Sleeman Brewery, Guelph (Heather and Janine)
Tuesday, October 29; 7:00-9:00pm.
Sleeman Brewery: 401 to Hwy 6 North, turn right at the lights at Claire St. (the Brewery should be visible on the northeast corner). Our group will meet in the Sleeman reception area at approx. 6:50pm. Cost: $25 total (divided by the number of attendees). *Must be of legal drinking age, no sandals or open-toed shoes, wear/bring something warm (the wastewater facilities are outdoors, I think). ARRANGEMENTS: Heather will be picking up Janine, Karl, Mark, and Catherine in the ES2 Foyer (off Ring Rd.) at 6:00pm. Anyone else wishing to go on the field trip should meet us at the Brewery reception at 6:50pm.
The Sleeman Brewery has taken responsibility for pre-treating its waste water before discharging it into the municipal sewer system. Their on-site treatment facilities (anaerobic digesters, I believe) are being expanded to meet increases in production, and will be a focus for this tour. The tour guides are doing some advance research so that they know what they're talking about re. wastewater, and they will try to arrange for one of the wastewater engineers to take us on a more specialized tour of the facilities.
Waterloo Greenhome
When: Thursday, November 7/96
Where: I will have directions for Wednesday night. Why: To open your eyes to the incredible design, efficiency, recycling, reusing etc. that went into the Greenhome. You will get a first hand account either from Rolf Theissen the homeowner OR the engineer John Koko from Enermodel Engineering responsible for the design and construction. The Greenhome is likely the dream home of many environmentalists! What to bring: yourself and a donation for the local food bank (request of Rolf Theissen for the tour)
Body Shop Factory (Toronto) Thursday November,14 @10:30
Environmental Learning Centre; Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA
"Toilet water turns into wter fit to drink. Wafer thin disks which transform sunshine into electricity. Cycling your heart out to provide the energy you need to read at night. Pop bottles matamorphosised into a plush green carpet. Scrap car tires transmorgrified into a warm, bouncy floor.
These are not science fiction fantasies. They form part of a memarkably far-sighted concept for an Environmental Learning Centre which the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA is realizing. Situated on a 77-acre site in the midst of the scenic rolling Mennonie countryside, the second new building in the master plan is almost complete and already in use."
G. Newton
A Proposal for Urban Agriculture in K/W: Integrated Land-Use Planning, Waste Management and Food Production
A Vision of the Future
The year is 2036. The city of Kitchener / Waterloo has evolved into a whole new pattern of human settlement; the city is an ecologically closed loop system, where all of our waste is transformed into food, green, biodiversity and recycled products.
The raw resources of agriculture - land and water - have been reduced by one third, while our population has increased by two thirds. This acheivment is due, to a large degree, to a vast network of urban gardens which are producing vegetables, fruit, poultry, fish and small livestock four to six times more intensely than the standard agriculture of 1996.
People in 2036 have realized that urban agriculture is a practicle and efficient means of closing urban, open, carbon, nutrient and pollution loops. In the process, municipal and regional governments have saved costs in land and waste management.
Just as important, this network of urban agriculture has proven to be a resilient hedge aganist inflation and against civil and natural disasters. It is also a reliable source of income, in particular for low-income families, and provides recreational and educational opportunites with many health and theraputic benefits.
The Problems in 1996
1 € For many low-income earners (and others) in Kitchener / Waterloo, accessing adequate amounts of nutritions food can be a significant problem. And the number of people who are facing this problem in our community is increasing, and, by many accounts, will continue to increase (Food Bank of Waterloo Region, 1995/96).
2 € Our community, like most in Canada, imports much of its food; we have locked ourselves into the international food market. This market can be highly exploitive, and ecologically destructive, and yet product advertising and our formal education tells us nothing about the costs that the production, distribution and consumption of a food product entails. We are ill equiped to make informed choices.
3 € A lamentable product of most urban communities - including K/W - is the lack of meaningful public space. At the root of many branches of the environmental movement are the notions of community and public participation. Public spaces - places where people can freely gather to interact - are an important part of facilitating both. Public spaces can be particularily important for lower income earners who are denied many opportunites to participate in mainstream social life, and thus the opportunity to be part of the broader community.
