The East Northumberland Secondary School presents groundbreaking for a wind turbine in Brighton, Ont.

The East Northumberland Secondary Schools students and staff gathered together for the groundbreaking for a wind turbine that the community and school have been fundraising for on May 20. They raised approximately $26, 000.


The ENSS wind turbine fundraisers received donations from 14 community groups and organizations:

Codrington Womens Institute, the Kinsmen Club of Brighton, Knights of Columbus,
Lions Club of Brighton, Masonic United Lodge No. 29, Order of Eastern Star Colborne Chapter #82, Order of The Royal Purple, Presquile Yacht Club, Rotary Club of Brighton, Colborne Rotary Club, Royal Canadian Legion Brighton Branch 100, Smithfield Coffee Club, Wooler Womens Institute, and Northumberland Business Development Assistance Corp. and Northumberland Community Futures Development Corp.

The school obtained $5,000 worth of gifts in kind including:
Coles Tim- Br, Electro- Cables Inc, Fledderus Concrete, Quinte Mobile Concrete Service, Rowley Electric, Indewey Excavating, MODU-LOC Fence, and Lou Kuipers Concrete.

The school held a number of fundraisers and received donations from local businesses.

Learn more about wind turbines

The National Fuel Efficiency Policy and how it affects Belleville

The amount of hybrid cars available at a dealership has a lot to do with the price of gas, says Doug Harrison, sales and leasing consultant.
With the price of gas at a high of $1.40 a gallon in 2008, Harrison said it was impossible to keep a hybrid in stock. With the price of gas currently being more affordable, less people are willing to spend the extra cash on a new fuel efficient car.
With the declaration of the National Fuel Efficiency Policy, stating strict new rules on car exhaust emissions and directed producers, the number of hybrid cars available will increase between 2012 and 2016. The policy requires U.S. automakers to produce cars and trucks that will achieve an average of 35.5 mpg (or 29.56 mpg in Canada).

“At a time of historic crisis in our auto industry, this rule provides the clear certainty that will allow these companies to plan for a future in which they are building the cars of the 21st century,” said President Barack Obama in a White House press release.
On this past Earth Day, Honda introduced a brand new hybrid vehicle called Insight. It is currently Canada’s lowest priced hybrid at $23,900.

“What a lot of people are not aware of is that even though this vehicle is more money a buyer could get as much as $2,000 in P.S.T. back as a rebate,” said Harrison. “Suddenly this $23,900 starts to become a lot less expensive, plus the long term fuel savings.”
Brian Scharf, a professor for the automotive service technician apprenticeship program at Loyalist College says a hybrid owner wouldn’t see any payback until at least seven years down the road.

Brian Scharf

“The issue with hybrid technology is the cost,” said Scharf. “There is always substantial cost for a hybrid car compared to a normal internal combustion engine car.”
Hybrid cars basically have a redesigned engine to make the best use of fuel being put into the car.

“If they squeeze a little bit more into a hybrid they can extend the mpg number. Hybrid vehicles are a transition between the good old gas guzzlers to something that is the next step,” said Scharf. “Ultimately it’s not the answer but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
According to Scharf there are many alternatives to hybrid cars that are still fuel efficient such as fully electric cars and vehicles that are downsized. These alternatives would eliminate all the huge vehicles on the road, which improves gas mileage and cut emissions at the same time.

“There is a variety of different things that could be implemented other than hybrid vehicles,” said Scharf. “It’s just one direction the manufacturers seemed to have gone. And if the price will go down then people would be more ambitious to buy a hybrid.”
This is the future of the auto industry but unfortunately for Loyalist College students, only four per cent of the curriculum will deal with hybrid vehicles specifically in two to three years from now.

“Right now the curriculum is dated, so it’s in the process of being revised,” said Scharf.
Harrison says there are many things to take into consideration when purchasing a hybrid vehicle.

“An owner of a hybrid vehicle would greatly benefit from city driving. If you do a lot of driving on the highway you will not get proportionally as great a savings as you would as driving regular gas car,” said Harrison. “But it is a little presumptuous to say you won’t see any savings seven years from now.”
Harrison said this policy would affect manufacturers, so it will affect the dealership in Belleville.

“I think what we are gong to see in the next five or 10 years is a very different product selection from these manufacturers,” Harrison said.

“35.5 mpg a very good thing,” said Allan Chatwood, mechanic of 42 years at Shaw Auto in Belleville.
Chatwood will have to take a training course if a customer brought in their hybrid car to be fixed, but Harrison disagrees.

“Most people return their hybrid cars to their dealership if the vehicle needs any work on the warranty, but electric motors do not require a lot of maintenance,” said Harrison. “We have a saying here ‘Why open your hood to strangers?’ If any components went defective a specialist should have a look at it.”


Click image to enlarge

To read The National Fuel Efficiency Policy click here

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Ground breaking for wind turbine

At East Northumberland Secondary School in Brighton, Ont. students, faculty and participants were excited about the ground breaking for their long a-waited wind turbine. The school and community raised $26, 000 to get the project going. Stay tuned for a multi-media piece in just a few short days!

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The ban on "cosmetic" pesticides

First of all what does cosmetic pesticides mean? According to Bill 64, Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act, cosmetic pesticides mean "non-essential".
Ontario’s lawns, gardens, school yards and parks should be a lot healthier since Earth Day, April 22, 2009. That’s was the effective date of the province’s cosmetic pesticides ban.
The McGuinty government says the use of pesticides to control pesky weeds and insects for purely cosmetic reasons is an unnecessary risk to our families and pets, especially when you can have a healthier lawn and garden without chemicals.

