I must say it feels pretty good to be a resident of Ontario (Canada) these days! Finally the provincial government is taking the kind of environmentally-responsible action that actually makes environmentalists sit up and take notice!
Starting in November (2006), all Ontario utility companies will be required to pay homeowners and businesses a set rate for any electricity they generate via alternative energy projects. The legislation will be especially good news for the solar crowd, since buyback rates will be set at 42 cents per kilowatt hour (significantly more than the 11-14.5 cents set for other alternative energy sources).
While this program will pay less than some comparable European programs (offering more than 60 cents per kilowatt hour), it is still the first of its kind in North America, and will hopefully inspire other governing bodies to pass similar legislation.
According to this great article in the Washington Post, the program has already generated a great deal of interest and activity. I can ONLY imagine how much of an impact it will have over the next few years.
An oxymoron you say? Well maybe not anymore!
I read a cool little article in the latest Springwise Newsletter about The Critical Mass event in Rotterdam (Netherlands) - dedicated to the concept of ‘the sustainable dance club’.
This concept has developed via the partnership between Enviu (an environmental NGO for young people) and Döll (Dutch architectural firm).
Some of the cool features proposed for these eco-friendly clubs include an energy-generating dance floor (generates power from the dancing of energetic clubbers), toilets fed with rain water, and rooftop gardens.
Here is a blurb from The Critical Mass page (on Enviu’s website):
The concept of the Sustainable Dance Club gives meaning to sustainability within construction, entrepreneurship and clubbing for a young and trendsetting target group. Enviu and Döll are cooperating with the technical University of Delft, Off_Corso, the Development Board of Rotterdam and several experts within sustainable entrepreneurship and the creative industry (see also the partners below). For us, sustainable entrepreneurship is about making profit by minimizing the environmental and social impact of your company or even contribute to a solution for such an issue. It is all about balancing the three core elements of our society: people, profit and planet to be able to live in a future sustainable world. Doing this alone will be quite difficult. Co-operation based on a win-win situation is an important condition of sustainable entrepreneurship. Feel free to join us or contact us for more information.
Sounds great to me! Hopefully this idea will eventually spread to North America!
Here is a video (from YouTube) adverstising the energy-generating dance floor:
I just finished taking the quiz at Ecofoot.org and found it quite interesting. My footprint is much less that my country’s average but still too high in my books. My lifelong goal and lifestyle choice is to try (wherever possible) to reduce my impact on the earth.
I do want to add that the results can be a bit misleading and their website also mentions that,” if you already live a sustainable lifestyle, do not be discouraged by your results. There are some portions of your Footprint that are not the direct result of your consumption habits. For example, each resident of a city is ‘responsible’ for a portion of the city’s infrastructure, such as roads, schools, and government offices, regardless of whether the resident uses those services.”
Another noteworthy statement found on their website is “… an important path to reducing your Footprint is to advocate for more sustainable decisions at all levels of government. This will make it easier for you and many others to reduce Ecological Footprints.”
Sustainability is about partnership between the citizens of the earth, corporations, businesses and governments (found at every level). If we collectively join forces and act responsibly with the interest in preserving the planet, we will be able to make a positive impact and a switch to more sustainable practices.
Breathing Earth, created by Stillwater, is a fantastic website that demonstrates the impact different countries have on climate change. As you browse the website you can see how many people have been born (based on stats), tonnes of CO2 emitted, etc during your visit to the website.
As you scan the world map you can get a clear idea of who the major players are in terms of C02 emissions. The United States emits 1000 tonnes of C02 every 5.4 seconds, where Greenland emits 1000 tonnes of C02 every 15.7 hours. Some of the other major culprits are China, Russia, India, Japan, Germany, Mexico, and Canada.
Although this is a simulation (using previously recorded stats), it is a great representation of how each country is impacting climate change.
One of my favourite companies, Method Products, is in the news again. The company is once again on the rise and according the Inc. Magazine, they are the seventh fastest-growing private company in the United States. With amazing products that are eco-friendly and amazingly effective it is only a matter of time before they become a household name across North America.
With revenue of about $45 million, Method is just scratching the surface in the cleaning products business. Clorox last year had reported total sales of $4.4 billion in 2005. Today, Method has 132 products (cleaning sprays, air fresheners, dishwasher cubes and mint window washing liquid, to name a few).
I am a huge believer in this company and I have used their products for the past 4 months and I have switched to Method for life. I had a fruit explosion during a dinner party recently and as I was blending a hot mixture of berries and sauce, the lid from the blender blew past my hand and before I could stop the machine I had new artwork in my kitchen. The berry collage was splattered all over my stove, cabinets and cupboards. I luckily had my Method cleaning spray handy and was able to clean up the mess. The product worked instantly and I was back to a clean kitchen in a matter of minutes.
Take Method for a test drive…I promise you won’t be disappointed!
