Local News

City of Guelph announces green power purchase

Bullfrogpowered facility to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 400 tonnes in 2008 GUELPH – Beginning June 1, the City of Guelph’s F.M. Woods Pumping Station will be powered by Bullfrog Power, Ontario’s first 100 per cent green electricity retailer. The total green power purchase amounts to over 1,827 MWh and will help to reduce the city’s electricity-related carbon dioxide emissions footprint by 400 tonnes in 2008. “Treating and pumping water uses a significant amount of electricity, so this purchase of green energy will make a large impact,” said Mayor Karen Farbridge. “It’s also important to note the link between water conservation and energy savings. When we conserve water, we also reduce the amount of energy we need to pump and treat the water.” “The City of Guelph is joining a growing list of municipalities that are showing great leadership within their communities by purchasing clean, renewable power,” said Tom Heintzman, President, Bullfrog Power. “Since we launched availability to Guelph customers in 2006, we have received enthusiastic support from businesses and residences. We are very pleased to be a part of the city’s plan to reduce its electricity-related emissions footprint and raise awareness of the choice people have to support green power.” The City of Guelph’s decision to purchase green power is part of its strategic goal to be a leader in conservation and resource protection. Through the City’s Strategic Plan, and development of the Community Energy Plan, the City of Guelph has set a goal of using less energy and water per capita than comparable cities. An official launch ceremony to celebrate Guelph’s green power purchase will take place on Thursday, June 5 at 10 a.m. at the F.M. Woods Pumping Station, located at 29 Waterworks Place, and coincides with Environment Week. Bullfrog Power is the only 100 per cent green electricity retailer in Ontario. Bullfrog sources power exclusively from wind and low-impact hydro generators that meet or exceed the federal government’s Environmental ChoiceM Program EcoLogoM standard for renewable electricity. Bullfrog Power provides businesses, non-profits, and consumers with a new way to support renewable energy.

Did You Know

Peter Garrett, the former lead singer of rock group Midnight Oil, was named Australia's environmental minister in late 2007?

Company Spotlight

Local women bridge gap between farm and city by delivering locally-grown produce on bikes to reduce carbon footprint and work in the great outdoors

http://www.localfoodpeddlers.ca/

green & clean energy co. ltd.

We are distributors of environmentally friendly and sustainable products and services to the North American and global markets, green & clean searches the planet for the most ingenious, highest quality economically feasible equipment and systems. And at green & clean, our search never ends.

Current Events

Goodbye plastic bags

May 28, 2008 04:30 AM

The LCBO, which had to be dragged "kicking and screaming out of the Dark Ages" (Premier Dalton McGuinty's words) when it came to recycling bottles and cans, should be commended now for leading the move to rid the province of plastic shopping bags.

When their current supply of thick plastic bags runs out, liquor stores in Ontario will become the first provincial retailers to ban them. That will keep 90 million bags a year out of landfill sites. That will make only a small dent in the 3.5 billion plastic shopping bags used in Ontario each year, but it's still a start.

The LCBO's move follows a voluntary provincial program announced last year to cut the consumption of litter-inducing plastic bags by 50 per cent over five years. It includes incentives to switch to reusable bags such as reward points as well as an education campaign.

At the time, the government said if it didn't get the results it wanted, it would consider compulsory measures like mandatory charges for plastic bags or even an outright ban.

"I don't think there are any magic bullets to this," said Derek Nighbor, senior vice-president of national affairs for the Retail Council of Canada, which is working with the province but opposes an outright ban. "It's the duty of retailers to encourage consumers to make environmentally friendly decisions. It's a push and pull."

Other jurisdictions – Nova Scotia and Quebec – have taken similar measures with liquor store bags. And last year, tiny Leaf Rapids, Man., (population 539) banned plastic shopping bags outright, thus becoming the first jurisdiction in North America to do so.

San Francisco and Oakland later banned plastic shopping bags in supermarkets and pharmacies, and all supermarkets in California are required to take back and recycle plastic bags.

Internationally, China has announced a national ban on shops giving out free plastic bags beginning in June and an outright ban on ultra-thin plastic bags. And Ireland requires retailers to charge 22 cents a plastic bag – a move that has reduced the use of the bags by 90 per cent. The money raised is put into recycling programs.

