There are formidable technical and economic obstacles to replacing fossil fuels with other forms of energy
With the federal election fast approaching, we can expect to hear a lot about climate change, energy policy and how government can spur the development of a ‘low-carbon’ economy. These themes are central to the platforms of a number of the political parties contesting the election. The discussion of these topics takes place against the…
ECO Canada report says labour market shortages remain a problem
Canada’s energy efficiency goods and services sector is poised to create 36,000 jobs this year, growing by 8.3 per cent, according to a report released on Monday by ECO Canada. The report said the sector directly employed about 436,000 permanent workers in 2018 across approximately 51,000 businesses across six industries. The report cited construction, manufacturing,…
The project is supported by thorough research into what works best to create a green city, a large injection of funds and the participation of lots of volunteers
By Natalia Pryadilina, Roy Damary and Allan Bonner The green city movement has given environmentalism new energy and purpose. Large urban populations offer economies of scale and walkability, and bring businesses closer to each other, their customers and their suppliers. But all of this comes with costs: pollution and waste. Understanding the greening of cities is…
Building standards include energy balance and water use, health and well-being of occupants, pollution, transport, materials, waste and ecology
By Natalia Pryadilina, Roy Damary and Allan Bonner Densely-populated cities are good for the environment in many ways. Condominiums and apartment buildings are more efficiently and easily heated and cooled. Public transport systems move people using a smaller environmental footprint. Walking is healthy. Yet cities also bring noise and air pollution. They create heat islands as…
It's a matter of sanitation, hygiene, health and aesthetics, and mental well-being, among other things
By Natalia Pryadilina, Roy Damary and Allan Bonner Just as forests are the lungs of the planet, urban woodland provides the green lungs of cities. But just how do trees absorb pollution and what becomes of it? The green city project underway in the Russian industrial city of Ekaterinburg provides some answers. The leaves of trees…
A ban of anything the environmental movement doesn’t like is smart politics for a government that wants to look green. But a bag ban is pointless
The fish in the movie Finding Nemo had made their great escape. After a far-fetched plan and an unlikely set of circumstances, five fish made it out the window and into the ocean. But since they each floated as buoyant prisoners in plastic bags, one asked, “Now what?” It’s the very question those on the…
Part 1 of a five-part series: Urban vegetation has implications for human mental and physical health, and combats flooding, heat, pollution and soil erosion
Can the Russians teach us anything about improving the quality of life in a major industrial city? The authors of a new five-part Troy Media series of articles believe so, especially from the ‘green city’ project being implemented in Russia's fourth largest city, Ekaterinburg (named after Peter the Great's wife) on the Ural mountains. This…
Elected officials are wrong to think that "clean tech" is about to reshape the Canadian economy
VANCOUVER, B.C. April 12, 2017 /Troy Media/ – There’s no evidence that “clean-tech” innovation is about to reshape Canada's economy, no matter how desirable that would be. Across Canada, politicians have become bedazzled by the potential of the clean-tech sector to drive economic growth. The 2017 federal budget earmarks more than $2.2 billion in new…
Important shifts in production and consumption are underway but any global energy revolution will be considerably slower than many believe
VANCOUVER, B.C. July 19, 2016/ Troy Media/ – Some Canadian environmental groups claim the world is making a dramatic move toward carbon-free energy sources. The implication is that Canada – one of the world’s largest producers of oil and natural gas – should quickly abandon the fossil fuel economy and embrace renewable energy as the only pathway to a…
Canada's most significant residential energy uses – transportation, space heating, electricity and hot water – can be minimized
CALGARY, Alta. June 16, 2016/ Troy Media/ – Most concerns about Canadian energy use focus on industrial activities such as oilsands development. But we can be more sustainable on an individual basis, starting in our homes. A friend recently asked what could be done to make his new house more sustainable. It’s a good question because there’s a lot to learn…
With the federal election fast approaching, we can expect to hear a lot about climate change, energy policy and how government can spur the development of a ‘low-carbon’ economy. These themes are central to the platforms of a number of the political parties contesting the election. The discussion of these topics takes place against the…
