[getsmart-l] getsmart-l Digest, Vol 39, Issue 14

[Michael White]

Hi, John - the map of this planning was also really good from Toronto Star,
Jan. 17 pA10

Hard-won green victory for Oakville



 <http://www3.thestar.com/static/PDF/080117_oakville.pdf> North Oakville
plan (.pdf) 

OMB approves unprecedented plan to preserve 900 hectares amid development
for 50,000 people

Jan 17, 2008 04:30 AM 

Phinjo Gombu 
Staff Reporter



The Ontario Municipal Board has upheld a precedent-setting decision by the
Town of Oakville to preserve an extensive network of linked natural heritage
corridors as the "first priority" and foundation for a massive residential
development plan for about 50,000 people.

The proposed development is slated for mostly farmland and forest lots in an
area bounded by Dundas St. W., Ninth Line, Tremaine Rd. and Highway 407 -
one of the last large blocks of developable land left in Oakville.

The town's proposal means an unprecedented 900 hectares, or more than
one-third of the 3,400 hectares of developable land, will be preserved as
green space, something Oakville Mayor Rob Burton calls a "breakthrough" and
a first in green planning in Ontario.

The ruling is expected to have ramifications across the GTA, especially in
other high-profile developments in the works such as the provincially
planned green-and-sustainable community for about 70,000 people on the
Seaton Lands in north Pickering.

It's also expected to play a significant role in how the province's
internationally lauded Places to Grow Act is implemented. The act is an
attempt to contain urban sprawl by promoting intensification and growth in
already built-up urban areas in the Golden Horseshoe.

The OMB ruling marks the end of a decade-long battle by town planners and
activist-turned-politicians such as Burton, who fought to ensure the
proposed development would adhere to the planning principles of "new
urbanism," particularly in being more transit- and pedestrian-friendly.

"This is a wonderful day when you think of the 10 years worth of work that
so many people have put in to create this green day," Burton said yesterday.

"Clearly, times have changed and it's time for developers to get with the
action," Rick Smith, executive director of the activist group Environmental
Defence told the Star. "There has been a sea change (in planning principles)
with the advent of the Greenbelt."

The town has won a series of successive, hard-fought victories over
developers who initially tried to fight the Natural Heritage System idea of
planning at the OMB a few years ago and then abandoned the battle.

Most of the developers settled with the town in August, but a handful
continued to fight, asserting their right to develop lands the plan had
designated for green space.

"It's in perfect time with what the public thinks," Burton said of the OMB
decision. "The public today demands and expects green planning."

He said the town began its "systems-based" idea for planning long before the
provincial Greenbelt legislation came into being. 

Town officials have always emphasized that the planned system of linked open
spaces, woods and wildlife corridors, along water systems such as Bronte
Creek and Sixteen Mile Creek and their tributaries, preserves an area 20 per
cent bigger than New York's Central Park, bigger also than Vancouver's
Stanley Park and almost double the size of Toronto's High Park.

Until now, the notion of "linked natural heritage" corridors has typically
been an afterthought in planning GTA developments - or at least secondary to
the goal of putting in as many housing units as possible.

Smith said the ruling sends a message to other municipalities that
linked-systems planning is here to stay.

"The board finds that in setting policies and boundaries in this Secondary
Plan, the Town has done an admirable job of balancing the need to provide
land to accommodate (provincially) mandated growth with the equally
important need to maintain a vital, healthy natural heritage system," OMB
vice-chair Susan Campbell wrote in the decision.

She called the town policy a "superior and forward-looking method of
protecting the province's natural heritage."

Burton said the impact would be felt in places like Seaton, in north
Pickering, because planners from the provincial Ministry of Municipal
Affairs and Housing helped Oakville in its fight to preserve the Natural
Heritage System corridors.

As in north Oakville, plans for Seaton would set aside significantly larger
amounts of green space along river valleys and woodlot corridors.



