Newsletter

The Ecology Action Centre Inspires Green Mobility in Nova Scotia

The Ecology Action Centre, an environmental non-governmental organization based in Halifax, Nova Scotia launched the Green Mobility Capital Grants Program in the spring of 2007.  Now, almost a year later the program is bringing nine Nova Scotian communities closer to achieving sustainability in transportation.  

The Green Mobility Capital Grants Program is a one-year pilot program of the Ecology Action Centre and is funded by Conserve Nova Scotia, the provincial government’s energy efficiency agency. The program is designed to assist towns, municipalities and community groups in the creation of environmentally-friendly transportation infrastructure projects.

A call for proposals was issued in May 2007, and communities across the province responded enthusiastically.  The program has demonstrated the real demand and public support for more sustainable transportation options in rural Nova Scotia.   

Grants ranging from $2,000 to $25,000 were awarded to nine rural communities to help finance transportation infrastructure projects that demonstrated both ecological and social benefits to the community. Projects, scheduled to be complete by June 2008, include the installation of bike racks, construction of walking trails, painting of bike lanes, and the purchase of passenger vans for new and existing community-based transportation services.   

These projects will make alternative transportation methods such as walking, cycling, and van pooling more viable in these smaller, typically car-dependent communities.  Furthermore, these projects will reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, support community development, and improve safety, affordability and access for residents.

The Ecology Action Centre hopes this program marks the beginning of greater provincial investment in sustainable transportation. For more information contact the Ecology Action Centre (902) 429-0924, or visit www.ecologyaction.ca/trax. 

Winnipeg -- Active Transportation Users To Get Rewarded

In a follow-up to their successful 2007 campaign, Resource Conservation Manitoba plans to reward active transportation users with free muffins and beverages on Clean Air Day 2008 (June 4).  The event targets early-morning commuters -- starting at 6:30 a.m. -- who are using any form of active, non-polluting transportation like cycling, walking, in-line skating etc.

Resource Conservation Manitoba is coordinating the event on the Esplanade Riel where they can catch commuters making their way downtown.  “Last year, people were surprised,” said Commuter Challenge Coordinator Sara Perlmutter. “They thought the event was really unique and appreciated the positive feedback on their lifestyle choices.”

[photo: participant Liz Dykeman enjoys a
cup of juice before heading off to work]      

The event recognizes the efforts of people already making sustainable choices and it helps to raise awareness about Clean Air Day and clean air issues in general.
Overall, last year’s event was a success with over 200 people coming through the station and considerable media attention. Organizers hope to see the numbers increase on Clean Air Day 2008.

 [photo: pedestrians coming over the
Esplanade Riel in Winnipeg]

-Jackie Avent, Resource Conservation Manitoba

Youth Volunteers Making Things Happen!

My name is Marie-Julie Herard. I am from Quebec and am presently involved in Katimavik.  I have just completed my first work experience with the New Brunswick Lung Association in Fredericton.
 
Katimavik is a volunteer program for young people between the ages of 17 to 21 years old.  We come from across Canada and live in groups of 8 to 10 participants.  The purpose of the program is to promote the personal development of young people though volunteering, life in a group, and learning though various activities. Over the nine months of the program, we will live in three communities across Canada, and volunteer 35 hours a week for non-profit organizations. 
 
While we focus on such things as leadership, language, culture, and a healthy lifestyle, there is also a focus on the environment.  Over the last two years, the Fredericton Katimavik group has played an active role in Clean Air Day activities with the New Brunswick Lung Association.  This has included greeting sustainable commuters, helping promote the Commuter Challenge, and helping host a Clean Air Day celebration in a local park.
 
Katimavik is a excellent program to help young people and also for the participating communities and non-profit groups.  Every town has unique situations that must be dealt with.  By employing the services of the youth of Canada through Katimavik, the community tackles work that needs doing, and provides experience for the next generation of working Canadians.  Thus, not only does a Katimavik volunteer help keep things running, they present a rare opportunity for growth in placements where money is tight, but ideas are plentiful.

If you would like more information on what Katimavik’s doing in your community, please visit .www.katimavik.org

GreenNexxus: Green Social Networking

Websites like MySpace and Facebook have proven that social networking is here to stay, creating great value for its members. GreenNexxus is a Canadian-based social network that focuses specifically on environment and health related issues. www.greennexxus.com provides the ability for people, organizations and businesses to share, publish and contribute green knowledge for the purposes of reducing our collective environmental impact.

