Monthly Archives: November 2010

Another great strategy to reduce car usage is carpooling.  It reduces conjestion, cuts down on parking and vehicle operation costs, and in some locations will give you access to high-occupancy vehicle lanes. This afternoon, we went to see Spamalot with … Continue reading →

Lidiya and I met Kim downtown for a movie last night.  Instead of driving, we took the bus.  Why?  Because we didn’t NEED to drive.  I think a lot of people can easily think of ways they could cut their … Continue reading →

The amount of carbon emission reductions to be achieved by switching from a gasoline powered vehicle to an electric vehicle depends on the source of the electricity being used to power to vehicle.  All places in North America generate at … Continue reading →

Electric vehicles would be terrific carbon reducers in Canada (except Alberta and Saskatchewan) because of our abundant hydroelectricity.   The inevitable question is whether electric vehicles will perform well during our harsh winters.  With the Nissan Leaf hitting the streets in … Continue reading →

Two major steps are about to be taken in the progression of passenger vehicles away from inefficient internal combustion engines.  The first will occur sometime in the next month when the Chevrolet Volt appears at dealerships in selected locations.  The … Continue reading →

A flyer came in the mail yesterday from our MP, the honourable Steven Fletcher.  It touted the benefits of the Joint Strike Fighter for the Canadian Forces, and the benefits of the Joint Strike Fighter contract for the Canadian economy, … Continue reading →

Pola’ B. Prius: A very cool name for a very cool car that is kickin’ it low-carbon style to help us save the polar bears.  All the credit for the name, of course, goes to Lidiya.  When we talk about … Continue reading →

I just finished reading With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change by Fred Pearce.  This book does an excellent job of bringing together research related to climate change from a number of diverse sources, and … Continue reading →

It would be nice if we could generate all of our electricity from renewables.  Water, wind, tidal and solar power all provide abundant electricity with little or no carbon emissions.  Unfortunately, an electricity grid based completely on renewables does not … Continue reading →

In my last post, I mentioned that we are looking into the possibility of replacing our natural gas furnace with a geothermal heat pump.  Because we have a fairly large yard (even with the space taken up by our swimming … Continue reading →