 

 

-----Original Message-----
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[mailto:getsmart-l-bounces at list.web.net] On Behalf Of
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Subject: getsmart-l Digest, Vol 39, Issue 14

 

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Today's Topics:

 

   1. Green Toronto Awards 2008 (megan.hunter at utoronto.ca)

   2. Toronto Green Community  January and February Events (Janet May)

   3. FW: [TCAT News e-bulletin] January 14, 2008 (Janet May)

   4. 27th Guelph Organic Conference Jan 24-27 (John O'Gorman)

   5. Will the U.S. Law save us from polluting ourselves?

      (John O'Gorman)

   6. diesel is also getting a new pitch to make engines run      more

      economically and pollute less. (John O'Gorman)

   7. Canada-wide assessment of the safety of rural mailboxes

      (John O'Gorman)

   8. Still less for the landfills (John O'Gorman)

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Message: 1

Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:50:58 -0500

From: megan.hunter at utoronto.ca

Subject: [getsmart-l] Green Toronto Awards 2008

To: getsmart-l at list.web.net

Message-ID: <20080115095058.775vodsn40kos40g at webmail.utoronto.ca>

Content-Type: text/plain;     charset=ISO-8859-1;     DelSp="Yes";

      format="flowed"

 

 

Green Toronto Awards: Call for  Nominations

 

The annual Green Toronto Awards honour and celebrate leading companies,

organizations and individuals contributing to the  greening of the city.

Winners receive a $5,000  contribution to the registered charity of their

choice, recognition at an event, and profile in  the Toronto media so others

can learn and be inspired by their successes.

 

If you know  someone who has provided leadership in community or youth

projects, green design, energy  conservation, youth, environmental

awareness,  health, market transformation, green roofs or  water efficiency,

please encourage them to submit or do it for them!

 

Nominations close February 29, 2008.   For more information or to apply

online, visit:http://www.toronto.ca/greentorontoawards

 

 

 

 

------------------------------

 

Message: 2

Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:37:14 -0500

From: "Janet May" <janet at smartgrowth.on.ca>

Subject: [getsmart-l] Toronto Green Community  January and February

      Events

To: <getsmart-l at list.web.net>

Message-ID: <200801161734.m0GHYjra048834 at smtp0.beanfield.net>

Content-Type: text/plain;     charset="us-ascii"

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  BEST WISHES FOR A VERY GREEN 2008!

Toronto Green Community is pleased to announce the launch of its NEW

website, www.torontogreen.ca.  

 

TORONTO GREEN COMMUNITY EVENTS - JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2008

 

JANUARY 2008

 

ALL Day Saturday Workshops presented by Everdale and the Toronto Green

Community. 

 

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE HOME - AN OWNERS PERSPECTIVE

Saturday January 19th, 2008, 10 am-4 pm

with John Wilson of the Natural Living Network        

Fee: $85

 

At the Barabara Frum Library, Room "B"

20 Covington Rd. (Bathurst and Lawrence) in Toronto

http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/hou_az_bf.jsp to see a map.

 

This seminar will provide you with an introduction to the key concepts of

sustainable living and gives you real world examples that work. It covers

ecological design, renewable energy systems, water and sewage treatment as

well as building permits and whether to grid tie or not to grid tie. 

 

FEBRUARY 2008

 

ECO-RENOVATIONS - ALL DAY WORKSHOP

Saturday February 16, 2008 10 am- 4 pm         

with Joshua Abush P.Eng, a renovator and certified energy advisor with a

master's of engineering in greenbuilding and building science.

FEE $85

 

At the Barabara Frum Library, Room "B"

20 Covington Rd. (Bathurst and Lawrence) in Toronto

http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/hou_az_bf.jsp to see a map.

 

Reduce the ecological impact of your home renovation by balancing energy

efficiency, low impact materials selection, building techniques, and

timeless design.

 

TGC SPEAKER SERIES on ENERGY

Mon Feb 25, 2008 - 7 - 9 pm 

Exact Topic and location will be sent out shortly

 

MARCH 2008

 

GREEN ROOFS AND ROOF GARDENS - ALL DAY WORKSHOP

Saturday March 1, 2008, 10am-4pm  

with Carolyn Moss, B.Arch, OAA, LEED AP, Principal Architect, MOSS SUND inc.

and Terry McGlade, Horticulturalist and president of Gardens in the Sky,

recipient of many gardening awards including 2007 City of Toronto Green Roof

Award. Terry has been instrumental in bringing greenroof technology into its

own in Canada.

FEE $85

 

Join us for this day long workshop to learn how to create a green roof or

roof garden on both new and existing buildings. Rooftop gardens improve air

quality and reduce CO2 emissions, delay storm water runoff, increase habitat

for birds, reduce the heat island effect, reduce cooling costs and increase

the value of buildings. From structural issues to plant selection, costs to

permits - this workshop looks at the planning and implementation of green

roofs on both residential and larger buildings.