4 € Land-use practices encourage the expansion of our city onto prime agricultural lands while lands within the existing city boundaries remain cronically under-used. Such planning practices reflect the idea that cities can afford to continually sprawl, and continually import vast amounts of energy and resources to subsidize their existance. These notions, of corese, are not sustainable.
Some Opportunities for Change in 1996
1 € Community gardens give people the opportunity to learn about systems of food production, distribution and consumption, and our place in that system, and opportunities to learn about ecology in general. Many municipalities are now acknowledging these benefits, and supporting gardening programmes.
2 € There is a movement across North American cities to have community gardens in urban areas. And in the South, urban food production has increased, in many areas, by as much as 200% over the past 10 years (Urban Agriculture, Jac Smit). These are trends to be encouraged.
3 € There is an abundance of ill-used land in K/W, presenting us with the opportunity to put it to use for food production. The benefits of such use, I would argue, clearly outweigh the risks.
4 € There are many people in our community who are interested in community gardening, who would readily participate in a garden.
The Changes
This section outlines the changes that would need to be made if urban agriculture were to become a reality by 2036, and assesses the viability of such changes and how they correspond to the notions put forth by the conserver society. Below are some of the many questions that would have to be addressed when considering how we would get to a city filled with agricultural activities (and whether we would want to).
Land-Use Planning € How much land is there in urban and suburban areas that could be infilled? € Are there particular land areas (institutional and utility lands, steep slopes and flood plains) that could be made use of? € What form(s) of settlement patterns would our city have to adopt for UA to be viable? € What are the implications for transportation and
Economics For UA to become a reality in this community, it would have to be economically viable. In other words, we would have to know: € How much income would be generated, and for who? € How much money in waste management could be saved? € What kind of capital investments would be involved? € What kind of maintenance funds would be involved? € What costs would be involved in diverting wastes? € Would the costs justify the social (employment, recreation, food security, health and therapy) and ecological (city greening, waste and water management and urban biodiversity) benefits? -- compared to other projects aimed at benefiting the public?
The Social Realm € Would a city filled with agricultural activities be socially acceptable, and under what conditions?
€ Given expected demographic shifts, what benefits or drawbacks would UA have for the population?
Institutions and Policy € What system of zoning would be needed to accomodate UA? € Would municipal / regional support be needed, and if so, of what nature?
€ What would schools', universities', senior centres', churches' and recreational clubs' involvement be?
€ What, if any, provincial policiy considerations are there?
I would like to examine the electric automobile as a means to reach a Conserver Society.
Electric vehicles (EV) are becoming an available technology in the 1990s, with GM introducing its EV1, the first commercial electric vehicle, just this year. GM is conducting a pilot program in Arizona or California with the EV1, which would be interesting to look into.
While EV's are praised for their effects on immediate air quality, there are many unexamined questions about their ultimate contribution to a conserver society shift:
- the techological viability in other climates and conditions, - hidden and explicit infrastructure costs, - social benefits (incl. quality of life in heavily populated areas from reduced noise and immediate air pollution),
- social problems (incl. equity issues; will the rich/1st world be the only users?),
- public perceptions of the risks, benefits, and drawbacks, - transference of pollution sources to power plants, - the effects on energy demands,
- the economic effects on traditional auto-related industries (which will be affected and how?),
- our underlying social dependence on cars in planning and everyday practices,
- possible effects on inter-community social interaction (due to reduced range),
- policy and planning implications on municipal, regional, national and international scales,
- the application of the technology on a global scale.
I will look at how well the EV technology can be ideally and realistically used to achieve GAMMA's three CS stages, as well as evaluating how appropriate it is in the overall context of a Conserver Society.
For sources, I will be using mainly magazine and journal articles (since there has been widespread media interest in the technology recently), and I will also be relying heavily on current info from Websites.
According to the proposal bibliography in the 385 Website, electric vehicles haven't yet been used as a 385 topic, and I am personally interested in them since I am seriously considering buying one in the future. I've heard only positive reviews... are they really the answer to all our problems?!