The Canadian Cancer Society have made convincing cases for reducing our exposure to pesticides, particularly children who are generally more susceptible to the potential toxic effects of pesticides.

But are harmful pesticides really banned? According to www.news.ontario.ca there are many exceptions to these rules. Here are a few:

Golf courses: are conditionally excepted from the ban provided they follow tough new rules. They must become accredited for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) by an approved accreditation body. IPM uses a variety of tools, including best practices, mechanical and biological methods, along with pesticides when necessary, to manage pest populations. Golf courses must prepare an annual report on how they minimized their pesticide use and make the report accessible to the public. Also, they must hold a public meeting annually to present the report.
Sports fields: are allowed a short term exception from the ban to host national or international level sports competitions. Written approval for the exception must be granted by the Minister of the Environment. Once the event concludes, the use of pesticides must end. Areas such as lawns and gardens around the sports fields are not excepted from the ban.
Specialty turf: Pesticides can be used to maintain specialty turf used for lawn bowling, cricket, lawn tennis and croquet if certain conditions are met. Areas such as lawns and gardens around the specialty turf are not excepted from the ban. IPM and annual reporting conditions, similar to those imposed on golf courses, must be followed.
Trees: Since trees are so important to protecting our climate, licensed exterminators can use conventional pesticides with the written opinion of a tree care professional that states that the use of the pesticide is necessary to protect the health of the tree. Homeowners and licensed exterminators can also buy and use biopesticides and lower risk pesticides (e.g., Btk - a biopesticide sprayed over Ontario cities for Gypsy moth control) to care for trees without requiring an opinion from a tree care professional.
Agriculture: The use of pesticides is necessary for agriculture from an economic and operational perspective. Ontario farmers already have stringent rules on the use, handling, storage and application of pesticides, and these rules will continue. The exception does not apply to a farmer's household vegetable garden and lawn.
Forestry: The use of pesticides in forestry is essential to protect trees from pests, and to control competing vegetation. Ontario's forestry workers must follow stringent rules on the use, handling, storage and application of pesticides. The exception applies to a range of forestry activities including harvest and reforestation.
Public works: Under the health or safety exception, pesticides are allowed to be used to maintain safe conditions, and the security of and emergency access to public works. Public works include highways, railways, power works, gas works, water works and other utilities, transit/transportation corridors and the perimeter of nuclear facilities. The exception does not apply to the use of a pesticide on a portion of a highway to which pedestrians have access on a regular basis or where the public is invited to stop including picnic and rest areas.

From my understanding, the use of "cosmetic" pesticides are not supposed to be used by people with yards and lawns living in the city. Has the government of Ontario really put a ban to pesticide use?

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A not so eventful day, but hit up Facebook for me

Today I had to begin find more content for my website. I spent the entire day making phone calls, leaving messages and sending emails and doing more research. So far I have only set up two interviews for tomorrow. But the future looks a little brighter. Next Wednesday, a secondary school in Brighton are going to begin a ground breaking on setting up a new energy wind mill. I will be there at 9 a.m. to cover that and I'm looking forward to it.

Anywho! Check out the facebook profile and facebook group. Join, add, share and rejoice!

Green Living Fair, Port Hope

Durham Electric Vehicle Association displayed cars with electric engines.
Bettina and her husband Neal Pope inform visitors about the safety and quality of their paint products. These paint products are made from cork and bamboo, certifying its all natural ingredients.
Jack and Amy Deremo work with science teacher from Port Hope High School, Kristen Coughler on a project called "Power Houses."
Pam Lancaster is a Ganaraska Conservation authority. The centre is home to student education programs and recreational activities.


Durham Electric Vehicle Association, Restoration Depot and Ganaraska Conservation Forest Centre Program were just a few of the 51 exhibitors at the Port Hope Green Living Fair on May 9.

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Things aren't working out

So last week when I began this mission to start a website devoted to sustainable living and local people taking action on the environment sounded much better in theory. While my ideas are starting to unravel, I realize that these brilliant ideas that I had are not working out the way I wanted them too. So now I have to come up with a new multimedia project because the recycling plant is just not going to work out. I do not have enough time to start a project next week and I should have known that this was what was going to happen.

Now my plan is to come up with something new to do my multimedia piece on...but what? I guess I will have to figure that out very soon...I only have 2 more days to prepare for it.

Food for thought:

Global warming critics appointed to science boards

The Beginning

About my site

The content of this publication will have local and regional stories relating to sustainable living and people taking actions on the environment. I’ve thought about doing a two day multi-media piece on the recycling plant in Belleville. I am attending a living green fair in Port Hope on Saturday just to get the ball rolling. I hope I will be able to find some sort of interesting story out of it…hopefully a lead to something else. There is an energy windmill that will be built within the next two weeks in Brighton…so I’d like to incorporate that into my content if I have enough time. My e-journalism goals are met for my website because I will have different kinds of feature and news-worthy information in all different forms…such as print, photography, video and audio. My site will express “education, empower and engage” but giving important and fun facts about green living in and around Belleville. I want to try to make my site more then just your regular “go green” site. Those sites are usually made up of facts like “turn your lights out, don’t idle your car” I think this is information we all know. This will make my site unique because it will be more then just the repetitive facts we as the public hear all the time. My site will focus on journalism but I ‘d really like to incorporate more then just hard news.

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