With the Oscar buzz surrounding Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth, issues of
sustainability have been brought to the forefront in Toronto and around the globe.
Institutions on both a federal and provincial level have addressed issues
of environmental change and have made positive steps towards securing a
better future for Canada.
First up on the docket is making sure the
young adults of tomorrow ensure their future is bright, and I do mean
that in both a metaphorical and literal sense. According to a recent
study, U of T is ranked among leaders in campus sustainability. U of
T’s commitment to sustainability has placed it at the top of the
list, among such universities as Harvard, Yale and MIT.
U of T received an A for not only effort, but
for integrating many energy conservation tactics into its activities
and projects, all of which are done through the sustainability office.
One of these is the Rewire program, a community-based social marketing
scheme to reduce energy use in residences and offices. This program is
not only being undertaken at the St.George
campus, but also at UTM and UTSC.
Beth Savan,
director of the sustainability office and research director for the
Centre for Environment, recently said, “in the long term, the
university is building sustainability into its core functions [where]
we’re reducing our energy consumption using massive lighting
retrofit projects, installation of energy efficient chillers.”
The strong support that U of T has for sustainability is exactly what
allowed it to rank in the top 25th percentile overall.
“I’m so proud of the rapid progress the university is
making in the area of sustainability,” said Savan.
U of T is a great example of what can happen when things that matter a
great deal to the bigger picture are made a priority.
Besides U of T, Toronto as a city is making great
leaps in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. One example of this can be
seen in the hybrid electric buses which boast greater fuel efficiency,
lower exhaust emissions and reduced maintenance, costs, which are
bumbling around Toronto.
“The hybrid is a combination diesel
engine/electric propulsion system – in essence a self-propelled
streetcar,” says Surface Operations Deputy Manager Bob Boutilier.
The buses are on loan from Orion Bus
Industries, as part of a month-long test drive to allow TTC patrons the
pleasure of trying out the city’s new set of wheels. “When
a conventional bus is braking, a lot of energy is lost as heat through
the brakes. Similar to streetcars, the hybrid’s system recovers
this wasted energy [essentially] pumping it back into its
batteries.”
“The vehicle’s diesel engine
drives a generator, [which] charges the roof-mounted batteries, while
simultaneously powering the electric traction motor,” explains
Vehicle Engineering Manager Bill Brown. Brown says Environment Canada
has tested the fuel economy of these vehicles. With a smaller engine,
the Orion VII gets one-and-a-half times the fuel mileage compared to a
conventional diesel bus engine. Brown adds that without a transmission,
maintenance costs will be dramatically reduced, while customers and
operators will get a smoother ride without the constant switching of
gears.
As a result of the new buses recycling lost
energy, there is less gas needed to power them up, thereby reducing
exhaust emissions. Over the next ten years, the TTC will need to
replace 1,180 buses at a cost of $650 million. In the long run, the new
buses will save both the federal and provincial governments a lot of
money on gasoline costs, although it is unclear exactly how many buses
will be replaced by the new more cost-effective and
environmentally-friendly buses.
“This kind of technology may be the bridge to get us to
fuel cells (the other rapidly advancing propulsion system), which will
likely be available in the next decade,” Brown says. For the
not-so-distant future, Toronto definitely looks brighter
than it has in the past. Although it might be a bit weird to think how
an ex-Vice President of the United States has become a celebrity, no
one can debate the impact he has had on pop culture and on society at
large. Now, if we could only make sure everyone drove hybrids and gas
prices were way lower. All in a day’s work, all in an ideal
world!
