“I’ve walked through my house and done all the things that I can to improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption,” says award-winning actor R.H. Thomson. “It didn’t strike me as wise having one big 45 gallon hot-water tank located 80 feet from the nearest sink. So I installed smaller hot water tanks closer to the places that will use the hot water.”

Thomson says he has been recycling, composting and taking public transit for over 25 years and is very concerned with the amount of overconsumption he sees around him. To heat his house, Thomson purchased a Tulikivi masonry heater – a wood burning stove with a soapstone exterior. “We’re about 2,000 years past the technology of an inefficient fireplace to heat ourselves,” explains Thomson. “I use a Finnish-designed thermal mass heater instead of a traditional fireplace. I throw a small amount of wood in, watch my gas bill drop to next to nothing and feel good that wood is carbon neutral.”

Another of Thomson’s pet peeves about ‘modern’ society is the importation of food from countries around the world just so we can enjoy apples from New Zealand or fresh cut flowers from Columbia. “As I sat in a restaurant in Winnipeg I asked how they could offer ‘fresh shrimp’ on their menu. I was told that it was flown in everyday. I thought, do I really need shrimp in Winnipeg in the middle of winter?” Thomson counsels, if we really want to buy wisely, for the health of the environment, we should question the origin and the impact of food and other items that are imported for our convenience.

Thomson notes, “We don’t have an open time frame to solve problems such as our CO2 emissions. We need to become aware of the full impact of our actions. It involves some ‘root thinking’. For a start, we can achieve the same results by simply consuming less, and buying locally. That will reduce the amount of transportation involved and that reduces emissions.”

Sarah Hall, Stained Glass artist.

For the past three years, Sarah Hall has incorporated photovoltaic solar cells into her beautiful works of stained glass art. Hall has exhibited/installed her work throughout North America, in Germany, France and the U.K. over her 25 year career. The discovery of a unique fabrication of solar cells led to Sarah's blending of a traditional art with a contemporary statement of sustainability.

"My work takes me to many different places, and I am amazed at the range of responses to the environmental challenges we face, from the blithe ignorance of the SUV culture in parts of North America, to the wind farms and massive solar cell installations being used more and more in of Europe. Although stained glass isn't usually considered to be an element of sustainable living, there is more potential there than one may think, and I have been working hard to expand that potential.

As for our personal lives, our living in Toronto limits what we can do (no windmills in my neighborhood yet), but we have tried to make responsible choices. When I recently had to move my design studio I made sure the new one was within walking distance from home - and most days I do walk, unless I'm transporting materials. My husband and I share a subcompact car, and he carpools or takes transit for his work, so on many days the car isn't used at all. Our next car will be a hybrid. We have gradually been replacing our light bulbs with compact fluorescents, and we have recently installed an energy efficient furnace. We compost all organic matter and do not purchase overly packaged items. "

Sarah's work can be seen on her website, www.sarahhallstudio.com

Re: Queen’s Park mystifies energy executives

The recent newspaper headline kind of said it for me too. One day, the provincial government is closing all of its ‘bad’ coal-fired plants, then it proclaims ‘not so hasty’. Okay, I admit it’s not a good idea to close one coal-fired power plant just to import electricity from Michigan (home of untold dirty coal-fired power plants). But there are alternatives.

A week later, with plant closures and layoffs threatened in the already suffering manufacturing sector, the province backs off its pledge to end the price cap on industrial electricity rates. This simply means that the average taxpayer continues to support industry through the back door. Note to Ontario taxpayers: thanks to the price cap, big consumers of electricity collected $740 million in electricity rebates last year.

A day later, the province announces that it will proceed with the Portlands Energy Centre, a natural gas-fired power plant on Toronto’s shoreline (right next to the closed coal-fired plant) much to the objection of area residents. Yah, sure. Gas is so much better than coal. But when the government muses about only opening the plant for 5 or 6 years, one wonders where the economists are hiding.

Then to top that, the province announces a series of ‘town hall’ meetings with citizens around the province to discuss Ontario’s electricity supply mix. On the first day of meetings, it is revealed (through a freedom-of-information request) that OPG is scoping out two locations for new nuclear plants – before the public gets to comment on the recommendations.

Call me cynical but all of the above, combined with a limp approach to conservation and ‘demand response’ initiatives, has me mystified as to what the province is up to as well.

Anglican Bishop Colin Johnson, chief pastor of the Toronto Diocese.

