I recently moved further away from my work in Scarborough and in to the downtown core of Toronto. Where I used to live was a short 15 Minute drive on semi busy streets. Where I am now it is about 1:15 minutes but mostly because the traffic is so congested. I would not be able to deal with all the stresses of Toronto driving at the early hours I know have to get up at in time for work. I have since been taking the subway to work which can be quite uncomfortable at times but allows me too get absorbed in a book, listen to music or just plan and reflect. All because I don’t have to pay attention to my transportation. I simply stand or sit and wait till I arrive, and I can find many things to occupy this spare time.

Here are a list of things i’ve done or seen people do in order to make the ride more enjoyable. (more…)

Recently I was driving home from  my friends in Guelph and I kept glancing at my odometer waiting for the moment I knew would be coming soon. Suddenly I let out a deep wahooooo as the odometer clicked over and rolled to 300, 000 kms.  It was a good day for me and my 1995 Honda Civic that has been an amazing piece of engineering for me ever since I purchased it from my brother a few years ago. Basically get oil changes regularly and put gas in it and it just runs, and rns, and runs I’m hoping to reach a half a million clicks.

I always heard many stories of people many people who have similar year civics that have very high mileage. I was literally put to shame when upon researching this I found my same  car on CraigsList with count em, 939,899 miles. The fact that in 1995 they could make a car that would presumably go 1 million miles is astounding and has opened my eyes to the possibilities for my “White Lightning”. 

Another thing I have always loved about my civic is the amazing gas mileage. I would find it difficult to find someone who doesn’t consider gas mileage at the top of their must have list when buying a new car. Only having to fill up my small $35 gas tank between once and twice a month with an average of around 450 kms per tank has been amazing in light of the ever increasing price of gas. As I passed the recent 300,00 k milestone I began thinking more about how great of a car my civic has been to me. It wasn’t until I looked up the MPG and emissions reports that I found out just how great it actually is. With a highway fuel consumption of 41 mpg, 33 in the City and an impressive combined fuel efficiency of 36 this car surely must rival the most fuel efficient (non-hybrid) cars of today. The best car for 2008 in the subcompact car class goes to the Toyota Yaris, surely this new car will blow old Bessie out of the water……..huh,,,,,,,,,,,,what……….dur,,,,,,,,,,,, So it turns out  my 12 year old car beats this years most fuel efficient car in pretty much every section, MPG, Green House Gas emissions, driving costs and energy impact score. (more…)

No, not Eric Banner style, what I am talking about is how all of a sudden green thinking, technology and ideas are in. My question is; are they being put out. With everyone talking about saving our planet it’s time we start seeing some real action. Yes raising awareness and events like live Earth is a start but I want to see some numbers like fewer brownouts, lower electricity and vehicle use, reduction of waste…etc. It’s time to turn the public reaction into some real action.

I started thinking about building a website like this when I was 18 (2003). At that time not a lot of people were concerned about climate change or the effects on the environment. Looking back now it’s kind of funny to think that when I launched the first version of the site in 2005 only 2 years ago the climate change skeptics were about as numerous as the environmentalists. How far we have come since then, the increased awareness, consensus among scientist that global warming is happening and we are causing it, and everyday people thinking about how they can make a difference for their children or grand children. The only thing that worries me is that this will all be talk with no follow up. (more…)

With the high costs of gas prices these days people will go to some ridiculous lengths so save a few cents a liter. One thing that many of them overlook is the how they use their vehicles. I’ve always though it was a little insane to see an enormous line of cars idling outside a gas station to get a $0.02 savings per liter. The truth is that the way we drive, when we drive what we drive and how we drive can have a huge impact on our fuel consumption.

I’ve compiled a list of driving tips and common mistakes that can save both the environment and your wallet:

Speeding up to slow down…..

Sounds kind of dumb eh, well maybe that’s because it is and it happens a lot more then you may realize. I live in Toronto and I see this all the time I’m making my way home from work and I’m about 800ft from a red light and I throw my car in neutral using my momentum to carry me towards the stop light slowing down as I go. The car in the lane beside me is actually still accelerating towards the light and while I’m about 300 ft away I see the other car pull to a stop and wait. As I near the light I begin to slow down more passing the time until I’m between 150 – 20 ft away the light turns green and as my car is still moving between 20-5 kph. I literally sling shot past the parked cars that have to begin from a dead stop. (more…)

“The impact of climate change affects industrialized countries and emerging economies to the same extent. Protecting our economic future through innovation, energy efficiency and renewable energies is a global challenge.” -German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Senior legislators from the world’s eight largest industrialized countries and five key emerging economies are shaping their policy statements on global warming in advance of this year’s G8 Summit in June at the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm, Germany. Germany currently holds the Presidency of the G8 group of nations.

The participation of the five emerging is important because climate change affects us all and we all need to work together to develop a strategy.

G8 countries - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
5 emerging economies - China, India, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil

“Global surface temperatures have increased about 0.6°C since the late 19th century, and about 0.3°C over the past 25 years.” -Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change.

The EU wants to limit global warming to no more than 2°C above the temperature in pre-Industrial times.
Beyond the 2°C increase, there is a tipping point beyond which scientists predict catastrophic environmental and economic events such as irreversible damage to the world’s major forests, the loss of 95 percent of coral reefs, and sea level rise that threatens human life, property, and whole societies. (more…)

This new technological breakthrough is designed to quickly and efficiently transport single passenger through busy downtown centers. The 4 wheeled self propelled device cause no pollution and emits no greenhouse gasses. The unique design and creative setup allows for use on both roadways and sidewalks and could help eliminate congested traffic. Now what if I were to tell you it’s not so new. It’s actually quite old and you have probably owned one at some point. This common simple yet effetive device is called a skateboard. Yes the kind of thing Bart Simpson rides around on causing trouble.

This past weekend I went to visit some friends in the downtown core of Toronto. From Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon all my travel arrangements were via a newer age Skateboard. Even on a skateboard it only took approximately 5- 10 minutes longer to get where I was going over the bus or the car. Sure I did have to propel myself forward using my own strength but that was kind of the fun part.

Some of the major benefits of skateboarding as a mode of transport include: (more…)