Get ready - a long post about going green

You know me by now – I am nothing if not a believer and promoter of energy conservation and energy alternatives. At least I love to talk about these topics. But what about doing? A friend of mine raised an important point (by creating a Facebook group), which is – we can’t just talk about doing our part for the environment and the limited supply of resources. We need to do our part. Just because our governments don’t seem to think it’s a priority to make changes in the right direction, doesn’t mean it’s pointless to make some changes ourselves. It could even be argued that one of the reasons our leaders don’t make efficiency a priority is that they see our attitudes demonstrated in the lifestyle choices we make on a day to day basis. These choices indicate that we are quite content in our role as massive consumers of resources.

It’s not easy to ‘get green’, you know? It’s so much easier to maintain the status quo. It’s easy to justify our SUVs and our trucks. In many cases owning a truck is a necessity. But is it a necessity to own a vehicle powered by a gas guzzling V8 engine? Sometimes the answer to that question is yes. But in many cases, we don’t ‘need’ that behemoth vehicle. And that’s the point of this post. What small changes can we make as ordinary people to reduce our impact on the world? Never mind whether you believe in climate change – how about we do it because it’s the right thing to do? So what can we do?

In the topic of water saving habits, I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that I’ve done little things like turn the water off while brushing my teeth. I have consciously endeavoured to keep my shower time as short as practical. Hey – it’s great to let the hot water massage you when you feel icky, but it’s a huge waste of a precious resource. If you need ‘massaging’, how about a nice hot tub or jetted tub experience? Speaking of tubs, sharing the bath water may sound gross to some people, but for a couple, it is a great and easy way to cut use in half. There are so many other ways, like only running the dishwasher or the clothes washer when it’s full and cutting back on lawn watering. I am a huge anti-lawn lobbyist in my spare time. I think lawns in a climate like ours are a big waste and I find it unfortunate that we have gotten used to the aesthetic that everyone must have green grass on their property. One visit to Phoenix changed my mind on that topic. One word people – xeriscaping. Don’t forget rain barrels as a way to get your plants watered without turning on the tap.

With regards to home energy efficiency, I’ve learned lately that the insulation standards we have adopted in North America are far below what we could be doing. For an extra 10-15% over the cost of building a traditional home, we could have homes that are so well insulated that we’d only need minimal heating to be comfortable. This is documented fact – not speculation. So why aren’t we doing this? Wouldn’t you rather pay $200 a year to heat your home? But for those of you with less efficient homes, little things like fixing leaks around doors, windows and vents to the outside make a difference. Replacing furnace filters more often makes the furnace’s job easier. For every year you put off replacing your furnace with an ultra-high efficiency one, or putting in better windows, the cost of doing the job goes up and it’s another year wasted on higher utility bills.

What about transportation? Public transportation is the best way to maximize the efficiency of getting people around, but we sure know how to make excuses why we can’t use it. I realize that our public transportation system has flaws, but as consumers, we have the power to pressure government into making the system better. Again, by not using the system, we indicate our disinterest in a better system and we don’t get it. The only reason our system is as good as it is currently is due to the fact that there are a lot of riders who use it every work day. But it will only get better when we demonstrate our willingness to use it, and for more than just getting to work, because we have the right to demand improvements as users, not bystanders. Government needs to do its part as well. I’m grateful that Calgary even has a public transit system, but it has many flaws, most of them associated to the bias of government cost versus public convenience. In cities whose systems ‘work’, they don’t reduce bus service on a line to every 40 minutes because ridership is down. They make the service as usable as possible and this attracts riders, period. When Calgary Transit started talking about removing the free fare zone downtown, I knew our administration was headed in the wrong direction. This is just the tip of the iceberg. How about using parking fees and fines to pay for cheaper transit? How about giving a pile of Air Miles with monthly transit pass purchases?

What about personal transportation? I strongly wish our city was a contender to be the next site for services like Zip Cars, where after paying a nominal membership fee, you get access to an armada of various task specific vehicles scattered around the city where residential density will warrant it. You rent by the hour and the cost pays for everything, even the gas and insurance. Sure, this model forces us to be more aware of our vehicle usage and makes us plan our trips, but is this a bad thing when you really think about it? We’ve become this ‘I have to have everything and I have to have it right now’ society and I’m going to tell you something. It’s going to catch up to us and bite us in the ass. Neighbourhood vehicle co-ops are a great idea too, especially where vehicles like pickup trucks and vans are concerned. Ask yourself this question – would you still buy that pickup instead of a sedan (for the twice a month you actually need it) if you could reserve a pickup in your neighbourhood for a couple of hours for $20?

What’s worse is that government doesn’t cut people who are trying to make a difference any slack. Getting back to public transportation again for a second, I understand why our light rail is at grade in the downtown core, but wouldn’t we be sending the right message if the trains never had to stop for a red light along their route? The cars can wait... let the trains go through the core unimpeded. Back in the realm of personal transport, although Calgary has a marvellous bike path system, once you’re off the path and back on a street, you’re forced to mix in with motorized traffic. I’ve been to Canadian cities that do a much better job creating bike friendly streets than we do. If you’re not quite fit (or motivated) enough to ride on your own power, the parts of the city where parking is at a premium don’t cut moped, scooter or motorcycle riders any slack either. In most cases, you’re going to pay full parking rates. If we were serious about making a difference, these motorized 2-wheeled vehicles would get free parking – and lots of it. For a while, we gave a small rebate to people who bought energy efficient vehicles. Not anymore. That sends a great message.

As far as energy sources go, I’m embarrassed with our efforts. Yeah sure, I get it – coal is cheap. Fine. At least do everything possible to make the coal burning process as clean as possible. But in the meantime, let’s start developing alternative solutions while we still have time, not wait until the alternatives are the only viable solution left. Without even mentioning nuclear (heavens forbid) why we have not exploited geothermal, wind and solar is beyond me. The sheer scale of wind farms in Oregon, Washington State, Quebec and Europe would blow you away (pun intended) and would make our paltry effort in Alberta look like it’s clear that we’re not even trying. We have a lot of wind too. There are technologies in development right now that could turn interstates and highways into massive solar arrays that would not only meet the needs of electricity production in most areas, but be able to partially heat the road surfaces when it’s cold. We go out of our way to drill for oil and gas, but there is enough buried heat in the ground to heat our homes and workplaces (for free) forever.

I am also convinced that we are our own worst enemy on another front. Canadians have become so politically apathetic, it’s bizarre. Perhaps we’ve lost faith in the current democratic model – the ‘first past the post’ model only seems to serve the interests of the followers in our society versus the innovators and the mavericks (to borrow a term from a certain political personality). We don’t take our politicians to task for the decisions they make and they keep making self-serving decisions for one good reason. Come election time, the chances of a revolt from the electorate are slim. So if you don’t like the way Canada was represented by our government in Copenhagen; if you want your government to take energy topics and the environment seriously, you have to let them know.

One way or another.

If you’re interested in making small changes, I invite you to check out this Facebook page: Tiny Capes: Micro-Enviro Heroes.