"We’ve composted for fifteen years or more – ever since our daughter was in Grade 6. She had a teacher that was very keen on composting. We said we would, and have done so ever since. I take the GO train, the commuter train, whenever I can, rather than drive. I must say that it allows for reading on the train or doing some work. I would prefer not to drive as much as I do but it’s part of my work. You simply can’t take public transit everywhere you go. Having better public transit would help.

My mother-in-law was a severe asthmatic. In summer times, on days of poor air quality she couldn’t go out. Several of our parishioners are affected by air quality. For me, the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions has less to do with accords or agreements, it's simply the right thing to do.

We do not have a programmable thermostat but we just turn down the heat at night. You don’t have to have high technology to make changes in your lifestyle. At the office we recycle and have policies about turning off lights. All of us have opportunities to cut down consumption and the generation of greenhouse gases. It’s like exercise, we know it’s good for us – we just need to get up and do it."

Evalyn Parry, Canadian singer, songwriter, spoken word and theatre artist. Evalyn recently returned from a trip to Tanzania and Zambia where she was surrounded by beautiful landscape and incredible music. Despite a desperately high rate of HIV, the people Evalyn met accepted her and inspired her with their generosity, even when they had little.

"I worked for Greenpeace and other environmental groups years ago. Perhaps it was because of my parents' influence. I don't own a car and I guess you could say that cycling is my main form of advocacy. I take to the streets even in bad (winter) weather. If it's really bad then I'll take transit. Toronto has a pretty good transit system. I have a Metro pass and I'm pleased that I can bring my bike onto streetcars. It's disheartening to see all these SUVs on city streets but I am encouraged to see things like Smart Cars."

(Evalyn's love of cycling can be seen on her website www.evalynparry.com)

"I'm all for the government providing economic initiatives. Low wattage bulbs, energy efficient appliances, and declining SUV sales. These are all good things.

As with so many things, it's our personal habits that actually matter. It's fun to look at how much you can do to reduce personal greenhouse gas emissions."

Watch for Evalyn's production "Clean Irene and Dirty Maxine" at the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre opening March 16.

Being Mayor of one of Canada's major cities focusses a lot of attention on your personal lifestyle. Take Edmonton's Mayor Stephen Mandel, for example. When local environmental group C.O.R.E. (CO2 Reduction Edmonton) asked the Mayor to do an energy audit on his house, he had little choice but to comply.
"I'm glad they did," said Mayor Mandel. "They found out that my house, even though it was relatively new, needed a lot of improvements. There were simple things that we could do like change light bulbs to compact flourescents. For other improvements, we'll call in the experts."
Often, the cost to replace lights and windows will be more than made up by energy savings and offset by the Government of Canada’s program EnerGuide for Houses Retrofit Incentive. Eligible homeowners can receive between $400 and $1,000 to go towards energy efficiency retrofits. This one easy program can save Canadians money not to mention give them a warmer, cozier house. The Mayor was so impressed by the program that he has helped taped a television show ‘Code Green’ to be seen later this Spring on CBC.
Mayor Mandel notes, "The younger generation I talk to are very interested in the environment." Though he's only been Mayor of Edmonton for one term, Mandel has learned the lesson that constituents often pick up on trends well before politicians do. In Edmonton, however, Mandel points to the city's leading program for sustainable waste treatment and features a newer power plant with lower CO2 emissions.

Juno award winning singer/songwriter Sarah Harmer lives in a farmhouse in Eastern Ontario. A founder of P.E.R.L. (Protecting Escarpment Rural Land), Sarah states, "Turning lights off around the house was something that was drilled into me by my Dad. My house is drafty so I should work on raising the energy efficiency of the house. Right now I heat it with propane and a wood stove. I've replaced my gas lawnmower with a push mower."
Harmer admits that her biggest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is her car knowing that transportation accounts for around 50% of most people's GHG. "If I got rid of my car, I'd have to live in a big city like Toronto," Harmer says preferring to concentrate on things around her home. "I bought an energy efficient washing machine a few years ago," says the singer, "but I dry my clothes outside on a closeline."
Harmer also plants a few trees each year and purchases energy off-sets through the Pembina Institute. Rather than get discouraged when she walks past an office building fully lit with no one inside, Harmer asks, "well, what else are you going to do? You have to do something. You become conscious that water is finite. Clean air is finite. It becomes a habit of using less water, doing fewer things to pollute the air. You have to give yourself a little credit for doing something and hope others will join in as well. It becomes a cumulative thing."