There is good reason to phase out plastic bags: They take an average of 400 years to decompose.

Ottawa pushes for more local food, fewer imports at city markets

Last Updated: Friday, February 29, 2008 | 4:44 PM ET

CBC News

The City of Ottawa is drafting a bylaw that would ensure local fruits, vegetables and meats are featured prominently at the city's farmers' markets, says the head of the city's rural affairs committee.

"Ultimately, I would love to see every market in this city selling only locally produced produce," said Rob Jellett Thursday. "I think to me that is absolutely the best way to go."

Jellett said under the proposed bylaw, vendors at the Byward and Parkdale markets who sell imported food would be allowed to stay but would be in a separate area designated for non-local food.

Doug Moore, the city manager in charge of Lansdowne Park, where the Ottawa Farmers' Market takes place each Sunday during the summer, said the goal of the new bylaw would be to encourage local food production.

The new rules for farmers' markets are expected to be introduced at council this fall.

Jellett mentioned plans for the new bylaw at a meeting where the committee voted to keep the Ottawa Farmers' Market going for at least another two years.

Councillors also voted to allow the market, which sells only local products, to open on Thursdays as well as Sundays.

"I think you've done a tremendous job in creating something that is truly becoming special in the city," Jellett told Andy Terauds, president of the market and one of the food vendors.

The Story of Stuff
You have to check out this website that was referred to me today by the City of Guelph, it is a great resource for explaining to people at all levels as to the cycle of goods. I have added the URL to my links area.

Retailers eye labels outlining a product's carbon footprint

January 19, 2008
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. has announced it is considering labels for its private brand products to identify their carbon footprints -- meaning how much carbon dioxide was emitted to produce each product.

Its a great start, however retailers should go a step further and study how they can also reduce their carbon footprint. Here are a list of initiatives that retail industry should start to consider:

1. A complete energy audit of the entire business from buildings to policies. This will tell a retail chain where and how much energy is consumed through operations.
   
2. A carbon reduction strategy that should consider these options
   

• moving towards less packaging
• migration from plastic bags to alternatives
• sourcing materials from
  

Introduction

This site is dedicated to Canadian businesses who promote, sell or practice environmental sustainability for the improvement of Canadians and their future.

Please email rstruyk@eleadinc.com should you want to become a member of this newly formed organization.

Green Tech Spotlight

U of G new research chair predicts crops will become world's economic foundation

February 28, 2008

Amar Mohanty has a radical vision of the future global economy. Plants are an integral part of it.

During a rushed and dense presentation to a University of Guelph audience last night, Mohanty, the U of G's new research chair in biomaterials and transportation, and a professor in the department of plant agriculture, outlined a not-too-distant future scenario in which plants become the foundation of the economy.

Various crops will not only produce renewable biofuels to run our vehicles, they will be used to produce an array of "biomaterials" that can be turned to everything from car parts and furniture, to building materials and new kinds of rubber.

Mohanty, a world expert in the production of biomaterials, said the technology currently exists to turn plant materials into resins, polymers and tough fibres for the production of petroleum-free plastics. In fact, he said, that knowledge has been around for about a hundred years. Unlike the plastics we are currently dependent on, these plant-based plastics are biodegradable, and the crops that produce them are completely renewable.

Not only is it desirable to shift away from the petroleum-based economy, it is inevitable, Mohanty said. But the process of economic transformation will only be hastened when the production of biomaterials is embraced by industry -- when industry actually takes the knowledge and turned it into usable products.

"At the end of the day we need to make products," Mohanty said, delineating the ultimate purpose of the research and innovation he will lead at the university. "Without bioproducts the bioeconomy will not take off."

Numerous industries, including those in the automotive sector, are showing a willingness to back the research needed to make such products viable.

There is currently a government-backed push to bring biofuels into higher production, Mohanty said.

"But bio-alcohol is not the silver bullet that will solve all of our environmental problems," he said, explaining that carbon emissions from vehicles are just part of the environmental crisis.

The various plastic products we purchase and use take massive amounts of energy and petroleum to produce, and they are filling up our landfill sites. Their toxic properties are killing about 100,000 mammals and over a million seabirds each year, he added.