 

For more info and to register go to: 

http://www.everdale.org/index.php?module=Everdale&func=displayMenuItem&menuI

temId=55

www.everdale.org/inthe city

 

http://www.everdale.org

www.torontogreen.ca

 

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS' EVENTS:

 

HOW ORGANICS IS TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD

Saturday, February 16, 2008 - one-day conference

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

89 Chestnut St., U of Toronto Conference Centre

Presented by Canadian Organic Growers 

Keynote speaker:  Helge Hellberg, Executive Director of Marin Organic

$65 ($85 after Jan 15); COG members $55

Includes an organic lunch and mini-market!

Info and registration:  www.cog.ca   1-888-375-7383   conference at cog.ca

 

Why are more farmers and consumers choosing to go organic?  Join us as we

share how organic is making a difference in how we eat and live.  You will

be stirred with inspiring stories, the difficult challenges and the proven

visions that are bringing organic food from the field to the table, creating

new careers, markets and a more livable planet.  Is there a role for you?

 

ENVIRONMENTAL PANEL: MAKING A DIFFERENCE 

Thurs January 17, 7:00 pm - Upper Canada College -

Student Centre, Upper Canada College

  .        Geoff Cape, Founding Executive Director, Evergreen

  .        Tom Heintzman, President, Bullfrog Power Inc.

  .        Elizabeth May, Leader, Green Party of Canada

  General: $20.00 Student: $10.00

  Click on this link for registration:

  https://www.netdirectories.com/~ucc/oler2.cgi?1193 

   

WOMEN'S HEALTH MATTERS FORUM & EXPO

  January 18 & 19

  Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building

  Theme: Linking Environmental Impacts and Women's Health

  To save $2.OO order your tickets online at

  http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/forum  

  For more information call: 416-323-6000 

 

"WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR THIS CULTURE TO STOP KILLING THE PLANET?"

Friday, February 1, 7:00 pm

Speaker: Derrick Jensen

Church of the Holy Trinity, 10 Trinity Square (just west of Eaton Centre)

Admission: $10 or pay what you can

For more information: PD2PAToronto at gmail.com 

   

LEAF CELEBRATION (Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests)

Wednesday, February 6, 7:00 pm

Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W.

silent auction - live music - complimentary hors d'oeuvres - cash bar

$20 advance, $25 at door

Purchase tickets online www.leaftoronto.org/events, or by phone 416-413-9244

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

------------------------------

 

Message: 3

Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:05:29 -0500

From: "Janet May" <janet at smartgrowth.on.ca>

Subject: [getsmart-l] FW: [TCAT News e-bulletin] January 14, 2008

To: <getsmart-l at list.web.net>

Message-ID: <200801161803.m0GI30gY053050 at smtp0.beanfield.net>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

 

TCAT News e-bulletin

 

 

 

 

January 14, 2008

 

 

[If you are having trouble reading this message please

<http://www.torontocat.ca/main/node/155> click here] 

 

Recent TCAT activities and news items: 

 

1.    New Bike Lane Approval Process Adopted

2.    Martin Goodman Trail Bollards - TCAC recommendations referred to

staff

3.    Fort York Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge - To be completed by 2012

4.    TCAT's 50th Supporting Organization - Welcome South East Toronto

Bicycle User Group!

5.    Bloor/Dundas Visioning Session - January 16

 

  _____  

 

 

1. New Bike Lane Approval Process Adopted

 

As reported in the November 27 TCAT News e-Bulletin, following a motion

initially moved by  <http://www.toronto.ca/councillors/heaps1.htm>

Councillor Adrian Heaps, City Council agreed to revise its bike lane

approval process. At its meeting on Tuesday, the

<http://www.toronto.ca/committees/executive-committee.htm> Executive

Committee approved the new process. 

 

Under the new process, the

<http://www.toronto.ca/committees/public-works-infrastructure.htm> Public

Works and Infrastructure Committee will now review all bike lane reports and

recommendations submitted by staff, instead of the four individual community

councils doing so. The idea is that this will allow staff to submit reports

that contain multiple bike lane proposals, instead of having to submit

various individual reports. However, the majority of bike lanes - those that

require amendments to on-street parking, standing and stopping regulations

on roads where there are established TTC routes - will still need final

approval from City Council. 

