You are here: Home / Archives for Green Living

Breaking New Ground in “Green” Housing

April 28, 2011 (Thursday) By
rtua-2011-03-18.jpg

CMHC’s newest EQuilibrium™ Housing demonstration home opens its doors in Winnipeg

EQuilibrium™ Housing is a national initiative led by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) that brings the private and public sectors together to develop homes that are energy- and resource-efficient, environmentally friendly, and healthy to live in.

rtua-2011-03-18To help Canadians learn first-hand about sustainable housing, CMHC has been working with teams of designers, architects, builders and developers to design, construct and demonstrate EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration homes across the country. The latest of these projects to open its doors to the public is Winnipeg’s Urban Ecology — a two-storey duplex located on an infill site in the heart of the city’s downtown core.

Designed by Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corporation (WHRC), Urban Ecology includes  energy-efficient and resource-conscious features and on-site integrated renewable energy systems. The result is an attractive and highly advanced “green” home that significantly reduces its energy consumption and minimizes its environmental footprint.

Among its other innovations, the Urban Ecology home features:

  • An accessible, adaptable and attractive open-concept design;
  • Locally-produced and environmentally-appropriate building materials, to reduce pollution and enhance indoor air quality;
  • Energy-efficient lighting and appliances designed to reduce energy consumption to as little as 17 percent of the energy used in a typical Canadian home;
  • Passive solar heating and a four-panel flat plate solar collector system to help heat the home and provide hot water;
  • A drain water heat recovery system that is predicted to decrease the home’s hot water heating requirements by close to 20 percent;
  • A photovoltaic (PV) energy system which will be connected to the local power grid, allowing the occupants to “sell” excess energy back to Manitoba Hydro;
  • Advanced water-conserving features and fixtures, including rain gardens and the ability to harvest rainwater runoff from the roof for landscaping during dry spells;
  • An air-tight high-performance building envelope to provide a comfortable living environment.
Source: www.cmhc.ca
Share
Filed Under: Green Living, In the news

Toronto’s Big Plans for New Green Spaces

July 19, 2010 (Monday) By

It’s summer in the city, but enjoying the season doesn’t have to mean leaving the city limits. Here’s a quick look at exciting green space developments happening in Toronto, as well as existing attractions that can be enjoyed now.

Toronto will soon have another urban beach to call its own. Sugar Beach is set to open by the end of the summer, transforming two acres of what used to be a parking lot adjacent to the Red Path Sugar Factory at the foot of Jarvis into a public park complete with candy-coloured beach umbrellas. The $14.3 million project is part of ongoing initiatives to revitalize Toronto’s waterfront.

The West Don Lands area is another industrial Toronto space undergoing a transformation, as it prepares to host the 2015 Pan American Games athletes’ village. Over 30 hectares will be converted into a riverside community. More than half the project, which will see the construction of residential, business, and educational facilities all surrounded by parks and green space, will be completed by 2015.

Toronto currently has an excellent offering of parks and public space to explore. Don’t forget the Toronto Islands – the popular summertime destination for urbanities, boasting bike and walking paths, beaches, volleyball and tennis courts, bicycle rentals, and the Centre Island amusement park.

If you’re interested in taking in some arts and culture fare while enjoying the summer weather, plan a visit to Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre on Queens Quay. Visitors can walk along the boardwalk, take in the lake views, and even rent sailboats, canoes, and kayaks.

Share
Filed Under: Green Living, In the news

Proposed Power Plant in Oakville

July 8, 2010 (Thursday) By

I have been living and doing business in Oakville/Clarkson for 23 years and am very concerned with the government’s decision to site a 975 MW power plant within 320 meters of a school and local residences.  This should matter to all Ontarians because by moving forward with this plant, the province is setting a terrible precedent – in other words this could happen to you in your community.

I believe that it is up to all of us to hold our politicians accountable and to do the right thing.  Even if you don’t live in Oakville, you can help.   So I am asking for your support.

Please enjoy the attached newsletter, and I encourage you to go the C4CA web site and join – it’s free.  After working hard on this issue for 8 months, C4CA believes that they are at the tipping point of impacting the decision.  So that means that every gesture of support matters.  This is an issue that is very important to me personally, and I invite you to learn about the issue and get involved.

After meeting with the volunteers from C4CA, and learning the facts, I have joined C4CA as a Street Captain, a source of information and awareness for my neighbours and contacts. 

Click here to open the Newsletter in a new window

What can you do?

Make your view know to the Government

We must all take immediate action to urge Premier Dalton McGuinty to order an Individual Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Oakville Generating Station.

Help stop the proposed Power Plant. Call, write or eMail Premier McGuinty.

Here’s what to say:

“Premier McGuinty, please tell your Environment Minister, John Gerretsen, to order an Individual Environmental Assessment, including an evaluation of alternatives such as Nanticoke, for the proposed Oakville Generating Station project. Oakville and Mississauga families deserve this measure of protection. Please do it now.”