The beauty of biomaterials, Mohanty said, is that they are completely biodegradable, and they can be produced from all parts of various plants -- corn, sugar cane, switchgrass, wood chips and soybean. A time is coming when the burning of organic material like wheat straw will be a thing of past, and when the use of food crops to make biofuel will be unnecessary.

The science of plant genetics will play a key role in this "new agriculture" and "bioeconomy," Mohanty said. It will contribute to improved yields, and to finding ways to grow healthy crops in harsh environments. Value-added markets for agricultural crops will grow, agricultural jobs will be created, rural communities will flourish, and the environment will be saved for future generations, he said.

Is hydrogen power more than hot air?

Real-world vehicles fuelled by hydrogen are finally arriving from Honda and BMW. But some experts insist they'll create more problems than they cure

John LeBlanc

Special to the Star

Dec 01, 2007

Blues skies. Green trees. Birds chirping. That's the hydrogen fuel-cell car marketer's dream. But what's the reality?

For more than a decade, automakers have pushed the praises of hydrogen as the next big thing.

Car maker efforts have ranged from dabbling in hydrogen, Mazda with its 2004 RX-8 Hydrogen Rotary Engine concept, to Toyota parading its hydrogen-powered Highlander along the Alaska Highway, to more extensive test fleets: 100 Chevrolet Equinox fuel-cell vehicles are scheduled to be delivered in the new year to families across the U.S. for a three-month review.

Beyond the test market, hydrogen-powered cars, vehicles that once appeared to be nothing more than an exercise in research and development, are finally arriving to the public. But the do-good cars, emitting only water and not emissions, could be riddled with more limits than advantages.

The headline-grabbing story at last month's Los Angeles auto show was the announcement of the Honda FCX Clarity, the world's first production fuel-cell car.

Starting next summer, a limited number of Californians will be able to lease a hydrogen car for 36 months as their daily driver. The cost? A respectable $600 per month.

The news one-upped BMW, which, until the announcement of the FCX, was leading the way in hydrogen development.

BMW's Hydrogen 7, based on the long-wheelbase 7 Series with a V12 internal combustion engine, can be powered by gasoline as well as liquid hydrogen. When it's running on hydrogen only, the result is no carbon dioxide emissions.

The major difference between the Honda and BMW? The 7 Series isn't for sale – yet.

Wilhelm Hall, BMW North America's general manager of environmental engineering, says the Hydrogen 7 is "production-ready," but that only 100 celebrities and politicians have received a loaner car for evaluation and to provide feedback.

Though Hall won't suggest when the car would make it to the public, he does hint at the cost of early hydrogen cars.

"I could see us selling it for around $250,000 in low numbers," Hall estimates. "But once we get to producing tens of thousands, the price goes down dramatically."

Hall says that unlike Honda's technology – the FCX's hydrogen is stored on board and processed into electricity via a fuel-cell stack that powers an electric engine – having a combustion engine in the Hydrogen 7 makes it seem closer to reality than a full-blown hydrogen car. "Fuel cells are simply not cost-effective," Hall says.

Despite the diverging technical paths, both BMW and Honda are professing the same utopian result: clean, clear water evaporating out of their hydrogen car tailpipes.

Dennis DesRosiers, a Canadian automotive industry analyst and president of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, had firsthand experience with Honda's FCX Clarity at a test facility in Japan.

He thinks the hydrogen car's potential is reminiscent of the company's breakthrough CVCC engine in the 1970s. The technology helped Honda meet U.S. emission standards and improved fuel economy – without a catalytic converter.

But there's one catch: if Honda expands the availability of the FCX beyond California and BMW makes its Hydrogen 7 available to non-red-carpet types, DesRosiers says the biggest issue won't be product demand, but where to fuel a hydrogen car. The infrastructure, it seems, isn't up to speed with the progress of the technology.

According to H2stations.org, a website that tracks hydrogen refilling stations, there are only 10 certified filling stations in Canada (and those are used for industrial purposes), 38 in Europe and 49 in the U.S. (with more than half in California).

"The fact is, it's still hard to find diesel at the pumps," DesRosiers says.

Along with the L.A. auto show announcement of the production FCX, Honda tried to address the infrastructure problem with its experimental Home Energy Station, a self-contained unit that converts natural gas into hydrogen to fuel the FCX, and to supply electricity and hot water to a home.