 

Whether or not this will actually speed up the bike lane approval process

still has to be demonstrated, though City staff believe it will. 

 

To read the Executive Committee's decision document with the four specific

recommendations for item EX16.5,

<http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/ex/decisions/2008-01-08-ex16-dd.pdf

>  click here. 

 

  _____  

 

 

2. Martin Goodman Trail Bollards - TCAC recommendations referred to staff

 

On Wednesday, the

<http://www.toronto.ca/committees/public-works-infrastructure.htm> Public

Works and Infrastructure Committee reviewed the recommendations submitted by

the  <http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/committee/index.htm> Toronto Cycling

Advisory Committee (TCAC) regarding the bollards on the Martin Goodman Trail

where it meets the Boulevard Club.

 

TCAT made a deputation at the meeting in favour of the TCAC's

recommendations. After minimal discussion, the committee decided to refer

the matter back to staff to consult with interested parties, including the

Boulevard Club and local councillor

<http://www.toronto.ca/councillors/perks1.htm> Gord Perks, and to report

back to the committee at its meeting on April 9th. To review the

recommendations for item PW12.6,

<http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/pw/decisions/2008-01-09-pw12-dd.pdf

> click here. 

 

While this decision likely won't please cyclists who have been demanding the

removal of the bollards since they were installed last summer, the issue is

still open and your continued involvement is important. 

 

If you want your opinion heard, write: 

 

*     Councillor Perks councillor_perks at toronto.ca 

*     The General Manager Transportation Services, Gary Welsh -

welsh at toronto.ca

*     The General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Brenda

Librecz - blibrecz at toronto.ca

 

Getting closer the April 19 meeting, it will also be important to write the

committee or, better yet, make a deputation. Please be sure to carbon copy

TCAT on your correspondence.

 

  _____  

 

 

3. Fort York Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge - To be completed by 2012

 

Thanks to one of TCAT's supporting organizations, the

<http://www.fortyork.ca> Friends of Fort York and Garrison Common,

for providing an update on the design for the new bridge planned to cross

the rail corridor north of Fort York and south of Liberty Village.

 

"One by one the barriers to access at Fort York have been overcome, but the

last remaining one is the rail corridor to the north. The Fort York

pedestrian and cycle bridge will overcome that barrier and connect

communities north of Front Street to the waterfront. 

 

The 16.6 ha. (41-acre) Heritage Conservation District at Fort York occupies

a strategic position in the north-south and east-west waterfront network of

paths for pedestrians and cyclists. The Martin Goodman Trail and Queen's

Quay are well-established links across the Lake Ontario shoreline. With the

development of the Railway Lands, the Linear Park along the south side of

the rail corridor will provide a second eastwest pathway. The parks and open

spaces of the north-south Garrison Creek chain of pedestrian routes would

connect through Fort York to Coronation Park intersecting both the Linear

Park and Martin Goodman trails. The missing link, of course, is across the

rail corridor. 

 

Assuming the Environmental Assessment is initiated in 2008 and capital

funding for the project is secured, the Fort York pedestrian bridge could be

completed by 2012 in time for the Bicentennial Celebrations commemorating

the War of 1812." 

 

You can read all about the plans and view some drawings in the Friends'

latest newsletter by  <http://www.fortyork.ca/newsletter/F&D_12-07.pdf>

clicking here (it starts on Page 7). 

 

  _____  

 

 

4. TCAT's 50th Supporting Organization - Welcome South East Toronto Bicycle

User Group!

 

The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation has now grown to 50

supporting organizations with the recent addition of the South East Toronto

Bicycle User Group (SET BUG). 

 

This group has been very active over the past 5-10 years advocating for new

and improved bicycle routes in the neighbourhoods east of the Don Valley, so

it's a natural fit for them to join TCAT and continue working together.

 

The TCAT Steering Committee welcomes this group to TCAT.

 

  _____  

 

 

5. Bloor/Dundas Visioning Session - January 16

 

The City of Toronto is seeking input and feedback that will help formulate a

long-term vision of the Bloor Street West/Dundas Street West area. 

 

To that end, a public meeting will be held Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at

6:30 p.m. in the General Purpose Room of Indian Road Crescent Junior Public

School at 285 Indian Road Crescent.

