<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)"> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City" downloadurl="http://www.5iamas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"/>  <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> <img width=322 height=41 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image002.jpg@01C63899.2DAD9460"> <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ontario</st1:place></st1:State>’s Conservation Movement <a href="http://www.weconserve.ca/">www.weconserve.ca</a> <o:p></o:p> To subscribe or unsubscribe to this listserve, go to <a href="http://www.greenontario.org/">www.greenontario.org</a> <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Dear friends,<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Here’s a quick posting on the We Conserve website  <a href="http://weconserve.ca/articles/?p=16">http://weconserve.ca/articles/?p=16</a>  <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> “I’m sorry, doors open is company policy”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Conservation should be company policy! <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> It’s minus 10 degrees Celsius in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Toronto</st1:place></st1:City> and I walk past a store with the door wide open.  I went in and asked if they could close the door to help conserve energy.  The manager apologized and said she had to wear a scarf herself, but that it was company policy to keep a door open.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <a href="http://www.aritzia.com/" target="_blank">Aritzia</a> is the company, a clothing retailer, but judging from the comments we keep receiving from you on the <a href="http://www.weconserve.ca/august2005.html">Doors Closed campaign</a> it could be any chain.<o:p></o:p> In <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vancouver</st1:place></st1:City>, where Aritzia’s head office is, it’s 5 degees above zero today.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I have sent a message to their office asking them to clarify their policy for us.  We will also contact all the major retail chains over the next couple of months and pull together a list of which companies will make it a policy to keep doors closed when the temperature is above 25 or below 5 degrees.<o:p></o:p> <div style='mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt; padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in'> <o:p> </o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Follow Up on a Conserver Budget<o:p></o:p> <a href="http://weconserve.ca/articles/?p=12">http://weconserve.ca/articles/?p=12</a>   <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Thanks to everyone who submitted comments on a conservation budget.  There were some excellent ideas, mostly around reducing energy consumption – PST exemptions, gas guzzler taxes – and promoting renewable power.  With the current attention on the Ontario Power Authority’s Supply Mix report, and the overwhelming public outcry in support of conservation, energy is certainly the best bet with respect to greening <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ontario</st1:place></st1:State>’s budget.  I was able to pass on a number of these suggestions in the pre-budget consultations, along with a recommendation for $1 per Ontarian towards the development of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ontario</st1:place></st1:State>’s conservation movement.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> For anyone who is interested in further research on tax-shifting, I’d recommend looking at The Centre for Integral Economics <a href="http://www.integraleconomics.org/">http://www.integraleconomics.org/</a>. Donna Morton has done some great work on how municipal, provincial, and federal governments can adjust taxation policy to stimulate healthier and sustainable economies and societies.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Chris Winter<o:p></o:p> <a href="http://www.weconserve.ca/">weconserve.ca </a><o:p></o:p> <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ontario</st1:place></st1:State>'s conservation movement<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> </div> </body> </html>