy while passing through the insulation layer of the tank.

More appropriate to efficiency is usage. An in-line heater is a poor choice if you have a hot-intensive environment because they wear out. When I was doing a lot of darkroom work at home, it would have been a terrible choice, for instance. There are fewer and fewer household that have kind of intensive usage though.