A Greener Life

Now homeowners who want to make their homes more energy efficient AND take advantage of the federal government’s ecoENERGY grant have an even better reason to get started on their eco renovations. The Federal government just announced it was increasing the grants under the ecoENERGY - Retrofit Homes program by 25 per cent for the next two years.

That means  if you install a new ENERGY STAR qualified high efficiency furnace, you could now qualify for up to $750 in grants instead of $600. Or up to $1,250 for basement insulation. And don’t forget - the province matches grants. (Although it has yet to indicate if it would pony up more green to also offer the 25 per cent increase in grants).

The only requirement is you must have the ecoENERGY before and after audit (otherwise how would the feds know your home was more efficient?). The before generally runs in the $300 range, but the province will pay for half of that - up to $150.

Once the initial investment is paid for it should cost substantially less to heat and cool your home. And, more importantly, you can feel good knowing you’ve done something big to help the environment!

For one hour on one day, the flicks were switched and homes across Toronto from West Rouge to the Danforth and Willowdale to Bloor West went dark for Earth Hour. Organizers are reporting another successful event with electricity demand in the city being reduced by 15 per cent for the hour.

One hour on one day isn’t enough to make a real impact on climate change, but the participation in and publicity from Earth Hour can only help to raise awareness about this pressing issue. It was definitely a sight to see icons such as the CN Tower, the Las Vegas Strip and the Great Pyramids in Giza going dark for the occasion.

I’ve thought about the idea of a green blog ever since I arrived at Toronto Community News and as the saying goes, it’s better late than never. I plan to use this space to share green events that are taking place in the city, interesting environmental initiatives and any tips readers want to share.

With that in mind I thought what better time to kick off A Greener Life than in the lead up to Earth Hour. In researching stories about the annual awareness event - which takes place Saturday, March 28 from 8:30-9:30 p.m. , in case you didn’t know - I spoke with several young people about their ideas about the event and ways to be friendly to the environment all the time.

They offered ideas such as taking shorter showers, cycling or walking instead of driving, composting and using reusable bottles instead of drinking bottled water. Ideas they’re practicing in their own lives and trying to get the adults they know on board.

I always find it interesting to talk with young environmentalists because they were just born into this situation, yet they’re the ones who will have to deal with the consequences if drastic actions aren’t taken to reduce climate change ASAP.

To quote one young man, “Earth Hour should be every hour.”