 

For more information, please contact Kevin Edwards at 416-392-1306 or by

email at kedward at toronto.ca. You can also contact Councillor Gord Perks,

Ward 14, at 416-392-7919.

 

If you cannot attend the meeting, you can still make your views known by

sending a fax or by writing to Gary Wright, Director, Community Planning,

Toronto and East York District, City Planning Division, 100 Queen Street

West, Floor 18 E, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2N2. 

 

  _____  

 

TCAT News - Help spread the word! 

 

TCAT is continually looking to increase its list of supporters. It helps to

be able to say how many people and organizations support the work we do when

we speak with City Councillors, City staff, and the media, or put out a

publication. Please send this message to any groups or individuals you think

would be interested in learning more about TCAT, receiving our weekly

e-Bulletin, or volunteering with TCAT.

 

To learn more about TCAT, visit our web site at  <http://www.torontocat.ca>

www.torontocat.ca 

 

To subscribe to TCAT News,  <http://torontocat.ca/main/join> click here 

 

-- 

 <http://torontocat.ca/main/newsletter/confirm/remove/d82bffaac077t1> Click

here to unsubscribe from this newsletter

 

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Message: 4

Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:21:50 -0500

From: "John O'Gorman" <jcogorman at sympatico.ca>

Subject: [getsmart-l] 27th Guelph Organic Conference Jan 24-27

To: <getsmart-l at list.web.net>

Message-ID: <BAYC1-PASMTP07B44F68DF47F2B61049DCCF400 at CEZ.ICE>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"

 

http://www.guelphorganicconf.ca/

 

      Welcome to Canada's Premiere

      Organic Event

 

      To see a movie clip, click...here.

      (you must have a hi-speed connection and

      Quicktime installed to view the clip.)

      Need Quick time? Click here.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

     

      Trade Show & Organic Food Expo

      Visit over 150 booths on

      Saturday 7:00am - 5:30pm

      Sunday 9:00am - 4:30pm.

      Free admission. Free parking Saturday & Sunday 

 

      Home 

      Registration 

      Keynote Speaker 

      Workshop Info

      & Schedules for

      Thursday

      Friday

      Saturday

      Sunday 

      Trade Show Exhibitors 

      Getting around...

      Our Location

      Accommodation

      Dining Out 

      Sponsors 

      Past Proceedings

      Conference History 

      FAQ's

      Contact Us 

      Links 

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Message: 5

Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:24:13 -0500

From: "John O'Gorman" <jcogorman at sympatico.ca>

Subject: [getsmart-l] Will the U.S. Law save us from polluting

      ourselves?

To: <getsmart-l at list.web.net>

Message-ID: <BAYC1-PASMTP024F78C60444F15FAB8D63CF400 at CEZ.ICE>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"

 

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080115.woilsands15/BNSt
ory/energy/

Alberta crude may be too dirty, U.S. law says

MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT 

 

>From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

 

January 15, 2008 at 5:43 AM EST

 

Alberta's oil sands are taking a hit from new U.S. energy legislation passed
last month that has an unusual wrinkle suggesting that Canadian crude might
be too dirty for the U.S. government.

 

The legislation won't allow any U.S. federal agencies to buy vehicle fuel
derived from non-conventional sources unless the life cycle of its
greenhouse-gas emissions is the same or less than that of conventional
petroleum.

 

The sticky bitumen in Alberta's tar sands is considered one of the world's
biggest potential sources of energy, but it's also one of the dirtiest in
terms of carbon dioxide emissions because it takes so much power to wring it
out of the soil in which it's trapped, putting it in the crosshairs of the
new rules.

 

The directive could have a financial impact on the oil patch because the
U.S. government is one of the world's largest and most voracious consumers
of energy, and it follows similar moves by many states, including
California. The legislation, the Energy Independence and Security Act of
2007, was signed by President George W. Bush in December.

 

Recent

  a.. SEC takes fresh look at oil sands reserves  

Elizabeth Martin-Perera, climate policy specialist at the New York-based
Natural Resources Defense Council, says the provision covers new contracts
for all government operations, including the military and the postal
service, which together operate thousands of vehicles and are considered the
No. 1 and No. 2 vehicle fuel users in the country.

