By Taylor Blewett, Ottawa Citizen, November 26, 2021
OC Transpo will soon be rolling out its first electric buses, though their operation will still rely in part on diesel fuel.
At a Friday media conference showing off the shiny new battery-electric buses slated to enter service early next year, transit staff confirmed that a diesel auxiliary heating system would be used to extend the buses’ single-charge range on cold days.
By Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Regulating and reducing the more than seven million tonnes of garbage produced by Ontario’s Industrial, Commercial and Institutional sector is the “huge missing piece” in provincial efforts to reduce garbage and prolong the life of its landfills, says one of the founders of Ottawa’s Blue Box programs.
The IC&I sector was one of the areas targeted this week by the provincial auditor general in her annual report of environmental audits. Despite producing 60 per cent of Ontario’s 12 million tonnes of annual waste, less than two per cent of the IC&I sector is required to recycle, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk said.
By Kelly Egan, Ottawa Citizen, November 22, 2021
Just behind the fortress bulk of the Montfort Hospital, a short walk from the lights and roar of Montreal Road, a forested village appears — almost magically — on a hillside.
...Van der Roest was alarmed one day this past week when a tree-cutting crew appeared on the neighbouring vacant property facing Montreal Road and began clearing a path in the forest for a drilling machine.
...Both van der Roest and her neighbours, Al Crosby and Suzanne Parent, are worried the drilling, blasting and excavation will have a severe impact on the quality of their drinking water, if not on the entire underground aquifer.
By CBC News Ottawa, November 22, 2021
Two tunnels designed to keep sewage from spilling into the Ottawa River have malfunctioned and caused a small spill, less than a year after they went into service.
The tunnels, with a price tag of $232 million, were opened last year on Nov. 20. They were part of the city's 2010 plan to keep surface runoff and wastewater from flowing untreated into the Ottawa River during very wet weather.
By Brigitte Pellerin, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, November 22, 2021
If we want people using forms of active transportation — cycling, scootering or just plain walking — we have to make more space for these activities. Which means less space for cars.
....If you’ll forgive the inelegant pun, there is no getting around it. We simply cannot have more bikes and more scooters and more pedestrians share the remaining 20 per cent safely. And the stats are clearly showing there is increasing demand for more active-transportation space.
By Taylor Blewett, Ottawa Citizen, November 20, 2021
...Of the 700-plus trees at Lansdowne, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group CEO Mark Goudie said Friday that about five per cent, or 30-odd trees, were “failing to thrive,” with the biggest challenge being those on Exhibition Way.
It was the same expression then-Citizen columnist David Reevely used in 2017, writing on the struggling Lansdowne street trees lining Exhibition and Marché. This is no new calamity.
By InsideOttawaValley, November 19, 2021
...“Thinning in red pine plantations is undertaken to improve forest health and species diversity,” said Jim Hendry, Registered Provincial Forester and manager of the Campus Forest. “This is accomplished by harvesting the lower quality trees competing with the higher quality ones, known as crop trees, and providing space for the natural regeneration to grow.”
By CBC Radio, November 14, 2021
While advocates call on governments to make stronger commitments to fight climate change, living a low-carbon lifestyle can help reduce individual impact on the planet, according to experts.
It's often said that personal choices have little effect on reducing carbon emissions because emissions from global corporations, such fossil fuel producers, make up the majority of CO2 output. Lloyd Alter calls that thinking a "fantasy."
By CBC News Ottawa, November 17, 2021
The National Capital Commission will ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, hedge trimmers and other small tools on its property — and the City of Ottawa could potentially follow suit.
While the ban doesn't come into effect until April 2023, it shows "the NCC is committed to climate change leadership," said CEO Toby Nussbaum in a statement.
By Kate Porter, CBC News Ottawa, November 16, 2021
...Despite their big analysis one year ago, the municipal budget only allocates a sliver of the dividend it receives from Hydro Ottawa toward climate change projects. In 2022, that represents just $800,000 for seven projects, which include identifying a handful of municipal solar power sites and electric vehicle charging stations.
...Capital ward Coun. Shawn Menard praised the hard-working, small group of city staff that works on climate files — there will soon be 10 staff members — as he proposed an extra $1 million in one-time funding for 2022. For the long term, Menard suggested taking savings, such as from converting traditional lighting to LED, and rolling them back into a new fund.
By Shaun Menard, Ottawa Citizen Op-Ed, November 20, 2020
This article is interesting.. Shaun wrote this two years ago and his concerns/issues still remain today to a large degree.. Have a read:
By Benjamin Steven, The Charlatan, November 14, 2021
A former psychology professor at the University of Ottawa has developed a free new app that promotes personal sustainability and rewards users for their efforts with points that can be redeemed to plant trees in and around Ottawa.
...Natasha Jovanovic, a program manager for Ecology Ottawa, said the app is reassuring as it demonstrates the variety of ways people can be sustainable.