But some experts don't think that's a good idea.

"Burning natural gas to create hydrogen has to be the dumbest way to deal with greenhouse gas effects," says Joseph Romm, author of The Hype about Hydrogen.

Romm is a former official at the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency, and currently a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he oversees the blog ClimateProgress.org. He says that despite the billions spent annually on climate change, automakers just don't "get" global warming.

Energy reformers, such as Honda's experimental home system, only make sense on a large scale, Romm says. The true cost of hydrogen fuel from any home-filling station will be exponentially higher than gas at the pumps.

Honda also admits that the $600 monthly lease rate for the FCX doesn't cover the cost of building the car.

When the bill for hydrogen-car research and development, and the price to power fuel-cell cars outweighs the financial gains, why do automakers continue to invest in the alternative energy?

"Car companies don't want to look like they're against better solutions," Romm says.

Based on his experience, the solution to greenhouse gas emissions won't be solved by throwing money at new technologies.

"As a whole, I wouldn't stake my mortgage on hydrogen cars. The infrastructure solution is the wild card," Romm says.

The issue of filling stations is also part of the problem for BMW with its Hydrogen 7.

"We have the (vehicle) production figured out. We are more ready than the energy providers," says Hall.

"It's difficult in the U.S. In the long term, there's no vision or plan. Whereas in Europe, there's more public and political will for both a liquid and gas hydrogen infrastructure."

In a culture desperately looking for environmentally friendly transportation solutions, it's hard not to get excited about hydrogen-powered cars and their promise of clean, green transportation. But the automotive utopia is hard to pin down, DesRosiers says.

"Right now, I can count over 10 variations of propulsion being worked on – from efficient internal combustion engines to fuel cell."

Regardless of the technology, Romm argues the only immediate answer is to legislate higher fuel economy regulations.

"That means low-emission petroleum cars, either gasoline or diesel, are the only feasible short-term solution."

And as an alternative energy source "it has to be electricity," he says.

Breaking News!

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

A change in climate

Jan 17th 2008
From The Economist print edition

The greening of corporate responsibility

AL GORE has done a wonderful thing for corporate bosses. By helping to propel climate change to the top of the global agenda, he has opened up a world of new opportunities for them. Opportunities for rhetoric, for a start. The green theme allows chief executives to adopt a planetary perspective. “It's what survival will be about in the 21st century,” proclaims Coca-Cola's Neville Isdell, talking of his company's plans for water conservation. Over at PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi stresses the importance of companies embracing “purpose” as well as performance, with products that “contribute positively and responsibly to human civilisation”.
for the complete story - The Economist

Website promotes no-junk mail option

'Red dot campaign' raises awareness of Canada Post program to help environment

Feb 10, 2008 01:18 PM

Michael Oliveira
THE CANADIAN PRESS

With just a few seconds of effort, anyone can easily shrink their impact on the environment by telling Canada Post to stop delivering junk mail – but only two per cent of Canadian homes have done it.

Canada Post says it’s because people want to get flyers and ads delivered at their door. Vancouver’s Beth Ringdahl begs to differ.

Beth Ringdahl's website, www.reddotcampaign.ca, spells out a simple two-step process to block junk mail: It's as easy as filling out a downloaded form and leaving a note on your mailbox.

For more than a decade, Canada Post has been quietly acknowledging such requests, halting junk mail deliveries and marking a homeowner's internal file with a red dot – hence the name of Ringdahl's campaign.

The website's only been up and running for a couple of weeks, but word is spreading fast.

Ringdahl says the letter has been downloaded more than 2,300 times, her Facebook group has swelled to more than 850 members and grateful visitors are e-mailing everyone they know about the site.

"People are really happy to learn about a way they can reduce the waste in their lives," she said.

"(The campaign) is like a friendly reminder saying, 'Hey guys, here's something you can do that will take away some clutter and save some trees."'

Canada Post spokeswoman Lillian Au said Ringdahl's campaign is unnecessary – Canadians, she says, have known for years about the opt-out option.

"It has been in place since 1997, so we feel that we've done a good job and people know that they have that right," Au said.

Au acknowledged that unaddressed advertising mail is one of Canada Post's fastest growing revenue streams – it brought in $339 million in 2006, up 14.4 per cent from 2005 – and helps keep costs down for consumers, while allowing small businesses to advertise in an affordable way.