The Conserver Society Mortgage
The conditions placed upon housing loans can greatly impact housing design. Requirements such as a traditional furnace, being connected to the electric 'grid', and traditional water management may be conditions attached to obtaining a mortgage in Canada.
For my proposal I will be looking at some Canadian banks such as Canada Trust and The Bank of Nova Scotia to see what attempts are being made to promote alternative housing and technologies.
The Canada Trust EnviroMortgage is an example of one type of mortgage which may incorporate some of the principles of a conserver society. The EnviroMortgage is available when you purchase an R2000 energy-efficient home. You will also receive up to $1,000 towards you homes energy bills.
I would like to e-mail these banks and determine their policies on providing mortgages to homes with five characteristics:
1) composting toilets
2) solar panels
3) high insulation (R2000 +)
4) tire homes
5) off grid home ( for both electricity and water output)
Do existing mortgages fall into the CS1, CS2 or CS3 model? What is the underlying motive of banks in providing what Canada Trust calls 'EnviroMortgages'?
What steps can be taken to encourage the GAMMA CS1, CS2, and CS3 scenarios? Do banks have a role in promoting these scenarios? Where should the money be coming from to provide these loans? (i.e. should only local money be used to promote local housing projects?)
I am interested in looking at how those who lead a transient lifestyle (especially students, the unemployed) can work towards a conserver lifestyle.
Here is a general breakdown:
1. Obstacles to acting more responsible towards the environment (ie. living in rental accomodation, lack of control over energy consumption caused by the ineffiencies of the building, "inclusive of utility" rent payments, financial situation
2. Individual solutions (ie. composting, putting pressure on landlord/ educating landlord about energy effiency, awareness of products purchased)
3. Collective solutions (ie. cooperative living, community gardening, shared appliances)
. Solar Energy in the Household - A Study of its Place in a Conserver Society
Possible Paper Breakdown:
- Introduction
- The origins
- How it works
- Where it is used (now and in the future) - Economic feasibility
- Social acceptance (government , corporations and the general public) - Advantages and disadvantages
- Potential for growth
- Summary
I would like to examine the electric automobile as a means to reach a Conserver Society.
Electric vehicles (EV) are becoming an available technology in the 1990s, with GM introducing its EV1, the first commercial electric vehicle, just this year. GM is conducting a pilot program in Arizona or California with the EV1, which would be interesting to look into.
While EV's are praised for their effects on immediate air quality, there are many unexamined questions about their ultimate contribution to a conserver society shift:
- the techological viability in other climates and conditions, - hidden and explicit infrastructure costs, - social benefits (incl. quality of life in heavily populated areas from reduced noise and immediate air pollution),
- social problems (incl. equity issues; will the rich/1st world be the only users?),
- public perceptions of the risks, benefits, and drawbacks, - transference of pollution sources to power plants, - the effects on energy demands,
- the economic effects on traditional auto-related industries (which will be affected and how?),
- our underlying social dependence on cars in planning and everyday practices,
- possible effects on inter-community social interaction (due to reduced range),
- policy and planning implications on municipal, regional, national and international scales,
- the application of the technology on a global scale.
I will look at how well the EV technology can be ideally and realistically used to achieve GAMMA's three CS stages, as well as evaluating how appropriate it is in the overall context of a Conserver Society.
For sources, I will be using mainly magazine and journal articles (since there has been widespread media interest in the technology recently), and I will also be relying heavily on current info from Websites.
According to the proposal bibliography in the 385 Website, electric vehicles haven't yet been used as a 385 topic, and I am personally interested in them since I am seriously considering buying one in the future. I've heard only positive reviews... are they really the answer to all our problems?!
