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You can make a “tonne” of difference to the environment

Submitted by
Ken Boshcoff M.P.

In recent weeks, I’ve written a lot about Climate Change and the Government’s role in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to help Canada meet our obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. It is very frustrating to see the lack of progress in reducing these harmful emissions at the national level.
It’s still not entirely clear that the current Government even believes in Climate Change and their second attempt at developing a plan to do something about it is yet another massive failure. However, I take heart because I know that within our communities there are many individuals and groups who ARE making a difference in the battle against Climate Change.
One excellent example is the Thunder Bay Bombardier plant, which recently received the Environmental Stewardship Award from the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce. Bombardier employees pulled together to take the “One Tonne Challenge” at their workplace. They turned off shop lights and ventilation during unoccupied periods; the Plastics Shop was shut down for six weeks in the winter; paint booth fans and lights were turned off at night and weekends; shutdown timers were used to shut off the dip tank ventilation system; and big fans were installed. By taking these steps, Bombardier cut its Carbon Dioxide emissions from 9082 tonnes to 7205 tonnes - that’s a reduction of 3.6 tonnes per employee!
In addition, many residents and businesses across the riding are making the switch from inefficient light bulbs to efficient compact florescent bulbs. It has been estimated that, if every Canadian replaced just one of the most used incandescent light bulbs in their home with a compact fluorescent bulb, the energy savings would amount to more than $73 million, and emissions of greenhouse gases would be reduced by 400,000 tonnes. That a huge savings for a very small personal effort.
Fluorescent lights do contain mercury, which is harmful to the health of both people and wildlife. To eliminate these effects, EcoSuperior in Thunder Bay operates a residential florescent light bulb recycling program. The program is also in place along the North Shore communities of Wawa, Red Rock, and Greenstone, and EcoSuperior is planning to expand their residential florescent light bulb recycling program to include a collection area in Atikokan. As these depots are for residential use only, commercial or industrial bulbs are recycled for a fee by MGM Electric in Thunder Bay.
I hope that these two local success stories will inspire you to take action to cut YOUR greenhouse gas emissions and fight Climate Change.