 

The action is part of a growing move to take into account all greenhouse
gases caused by the production and use of gasoline and other fuels. It puts
unconventional petroleum, such as the synthetic crude from Canada's oil
sands at a disadvantage compared to easy-to-harvest oil from the wellhead. 

 

"It's another market signal to tar sands producers that, increasingly,
consumers are looking to move away from high-carbon fuels," says Dan
Woynillowicz, a spokesman for the Pembina Institute, an environmental think
tank. 

 

The fuel requirement is in Section 526 of the new law, which runs for about
800 pages. Its main provisions deal with increasing the fuel efficiency of
the U.S. vehicle fleet and increasing the use of biofuels. The part
affecting non-conventional oil hasn't received much notice.

 

Syncrude Canada Ltd., the largest oil sand producer, declined to comment,
and referred questions to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

 

Association president Pierre Alvarez played down the procurement policy,
saying the Canadian industry will defend itself by arguing that
long-distance shipping of oil from the Middle East and elsewhere also
carries a substantial environmental price tag. "In fact, Canadian fuels
don't appear all that bad," he said. "It's distance that's a big-ticket
item."

 

An estimate by the Canadian Centre for Energy Information that used figures
supplied by Syncrude, among others, said the emissions from oil sands fuel
are about 7.6 per cent higher than the average of all North American crude
imports. However, independent experts say the oil sands emit about 20 per
cent more greenhouse gases than conventional sources.

 

Worries over climate change are driving the new rules.

 

"Canada's oil sands will face large-market risk unless the Canadian
government, or the Alberta government, take this challenge seriously," said
Hal Harvey of the California-based William and Flora Hewlett Foundation,
which helped develop a low-emission fuel standard in California.

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Message: 6

Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:26:06 -0500

From: "John O'Gorman" <jcogorman at sympatico.ca>

Subject: [getsmart-l] diesel is also getting a new pitch to make

      engines run more economically and pollute less.

To: <getsmart-l at list.web.net>

Message-ID: <BAYC1-PASMTP098E83DAAEF6FBBB15F45FCF400 at CEZ.ICE>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"

 

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080115.RDETROITDIESEL15/T
PStory/?query=diesel

DETROIT AUTO SHOW: ALTERNATIVE FUEL

 

Push on for 'clean diesel'

JOHN CRAWLEY Reuters News Agency/Globe and Mail January 15, 2008

 

DETROIT -- A fresh mandate from Washington for auto makers to sharply
increase fuel efficiency has given an unexpected boost to a historically
unpopular alternative in the United States - diesel.

 

The fanfare at the North American International Auto Show includes
gasoline-electric hybrids and futuristic technologies such as fuel cells,
all geared to fight soaring pump prices and conquer what President George W.
Bush calls the U.S. "addiction" to oil. 

 

But diesel is also getting a new pitch, as a viable option to make engines
run more economically and pollute less.

 

Diesel, an oil-based product long favoured in Europe where gasoline is more
expensive, has been perennially stalled in the United States because of
unacceptably high tailpipe emissions. 

 

"American consumers still have a negative impression of diesel," Takeo
Fukui, chief executive officer of Honda Motor Co., told reporters at the
show on Sunday.

 

But Mr. Fukui also predicted that Honda's new line of "clean diesel" cars
due to roll out in the United States in 2009 will make money from day one.
The new system will clear the same emissions regulations as gasoline in the
United States, he said.

 

Advanced technology has spawned a cleaner-burning diesel fuel and Honda and
other foreign auto makers are using the Detroit show to broaden its appeal
for the U.S. market.

 

The backdrop of a new U.S. law requiring a 40-per-cent jump in fuel
efficiency by 2020, and tougher diesel emissions regulations coming at the
end of the decade, are driving executives to rethink and improve diesel
technology.

 

Cleaner diesel filters out more pollutants and, for the first time, meets
smog pollution laws in all states, according to the Massachusetts-based
Union of Concerned Scientists. Clean diesel also delivers power and gets
better mileage than gasoline. But the technology costs more to produce than
gasoline engines.

 

"It is a major step forward in fuel saving and we are going across the board
to promote technology," said Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and
Mercedes-Benz.

 

"Modern diesel engines provide tremendous torque and a very smooth run and a
boost of 20 to 30 per cent in fuel efficiency. Those are very strong
arguments for this technology," he said.

 

Auto makers are expanding their diesel products globally. "There is a trend
toward diesel in emerging markets," said Phil Popham, managing director of
Britain's Land Rover, a unit of Ford Motor Co.