Almost all of the promotional mail is recyclable and printed on recycled paper, she added.

But Au also confirmed Ringdahl's theory that marketers would likely end up printing fewer flyers if there were fewer homes that received the junk mail.

"We make regular updates to our mailers, who can adjust the amount of material being printed so they don't print excess flyers," Au said.

Ringdahl said she never intended to do battle with Canada Post, and instead applauds its policy. She's just trying to do a better job promoting it.

"I really think this is a world-class system that they have set up, and I don't want it to be a cop out (for) the individual, saying, 'Oh, Canada Post didn't tell me how to do this."'

Her next goal is to target homeowners who don't speak or understand English so the campaign's reach grows even further.

Valerie Langer of the environmental group Forest Ethics applauded the campaign, which she said was a mystery to even those who are working to protect Canadian forests.

"It's giving people the kind of information that starts them thinking and allows them to act in a way that conserves paper and therefore forests," Langer said.

Langer herself just recently learned about opting out, she added.

If homeowners decide they do want to stop receiving junk mail, Au said printing out the letter on Ringdahl's website isn't necessary; a note on the mailbox – inside the door if the box is in an apartment building or condo – will suffice.

A warning, however: stopping junk mail also halts delivery of municipal-service notices such as town hall meeting announcements and snow removal and garbage pickup schedules, Au said.

NHL Players put global warming on ice

NHL players are serious about global warming and they are doing something real about it. We’ve helped players to calculate their total carbon emissions for the regular season – which turns out to be about 10 tonnes per player.

To become carbon neutral, NHL players are all purchasing Gold Standard offsets, the highest quality offsets in the world. The Gold Standard is supported by environmental organizations around the world, and it ensures that each purchase has a measurable benefit for the climate.

David Suzuki and NHL players challenge YOU to go carbon neutral!
NHLPA Going Green

Healthy economy, healthy environment: CFIB members say it's possible to have both

OTTAWA - Owners of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Canada believe it is possible to grow the economy and protect the environment at the same time, but they need better information and less burdensome regulations from government to help them do their part, a new report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) shows.

"Operators of Canada's small- and medium-sized businesses believe the health of the economy is strongly dependent on the health of the environment," says Corinne Pohlmann, CFIB's vice-president of national affairs and a co-author of the report. "But while SMEs are willing to do what they can to protect the environment, it must be balanced with how such measures will impact their business."

According to the report, Achieving Eco-prosperity: SMEs' Perspectives on the Environment, 83 per cent of the 10,826 CFIB members surveyed say they are already taking steps to conserve energy, including reducing electricity usage and renovating their buildings. Over 70 per cent have introduced or expanded recycling at work, and about one-third use environmentally friendly products.

The majority (83 per cent) made the changes because they personally believe it is important, while about one in two consider potential cost savings and one in four take into account current regulations, employees' views and the needs of customers and suppliers.

The most important environmental issues to SMEs are recycling of materials, energy conservation and clean water/sewage. Almost half also cite climate change, while about one-third mention dumps and landfills, management of toxic waste, air pollution and forest preservation.

The survey finds that the main barriers to SMEs doing more to protect the environment are lack of information, high cost and complexity. Many business owners also say their competitiveness is hindered by the costs of environmental compliance.

"For the average SME, it is virtually impossible to learn about, and be compliant with, the countless regulatory requirements of all levels of government," Pohlmann says.

The types of regulation most likely to affect SMEs are related to waste disposal; care and use of chemicals; transportation, handling, storage and disposal of harmful materials; and recycling. Issues around environmental standards and certification are also growing concerns.

Instead of more regulations or new taxes and penalties, two-thirds of SMEs want to see governments raise awareness of energy efficiency, and support research on alternative energy sources. About half of respondents support tax credits or rebates for energy efficiency, help for SMEs in developing environmental management plans, and enforcement of current regulations.

Based on the survey results, CFIB is making a number of recommendations to government, utilities and other stakeholders, including: << - Enhanced communication of environmental opportunities to SMEs. - Ideas to simplify regulations and reduce paper burden on SMEs. >>

The report, which includes provincial and sectoral breakdowns, is accurate within +/- 0.9 per cent 19 times out of 20.