Just when you think you’re down, something terrible happens. And then things get ugly.
Category: Environment
Banning Smoking In Cars With Children
Yes!
The small town [of Wolfville N.S.] is set to become the first municipality in Canada to ban smoking in vehicles when a child is present.
Doh!
Stead said if people really want to light up while transporting children, there’s nothing to stop them from leaving town.
I Wish I Was Wild At Heart
I cannot say enough praise about the Knowledge Network’s show called “Wild At Heart“. It is exposing all sorts of trips in BC that, frankly, I want to do. Not only do they present a TV show, they also provide recipes, trip planners, and entire episodes for free on their website.
If you’re curious about wilderness exploration within BC, check out this great showcase.
Now – next summer we can start easy with the Kettle Valley bike trip, but that Garibaldi trip looks fantastic. Maybe a Howe Sound Crest Trail trip first? Who’s in?
Help From Our Weeding Robotic Friends
Who among us likes to weed? Let’s step outside our suburban homes for a moment and think about the farmers out there – weeding might be a big issue for them. This brings us to the question of spraying herbicides to kill weeds versus manually weeding acres upon acres of vegetable patches. Thus was born the costly organics industry.
“But hold on,” say the Danish “why can’t we just build a robot to weed our farms for us?” And so they did.
Enter Hortibot. An approximate three-foot-by-three-foot, self-propelled, global positioning system, directed, weed-eliminating, automated robot.
Everything looks to be going green for this little ‘bot – it is purportedly cheaper than current methods and better for the environment as it is able to reduce herbicide usage and exposure on foods.
I have two questions:
- Why does it not use solar power?
- Does it do residential gardens?
A GAP Analysis – Without The Annoying Commercials
Ars technica recently had an interesting look at how the US government may have been “influencing” the reports on climate change in recent years.
And on that note, theBside will go quiet until at least April 18th to observe the solemn occasion of a work-free holiday. Adios!
Daylight Saving/Squander Time
Arstechnica summarizes the energy-savings impact of the recent changes to the daylight savings schedule in a nice short article.
Reuters spoke with Jason Cuevas, spokesman for Southern Co. power, who said it plainly: “We haven’t seen any measurable impact.” New Jersey’s Public Service Enterprise Group said the same thing: “no impact” on their business.
Ah bureacracy – where would we be without it?
Now how much time and money can the government spend figuring out if they should go back to the way it used to be?
Green Is My Favoite Colour – Is It Yours?
Anyone living in Canada that wants to know if there are any rebates or other incentives for choosing “green” as your favorite colour can now go to a single site and search based on your province and/or the programme type. Of course I’m refering to choosing to upgrade your property in an environmentally friendly manner when I say “choosing green” – you didn’t think I meant anything related to green money did you? Canadian money isn’t even green to begin with!
Thinking of updating your house windows but not sure if there are any monetary rebates available? Go there.
Want to look at replacing a dying furnace? Go there for potential bonus programmes and grants.
Some of the results there are now out of date, but it gives you a place to start your research at the very least. Good on Environment Canada for putting this together.