Rob's Ramblings

I came across an interesting article that points out that hydroelectric dams may not be as "green" as we have thought in the past. It also has implications for calculating the ghg offsets for those of us who are installing other forms of renewable energy systems in BC where much of our power comes from hydro-electric dams.

Here are my comments for a public hearing at Vancouer City Hall: We who live in Vancouver often like to consider ourselves world leaders when it comes to environmental sustainability. Will the new South East False Creek development be a world leader in environmental sustainability? There is no doubt that the planners and others that worked on this project have put a lot of hard work into it. It will undoubtedly be one of the most sustainable neighborhoods in the Lower Mainland and British Columbia. But will it be the a world leader? I have concerns that it may not be. An example of a world class environmentally sustainable community being planned is Mata de Sesimbra in Portugal. It is part of the One World Living project. There are two areas that I would like to emphasize when looking at the sustainability of SE False Creek. The first is transportation. I think a large portion (if not all) of the community should be car-free. I know this sounds like a radical idea but in a...

One of the organizations I am very busy with right now is the Vancouver Renewable Energy Cooperative . Myself and three other people began this project several months ago as an experiment in democratic economics, community based financing and sustainable energy production. The website has been down but now it is back up (this post is part of my attempts to get it back in Google).