Greenhomes: the Home for a Conserver Society
We have always been told that your home is the single largest investment you'll ever make. People who either i) live in a conserver society, or ii) want to live a conserver society life should have a house that is consistent with CS ideals. That house is the Greenhome. In my proposal I intend on examining the Greenhome in terms of:
-overall sustainability
-design
-building materials ie. selection, quality -building envelope: windows, insulation, doors -interior comfort: carpets, lighting, paints, refrigerator, washer and dryer -HVAC system: energy sources, sustainability -feasibility comparison: consumption and utility costs compared to a similar conventional house
-recycling and reuse of other post-consumer fibres/materials -grey water recycling system
-social responsibility
When we make the transition to a Conserver Society, our building codes and standards will have to as well. If Greenhome design was used for all houses built from now on it would not only make it cheeper to build a Greenhome (market demand for various products therefore the prices would decrease), I think that there would be a noticeable decrease in our overall energy consumption as a nation.
In addition to the Waterloo Greenhome, there are several others like it across Canada. I will compare the various designs and see what strengths and weakness the other homes have.
For sources I will contact John Koko at Enermodel who will be extremely helpful (I know that from a past project), the web which has an endless amount of info on technologies, magazines etc. I am sure that James might just have a couple of books on energy resources, sustainable housing etc. )
Wouldn't You Like to a Veggie Too?
I know it may seem overdone but I'd like to discuss the environmental merits of vegetarianism. I feel there are some major misconceptions about why people are Vegetarians(it's not all cuddly-wuddly animal lovers) and what exactly is a Vegetarian. What was once considered by many as a trivial and "flaky" practice, Vegetarians have grown in number and have increaed their political power manyfold since the early 1980's.
I would also like to dispell many of the health myths related to the Vegetarina diet. I am going to address the concern that humans are omnivores and thereore must consume meat for surrvival. In fact I am going to promote that humans must eat LESS meat inorder to surrvive. I am going to debate the "animal lover" attitude to Vegetarianism and the "political/environmental" beleivers.
I have various excellent sources lined up including an ongoing subscription to the "Vegetarian Times" and "The Natural Way". I intend to document my oponion of the Vegetarian diet through discussions with pysicians and health experts including homeopathy professionals.
I would also like to include in my proposal a rough guide with some easy to "experiment with" Vegetarian practices. The guide would include ways to cut out certain things without making major scarifices that many people may not be ready for. I will discuss the difference between "very veggie" and "little veggies". I firmly beleive that any attempt at sustainable eating should be commended and therefore I will start at the beginning of the veggie journey and show people where they can go from there.
Lastly I would like to include in my proposal, "You've Come a Long Way Veggie" which would be a sort of retrospectvie look at where much of the movement began and where it has arrived at (wher it will be in the future). This particular part of my proposal I feel will relate well to the CS1, CS2, and CS3 approaches.
Proposal - Electric Utilities Energy Efficient Restructuring
In an age of resource shortages and and diminishing supply, the need for improved efficiency of energy use and pollution control have become increasingly important. We now know that the rate and amount of domestic energy we use is the single most important factor when determining the environmental impact we have on the Earth. There has been a growing trend to monitor our personal energy use from turning all lights off unless needed to developing new energy efficient technologies that remove some of the burden of our consumption patterns. However, it is not only the consumer responsibility to change his or her ways, but the onus also lies on the supplier of that energy.
Recently, electric utilities have been hard-pressed (and it is in their best interests) to reorganize the way they supply energy. To benefit the businesses utility companies operate and the consumers they provide their service with, encouraging conservation measures is a significant step towards a sustainable energy future.
In my proposal, I would like to outline some of the ways electric utility services have made the leap towards conserving energy resources. For example:
- automatic utility rate adjustments should not be permitted UNLESS
they promote pollution control and efficient use of energy resources;
- volume discounts should phased out to make way for perhaps
discounts for energy saved;
- customers should not be discouraged from owning/installing
renewable energy devices and technologies by discriminating rates and charges, and utilities should encourage and assist customers in installing energy-efficient and cost-effective devices
Example: City of Talahassee (FL)
1. provides free home energy analysis to customers 2. supplies free water heater blankets to customers 3. will pay 80% (up to $400) to install ceiling insulation 4. will grant 5 year low- interest loan (5%) for the installation of cost-effective improvements
Such a restructuring has the potential to save billions of dollars a year across North America and will prolong our energy supply and resources.
Some sources: New England Electric, the Sierra Club, various public utility services. If anyone knows of any other sources of information, please don't hesitate to contact me.
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