 

Ford is hoping for an efficiency bounce with its turbocharged Ecoboost
gasoline engine, whose fuel injection technology is borrowed from the diesel
concept.

 

BMW AG is introducing two diesel sedans for the U.S. market beginning next
fall. Mercedes has offered clean diesel vehicles in the U.S. market, while
Audi and Volkswagen have fuller diesel plans. Land Rover introduced a
concept sport utility vehicle that runs on clean diesel.

 

One of the top developments at the Detroit show came on Sunday when Toyota
Motor Corp. president Katsuaki Watanabe said the Japanese auto maker will
launch a diesel-powered Tundra pickup truck and Sequoia SUV in the United
States soon - an about-face to Toyota's hybrid-centred product strategy. Mr.
Watanabe cited a need to help meet new U.S. fuel standards.

 

Toyota set the standard for hybrid production, and will likely surpass
General Motors Corp. as the top global vehicle sales leader when final 2007
sales numbers are in.

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Message: 7

Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:34:04 -0500

From: "John O'Gorman" <jcogorman at sympatico.ca>

Subject: [getsmart-l] Canada-wide assessment of the safety of rural

      mailboxes

To: <getsmart-l at list.web.net>

Message-ID: <BAYC1-PASMTP1107619BA4207254DDA0C6CF400 at CEZ.ICE>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"

 

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080114.wmail14/BNStory/
National/

You've got mail, but no more mailbox

CHRIS MORRIS The Canadian Press/Globe and Mail January 14, 2008 at 4:08 AM
EST

 

FREDERICTON ? The adage about snow, sleet and rain never stopping mail
delivery is being rewritten by Canada Post for its rural and suburban
customers.

 

It turns out snowfall is one of the factors the Crown corporation is
considering as it moves ahead with its Canada-wide assessment of the safety
of rural mailboxes - one of the traditional icons of country life.

 

So far, about 14,000 rural Canadian residents, mostly in Ontario, Quebec and
the Maritimes, have lost their roadside mailboxes because Canada Post has
decided it's too hazardous to deliver their mail.

 

That represents 30 per cent of the roughly 47,000 boxes that have come under
scrutiny as Canada Post begins applying a new assessment tool to determine
the safety of each and every one of the 843,000 rural mailboxes it serves.

 

The process has raised hackles in the Fredericton area, one of the first
locations to feel the sting of rural mailbox closings as Canada Post
responds to health and safety concerns of its unionized workers.

 

In a recent assessment of 2,535 mailboxes in rural and suburban communities
near Fredericton, 1,255 of them - almost half - failed to meet safety
standards.

 

"My mailbox was placed at a spot that has an unimpeded view of at least
two-thirds of a mile down the road, but I guess that wasn't good enough for
the rocket scientists at Canada Post," fumed one customer in a letter to the
Fredericton Gleaner newspaper.

 

"What I see here is the gradual but ultimate erosion of all rural mail
delivery."

 

Canada Post spokeswoman Avril Vollenhoven said the corporation does not
expect Fredericton's high failure rate to be repeated across the country.
"Every rural route is different, so I don't even want to speculate how it
will play out in other parts of the country." 

 

Ms. Vollenhoven said it's important to note that not everyone who fails the
safety assessment loses their mailbox. In some cases, it's possible to move
the box. But if it can't be moved, the customer will have to use either a
community mailbox or a free post-office box.

 

Ms. Vollenhoven said Canada Post has compiled a priority list of rural
routes to be reviewed based on factors such as volume of mailboxes and
weather patterns, including snowfall rates. "It goes to road conditions,"
she said.

 

"Weather is a great factor when it comes to delivering mail on rural routes.
Snow is a major contributing factor, but I don't want to make it more
important than the volume of rural mailboxes on the route."

 

Some customers and politicians have expressed concerns that Canada Post may
be seizing on health and safety concerns to close as many roadside boxes as
possible.

 

Deborah Bourque, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, shares
those concerns. "That was our concern when all this started because Canada
Post's first reaction was to simply move people to community mailboxes."

 

Ms. Bourque said the union is unhappy that Canada Post has failed to involve
its members at the local level in determining rural route safety. She said
union members believe the post office is not seriously considering other
options.

