Weekly Energy-Saving Tip

Wash all your clothes in cold water (the whites too)

Between 80 and 90% of the energy used to wash clothes is used for heating the water.

By switching from warm to cold water washing, you could save around $50/year in water heating costs. Plus, clothes washed in cold water retain their colour longer. And don’t worry about the clothes not being cleaned properly – new detergents have been developed to work in specifically cold water.

As well, did you know that with Vancouver’s very soft water, we only need to use about half the manufacturers’ recommended amount of laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, other similar cleaners and even toothpaste?

Save even more energy by hanging your clothes to dry! Did you know that 6% of a household’s electricity is used by dryers?

Websites of interest

Good Work Canada – fantastic list of green jobs across the country
http://www.planetfriendly.net/gw.php

Environmental Careers Organization – job list and career information, professional designations
http://www.eco.ca/Portal/default.aspx

Lighthouse Sustainable Building Centre – green jobs and events in Vancouver
http://www.sustainablebuildingcentre.com/

Articles

Sustainability in BC/Canada

 

CANADA FALLING BEHIND IN CLEAN-TECH RACE, INDUSTRY INSIDERS SAY

From the Vancouver Sun, October 25, 2009

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Canada+falling+behind+clean+tech+race+industry+insiders/2143694/story.html

 

SCHOOLS STRUGGLE WITH GREENHOUSE GAS TARGETS: STUDY

B.C.’s colleges and universities lack sufficient funding, information and support to meet the provincial government’s requirement that they become carbon neutral by 2010, according to a new education-sector study.

http://www.walkingthetalk.bc.ca/takingaction

 

WHAT TO DO WITH JACK

‘Jack’ is a Jack O’ Lantern, a carved pumpkin. He’s great fun on October 31st, but by November 1st, he needs to move on.  Tips for what to do with your pumpkins after Halloween, from Metro Vancouver.

http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/solidwaste/zerowaste/Pages/whattodowithJack.aspx

 

Green Technology in BC

 

DAY4 ENERGY TO BUILD 2.4 MEGAWATT PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANT FOR GUNTHER HEISS SOLAR GMBH & CO. KG

Vancouver-based Day4 Energy announced it has executed an agreement to deliver a turnkey 2.4 megawatt roof-mounted turnkey photovoltaic power plant for Gunther Heiss Solar Gmbh & Co. KG in Germany.

http://www.bctechnology.com/scripts/display_news.cfm?id=28428

 

AXYS TECHNOLOGIES WIND RESOURCE ASSESSMENT BUOY VALIDATION UNDERWAY

AXYS Technologies announced today the deployment of the offshore wind resource assessment buoy – the WindSentinel™ – off of Race Rocks Island, in the coastal waters of British Columbia, Canada.

http://www.bctechnology.com/scripts/display_news.cfm?id=28410

 

CARMANAH TECHNOLOGIES NAMED ONE OF CANADA’S TOP 10 CLEANTECH COMPANIES

Victoria-based Carmanah Technologies has been named one of Canada’s top green technology companies on Corporate Knights Cleantech 10™ list. http://www.bctechnology.com/scripts/display_news.cfm?id=28392

 

DYNAMOTIVE UPGRADES BIOOIL FROM MULTIPLE BIOMASS SOURCES TO A UNIFORM HYDROCARBON PRODUCT

Vancouver-based Dynamotive Energy Systems Corp. announced today that it successfully applied the BINGO BioOil upgrading process to BioOils produced from a variety of feedstocks.

http://www.bctechnology.com/scripts/display_news.cfm?id=28425

One Day

One Day is about taking small steps to reduce energy use, at home and on the move, to make Vancouver the cleanest, greenest, healthiest city in the world.

Sing up to get reminders on the different actions that you can take to be part of One Day. The reminders are targeted to people in Vancouver, but the actions and ideas are relevant wherever these emails may find you.

http://vancouver.ca/oneday/