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SHARED COMMUTING MEANS LESS POLLUTING
For 30 years, Bommanna
Krishnappan and his carpool
buddy, Fausto Chiocchio,
travelled 200,000 kilometres
together between Hamilton
and Burlington, Ontario. At
30 cents per kilometre, he
figures, they each saved
$30,000 over the lifetime of
their carpool, as well as 1,000
litres of gas.
Chiocchio and Krishnappan
are among the thousands of
Canadians who are taking to
the road – together – to
share the costs of gas and
parking while reducing the
wear and tear on their personal
vehicles.
Carpooling obviously is not
new. But for commuters who
want to reduce their use of
fossil fuels that create
greenhouse gas emissions,
it’s fast becoming a popular
part of the transit cocktail:
car-pooling, carsharing, public
transit, bicycling and walking.
It can be a practical
solution not only for commuting
but for other regular
trips to sporting practices,
community meetings or outlying
shopping centres.
For the rest of this article,
and lots more information about the One Tonne Challenge,
check out the OTC
Bulletin. And
you can sign up for the One
Tonne Challenge too!
TREE SURVEY
Tell us what you think
about trees. Check out the
tree survey on our website
www.environmenthamilton.org/treescount. Help us plan the
future of Hamilton’s urban
forest.
CAR LOVER’S CONFESSIONS AND REDEMPTION
I love cars. I enjoy driving them, looking
at them, and reading about them. So when
it came time to buy a new car last summer,
I had visions of a sporty Japanese or European
sedan. But in the back of my mind
were the environmental issues our world
faces today.
When I looked at my young daughters, I
wondered what they would say to me 10 or
20 years from now when they are confronted
with the environmental crises left to their
generation by ours. What would I say when
they asked me “What did YOU do to make a
difference?”
I realized that I had to use what purchasing
power I had to make a small difference
and to make a statement as a consumer
about what types of products companies
should be producing. The Toyota Prius makes
that decision much easier.
The Prius is a full hybrid. It combines a
battery driven electric motor with a gasoline
engine to increase fuel economy and
provide cleaner emissions. The Prius can
operate on the electric motor alone, the
gasoline engine alone, or both the gasoline
and electric motors together.
The Prius does not need to be plugged in
or charged. The special battery recharges
as the car is being driven by capturing excess
energy from the gasoline engine and
energy released during braking. According
to Consumer Reports, the Prius’ gas mileage
is the best recorded in a five passenger
vehicle. Because it is a hybrid, it must, for
now, be serviced by a Toyota dealership with
qualified technicians. However, I have found,
so far, that it does not cost any more to
service than a normal car.
Thanks to Michael Bordin