 

"We think there are alternatives to cutting off delivery and sending folks
many kilometres down the road to community mailboxes, " she said. Postal
workers have expressed concerns about the risk to rural carriers who deliver
mail to roadside boxes. There have been several accidents and two fatalities
in recent years. Carriers are also worried about repetitive-strain injury
from leaning out vehicle windows to stuff the mail into roadside boxes.

 

Canada Post expects to spend $475-million to $640-million over more than
five years to assess rural delivery. The federal government has ordered the
post office to continue rural roadside delivery, within the law. Canada Post
says it is obligated under labour laws to ensure the safety of its workers. 

 

Recommend this article? 26 votes

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Message: 8

Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:59:58 -0500

From: "John O'Gorman" <jcogorman at sympatico.ca>

Subject: [getsmart-l] Still less for the landfills

To: <getsmart-l at list.web.net>

Message-ID: <BAYC1-PASMTP15B2CEEDE2543C74AB8895CF410 at CEZ.ICE>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"

 

"The unwanted electronics contain copper and precious metals including gold
and silver called "electronic scrap" and for Xstrata they represent a
growing and profitable business."

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080117.RESCRAP17/TPStory/
?query=xstrata

METALS

 

Xstrata finds profit in tech trash

New legislation is turning the recycling of 'electronic scrap' into a
growing business

ANDY HOFFMAN MINING REPORTER Globe and Mail January 17, 2008

 

Mick Davis, the burly head of aggressive international mining firm Xstrata
PLC, wants your old computer.

 

He also has his eye on the cellphone you stopped using three years ago, that
boat anchor of a scanner gathering dust in your basement and that printer of
yours that hasn't worked for a decade. He'll take your old TV, too.

 

This is neither a shakedown nor an ill-conceived attempt at diversification
by the Anglo-Swiss miner.

 

The unwanted electronics contain copper and precious metals including gold
and silver called "electronic scrap" and for Xstrata they represent a
growing and profitable business.

 

Xstrata Copper's recycling operation has become the world's largest consumer
of e-scrap. It currently processes 50,000 tonnes of the material a year at
its Horne smelter in Rouyn-Noranda, Que.

 

Yesterday, the company unveiled plans to double the smelter's e-scrap
processing capacity to 100,000 tonnes by 2010. As computers, cellphones,
BlackBerrys and other electronic devices become more prevalent, the amount
of electronic waste generated by consumers has soared.

 

Few smelters, however, are able to recycle the material in a cost-effective
manner. Horne is the only copper smelter in Canada able to effectively
handle the e-scrap, said Paul Healey, the manager of recycling at Xstrata
Copper.

 

"We see a need in the market for us to expand our recycling activities. We
are one of a limited amount of companies that can do it in a sound
environmental manner," Mr. Healey said in an interview from Austria where he
was attending a conference.

 

North Americans generate a staggering amount of electronic waste. In Ontario
alone, 70,000 tonnes of discarded televisions, computers, monitors and
printers end up in landfills every year. 

 

Often, the old electronics that aren't incinerated or sent to landfills, are
shipped to developing countries in Asia or Africa where they are stripped of
their valuable components by hand. 

 

Now governments around the world, including the European Union are passing
legislation requiring electronic materials to be recycled rather than
exported. 

 

By some estimates, Europeans produce 20 kilos per person of waste from
electronic devices and electric appliances a year. The EU hopes to recycle
four kilos per person a year.

 

Xstrata is predicting the legislation and similar laws elsewhere will result
in a major increase in e-scrap material to feed the Horne smelter.

 

"The implementation of the directive in Europe is certainly driving the
supply of this material. ... Everything with a plug will need to be
recycled," Mr. Healey said.

 

E-scrap, which is most often delivered as shredded circuit boards to the
smelter is cheaper for Xstrata to purchase than traditional copper scrap.

 

*****

 

By the numbers

 

20 million tonnes

 

Between 20 and 50 million tonnes of electronic waste is generated worldwide
each year. (United Nations)

 

2 billion 

 

Projected number of cellphone users worldwide in 2008. (UN)

 

1,600 tonnes

 

Amount of copper that can be recovered from 100 million recycled cellphones.
Also, 35 tonnes of silver, 1.5 tonnes of palladium and 3.4 tonnes of gold.
(U.S. EPA) 

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End of getsmart-l Digest, Vol 39, Issue 14

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