All the facts

  • The Minister of Environment can order an individual environmental assessment (IEA) for the proposed Oakville Generating Station project.
  • The terms of reference for the IEA should include consideration of alternatives, such as the conversion of the existing coal-fuelled units at Nanticoke into a natural gas-fuelled facility.
  • TCEL’s environmental review under the Electricity EA regulation is satisfactory for many electricity projects, including smaller plants or plants in industrial areas with proper buffers, but it is inadequate for a massive 975MW plant located in the heart of a residential community.
  • The proposed strip of Ford land is incredibly small for such a massive 975MW plant – only 13.5 acres; the site is so tight and so close to rail lines that TCEL had to ask for a variance to allow it to be only 7.5m from the lines.
  • The Ford strip of land is only 60 metres from an office building, 15 metres from high speed rail, 320 metres from a school and 400 metres from houses.
  • The lack of any real buffer results in serious safety issues, which must be assessed as part of the IEA. If a problem arose, there would be no margin for error given the lack of setbacks.
  • TCEL has chosen water cooling that would use existing water intake pipes from Lake Ontario. The daily water use would be massive compared to what Ford uses. The extreme challenges with water cooling relate to the formation of ice and fogging in and around the plant, which is a significant safety issue that must be assessed in an IEA.
  • Given that Nanticoke has an existing link to the transmission grid, this would be the natural and logical location for a new natural gas/biomass fuelled plant.
  • There is very recent precedent for a company undertaking a large scale project to request an IEA. This was done by Shell for the expansion of its refinery in Sarnia, even though no EA was required.
  • Oakville and Mississauga families deserve this measure of protection. Please call or write the Premier.
Share
Filed Under: Green Living, In the news, Oakville

Music for Clean Air

June 3, 2010 (Thursday) By
OIT_Poster.jpg

OIT_Poster

On Friday, June 11, 2010 at 8pm, The Citizens for Clean Air, and O’Finn’s Irish Temper present Craig Murray, a one man band playing everything from Bluegrass to ColdPlay.

The night serves to entertain, and raise awareness and funds for Citizens 4 Clean Air (www.c4ca.org)

Tickets are $25, and you get a $25 O’Finn’s gift card at the door, with all proceeds going to the C4CA.

Come out and have a great time, while supporting a great cause.

Send me a note through http://www.alexx.ca/contact to RSVP and I’ll get your name on the guest list.

See you there!

Alexx

ps. O’Finn’s is located at 136 Church Street, corner with Navy, downtown Oakville.

Share
Filed Under: Events, Green Living, Homeowner Tips, In the news, Oakville

How Green Homes Can Cut Your Costs

April 28, 2010 (Wednesday) By

Homebuyers who are looking to save money should consider purchasing a new property with green technology incorporated into the design.

The National Association of Green Agents and Brokers says the average house produces two to three tonnes of greenhouse gas per year.

Furthermore, a house built to current building standards can be up to 30% less efficient than homes that use greener construction practices.

Newer homes offer a range of greener options to help increase efficiency and comfort. The materials used in modern homes are far more energy efficient than are materials found in older homes, and greener alternatives offer even greater cost savings due to their increased energy efficiency.

Although the up-front cost of incorporating green solutions is higher, a number of homeowners are choosing long-term savings with lower heating, cooling and electricity bills as a result.

Rooftop catchments for rainwater, a gray water system to recycle wash water, solar panels, tankless water heaters and improved air filtration systems are just a few of the options that can be incorporated into new homes.

Solar panels and wind turbines have reached a point where they can nearly eliminate our dependence on electric companies.

Geothermal heat pumps can reduce heating costs dramatically.

New builds can be customized to offset as much energy cost as a homeowner is willing to invest in the systems to reduce consumption.

When building a dream home, think about some of the green options that are available and consider how going green can reduce energy consumption and save you money.

The energy-efficiency of a new home can be maximized by minimizing the carbon footprint of the property. Identifying your energy consumption needs and considering green alternatives to reduce costs could pay dividends for years to come.

Share
Filed Under: Green Living

Go Green with These Alternatives to Household Cleaners

September 8, 2009 (Tuesday) By

If we tell our grandparents we’re “going green” by using vinegar to clean the floors, I’m sure they’d look at us and think we’ve gone crazy. As long as I can remember, a bucket of water with vinegar was always the cleaning solution of choice. Sometimes going green is going old-school. – Alexx

 

Going green is a great way to save money and improve your health, especially when it comes to common household cleaners. Harsh chemical cleaners and even air fresheners are known to cause headaches and allergic-type symptoms and even increase asthma-related illness among sensitive individuals. Fortunately, it’s easy to go green with these eco-friendly home cleaning alternatives.

Vinegar

Not only is vinegar affordable but it’s a non-toxic and easy-to-use degreaser as well as whitener. Simply add to laundry for softer clothing or use in combination with baking soda to create your own tile cleaner.

Borax

Chances are you have seen it sitting on the shelves when shopping; if you have never tried Borax, then pick up a box next time you are in the store. Borax is an all-natural cleaning product that whitens, deodorizes and scrubs. Sprinkle into laundry instead of bleach or mix with salt and baking soda for a powerful scrubbing agent.

Hydrogen Peroxide

This is the secret ingredient behind many of today’s most popular oxygen-related products; not only does hydrogen peroxide clean and whiten, but it’s also a great disinfectant. Keep peroxide on hand to rinse vegetables and pretreat stains before tossing laundry into the wash.

Linseed Oil

Keep furniture looking like new with pure linseed oil. It conditions and helps prevent damage to fine furniture without the use of expensive cleaners or harsh chemicals.

Share
Filed Under: Green Living, Homeowner Tips