Science

February 21, 2024 Why we should think twice on Small Modular Nuclear Reactors “Show me

February 21, 2024 Choose to invest sustainably this RRSP season (and always) “Follow the money,”

An update on our home’s solar power system If you’re a longstanding subscriber, you probably

Heating accounts for about 60% of the energy used in Canadian homes and buildings.  It’s expensive, and it can be a huge source of emissions too, especially if that energy comes from natural gas or coal-fired electricity.

Transportation is a huge slice of our carbon footprint – and most of it is from the fuel we burn in our personal vehicles.  These days, that fuel is pretty hard on our wallets too. 

I believe most people are basically good: kind, well-intentioned and guided by sound principles.  But there’s one group of people out there who I believe, when examined under the clear lens of morality, are outliers.  They are the leaders of the oil and gas industry, in this country and around the world.

Electric vehicles are the way of the future – they reduce emissions and save their owners money (and the savings get better the higher gas prices go); they’re peppy and fun to drive; and you don’t need to stop at a gas station because you can fill them up at home.

We work really hard in our household to reduce trash.  We try to avoid products with too much packaging; repurpose when possible and recycle meticulously.  Yet in spite of our best efforts, the trash we do end up producing is dominated by one category: packaging.

If you’re the lone voice in your household advocating for greater sustainability, things can get pretty frustrating. But it doesn’t have to be that way.  There’s an art to persuading people amicably, and it can be learned. 

We all have to eat – but most of us could greatly reduce the carbon footprint of our diets by simply wasting less.

I have a love-hate relationship with air conditioning.  Love, because it’s cool comfort on a hot day; but hate because of the trade-off it represents.  Air conditioners consume a ton of energy in buildings and vehicles, resulting in an enormous amount of emissions.

Here’s a graphic worth sharing and putting on your fridge: a chart of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2021.