Some of the key tools that GreenNexxus offers include:

•         The Green Energy Pledge – members can select the actions that plan to take to reduce their environmental impact. GreenNexxus then provides friendly reminders to make sure the pledges turn into reality.
•          Projects – members can share projects on line, either with all other GreenNexxus members or with smaller, secure groups. Projects can range from changing to light bulbs to academic initiatives to business focused programs.
•          Blog – members can blog about what little things they are doing to reduce their environmental impact.
•          Events – members can promote environmental and health related events, such as Clean Air Day.

GreenNexxus has also partnered with The Climate Project - Canada, Al Gore’s non-profit organization that trains people to present the live version of An Inconvenient Truth.  GreenNexxus will be used to help manage The Climate Project – Canada logistics as well as promote presentations across Canada.

Sign up today to start sharing your green knowledge as well as learning from others!

Radon – an indoor air quality issue.

When we think of air pollution we usually think of air that is smelly or that has a smoky appearance.  But there is one air contaminant that you can’t see, smell or feel.  Radon is  a radioactive gas which occurs naturally in the ground and is a breakdown product of Uranium.  The gas can seep into a home through dirt floors, cracks in concrete, and in through sumps, joints and basement drains.

In the open air, the amount of radon gas is very small and is not a health risk. However, in some confined spaces like basements, radon can accumulate to relatively high levels and become a health hazard. Exposure to high levels of radon has been associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, depending on the length of exposure and the amount of radon in the home.

After considering new evidence about radon and the risk of lung cancer, Health Canada, in partnership with the provinces and territories, have developed a new guideline for radon levels inside dwellings.  The guideline is reduced from 800 to 200 becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m3) which is four times more stringent.

The level of Radon in homes varies greatly. Houses situated side-by-side can have very different levels.  The only way that you can measure Radon in you home is place a Radon detector in your home in the lowest level that you use on a daily basis.

Radon detectors are devices that are exposed to the air in a home for a specified period of time, and then sent to the laboratory for analysis. Analysis generally costs between $50 and $100. For information about testing for radon levels, please check your local Yellow Pages for "Home Inspectors" or “Indoor Air Analysis”.

If a home has over 200 Bq/m3, Health Canada recommends that a licensed builder remediate your home. This can include sealing cracks and openings in basement walls and floors, and around pipes and drains. More extensive remediation may be needed if the basement has an earthen floor.  Most renovations cost $500-$2000.

If you are building a new home, make sure that the builder minimizes Radon entry and puts ventilation pipes under the basement. If you are buying a house, it is a good idea to ask for a Radon analysis before you buy.

High levels of Radon in your home can be a health risk for your family. There is no need to panic if your home has elevated levels of Radon, health effects result from many years of exposure. However, it is easy to test for Radon, and possible to remediate your home to protect your family from this risk.

Health Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation have produced a booklet called Radon - A Guide for Canadian Homeowners.  To order a copy, call 1-800-668-2642. The call is toll-free in Canada.

Transportation Demand Management Gets a Boost from Young Environmentalists

Based on the growing interest in Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and ecomobility at the federal, municipal and community levels, Pollution Probe has developed a two-year Environmental Professionals Internship (EPI) in sustainable transportation.

The EPI Program is meant to give young environmentalists a broad understanding of environmental management and policy through work with stakeholders in industry, government and the not-for-profit sector.  And in the fall of 2007, thanks to a partnership between Pollution Probe, Environment Canada and the Town of Markham (and with support from the Laidlaw Foundation) the sustainable transportation internship began.

Some of the TDM projects for the intern included: researching methodologies for evaluating TDM benefits, reporting on school travel programs, engaging youth in regional mobility planning, and helping to foster communication between provincial departments and agencies such as the Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Education and other stakeholder agencies like Green Communities Canada.

Transportation Demand Management fits in well with the goals Clean Air Day by raising awareness and increasing action on clean air and climate change issues.  TDM is the use of policies, programs, services and products to influence whether, why, when, where and how people travel.  And with the transportation sector accounting for about 25% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, and significantly contributing to smog forming pollutants, it's important for all Canadians to make their personal travel decisions more sustainable.  

http://www.pollutionprobe.org/