Energy Nirvana But It Will Cost You And You And You

Branch plant ecology

Trees remove tonnes of pollution from the air and save cities millions by reducing demand for energy. Yet T.O. lags far behind U.S. cities when it comes to promoting and caring for our urban canopy. The provincial and federal levels of government provide no funding for urban tree-planting. The cost of watering remains a big issue, and seedlings in concrete planters typically die within seven years, rarely growing to the leafy state required to produce an eco benefit. Planting in deeper trenches or soil that resists compaction would be a good start. But if we’re going to meet the green-plan goal of doubling Toronto’s canopy, an aggressive planting program on private property, where trees can actually be cared for by homeowners, is a must. Right now, residents are waiting a year and a half or longer for the city to plant a free tree on their front lawn. And though our tree bylaw is supposed to protect mature stands, hundreds of conifers are being uprooted daily to make room for development.

And no mention of the damage and blockage to homeowner's sewer systems and the expense the homeowner faces........

Black gold or toxic trap

If there’s such a thing as being too successful, then T.O.’s green bin composting program is it. A third of our residential waste is organic, and some 100,000 tonnes of it is collected and turned into compost for gardens annually. Residents flock like ants to the piles of black gold made available free on Environment Days. But we’re already at capacity, trucking our organic waste to Halton and parts beyond (not very eco-friendly) for processing. Our ability to handle the stuff will only be stretched further as the city introduces green bin programs in apartment buildings. Some, like Councillor Gord Perks, think we should be pushing backyard composting to lighten the load on green bins. Eco-activists, worried about the bio-cumulative effects (read toxins) of materials like plastic diapers, kitty litter and bleach-containing paper towels, think the city should be cutting back on what we’re allowing in the containers. Producers of the nasty nappies should go cloth or be forced to take them back.

And what do the manufacturers do with the returned products and I can certainly see second generation yuppies storing and returning dirty diapers to collection centers.

Trip the light

Can taking T.O. closer to becoming the greenest city in North America be as easy as flipping a light switch? Yup – at Exhibition Place, at least. There, Canada's largest installation of light-emitting diode (LED) street lamps is shedding light on just how much energy we've been wasting flooding out streets with incandescent lamps. LEDs use 50 per cent less electricity, reducing costs and greenhouse gas emissions, and last 20 times longer than conventional street fixtures, whose propensity to burn out has helped put us on the road to ruin. Converting our 160,000 street lights to LEDs would save $6 million in electricity costs and reduce greenhouse gases by 18,000 tonnes, the equivalent of removing 3,608 cars from the street. More pilots for the low-heat lights are planned for several business improvement areas. A bright idea the city should be getting on in a flash.

Will this mean a reduction in local utility staff? Will this mean a lowering of hydro bills? Where do the capital $$$$ come from to buy and install these systems?