Sustainitiatives: Toronto Self Sustaining Home 12
Imagine living in a large house that has all of the luxuries that normal houses have, such as a dishwasher, laundry machines, electronics, etc. except it’s almost completely self sustaining, without relying on city water or the electricity grid. Twelve years ago, inventor Rolf Paloheimo built a self-sufficient home in Toronto. He invented his own ...
Why eat less meat? 2
After a recent article I wrote, someone had told me that they had no idea that eating meat was harming the environment. Most things that harm the environment are common knowledge such as automobile emissions, burning coal, pumping oil, etc. But the impact that meat has on the environment doesn’t get as much press. So ...
Pollution vs. Greenhouse emissions
For a while, I had always put pollution in the same category as greenhouse emissions, simply because to me, the cause and solution to both of these issues were the same. We’re addicted to driving, driving is a cause of pollution and driving causes greenhouse emissions. Some solutions to both of these problems are to ...
Sustainitiatives: The Beer Store Corporate Environmental Responsibility 4
Since I’ve been on the topic of environmental responsibility lately, I might as well share with you a great example of how Corporations can be great stewards in helping the environment. In Ontario, we have to purchase our beer in special “Beer Stores”. These stores only sell beer and accessories related to beer. The Beer ...
David Suzuki @ UofT 6
On Friday night I had the rare opportunity to see Dr. David Suzuki speak at the University of Toronto. Since it was my first-time watching Suzuki speak live, I figured I’d share my perspective on this wise and inspirational man. In the speech, entitled “Biosphere Crisis: How Did We Get Here and Where Are We ...
Hand Dryers: The Straight Dope 2
Over the last 3 years of the Urban Country’s existence, I have often pondered whether hand dryers are better for the environment than paper towels for drying your hands in the bathroom. Well leave it to the smartest man in the world Cecil Adams from the Straight Dope to confirm this theory or to provide ...
Toronto Island infatuation 1
Today Han and I took our bikes on the Toronto island ferry and biked around the Toronto Islands. We toured extensively through the residential area of the Toronto islands (Algonquin and Ward’s island). I was immediately captivated by this quiet community that resembled something you would only see in a small town 1 or 2 ...
Give it up for a week 1
I drove to Hamilton a couple times this weekend for a hockey tournament with my old Hamilton buddy Paul. During my visit in Hamilton I reflected on how much I’ve changed in the 5 years since I moved away from that city. Like many people I grew up with, we were raised as “car people”. ...
Cycle streaking 3
The other week I was sitting on a bus in Chinatown preparing to depart to Niagara Falls for the day. Out of nowhere, a group of 50 or so completely nude cyclists rode right past us, while being escorted by uniformed Toronto Police Service cyclists. It was a sight to see; people of all shapes ...
Miss My Jeep 1
In September 2005, my environmental conscience finally convinced me to give up my gas guzzling Jeep that I had owned for 5 years. It was a tough decision, but I knew it was a responsible decision both from the environmental perspective and a financial perspective. For the last 2 years the ’98 Acura has been ...