Bos HUNTER e Eco-Logic ¢ A LITTLE while ago I decided to start cleaning up my own environmental act. It should be simple, I reasoned. Cut down on energy waste, convert to a less-polluting form of fuel, eliminate unnecessary household chemicals, buy organic food. Motivated by the Canadian Green Consumer Guide (which has, incidentally, shot to the top of the bestseller list), 1 made a bold announcement to my family: henceforth, we would cease to be energy pigs. At the same time, we would take decisive action to combat the greenhouse effect, save the ozone layer, and protect ourselves from contamination. To that end, I got hold of a guide to electricity use in the home. Keep in mind that all this started from an ecological premise. What I quickly discovered, to my horror, was that there are other reasons to save electricity besides “Green. The color of money as well as virtue.’ Bet the great cause of saving the planet. There’s the small matter of saving your wallet. You can burn through $7.10 worth of electricity every month just using your clothes dryer. A trick for reducing this is to not use the warm air drying cycle, since cold air will do the job just as well. The expense of operating an automatic dishwasher can likewise be trimmed by eliminating the warm water cycle. The fridge can cost $8.55 a month to run. As it turns out, fridges are often turned up too high. You can shave a few nickels and dimes off this by getting a thermometer that tells you the ex- act temperature, allowing you to adjust the knob — which otherwise simply says WARMER or COL- DER. Water beds (we have three) can add up. You probably shell out $6.85 a month per water bed to keep them warm. A way of getting this particular bill down is to keep the bed covered with a warm quilt, and you can generally nudge the thermostat down a notch or two without suffering unduly. Lighting is a wonderful target for the cash and ecoJogy-minded consumer, The lightbulbs to which we have grown accustomed are an outrage. For one thing, a five-lamp chandelier can cost $3.18 a month, while an ordinary three-light ceil- ing fixture can burn you for $2. It wouldn't be so bad except that you have to keep replacing them. Nowadays you can buy lightbulbs that last 10 times as long and only use 10 watts instead of 40 or 60 watts! The best of this new generation that I have been able to find is the Philips PL* lamp, which makes use of advanced phospor technology. It costs more, to be sure. But you get an adaptor with the light, which you can continue to use. Your total cost for the first 10,000 hours amounts to $25. Over a 20,000-hour period, you pay $40. The cost of using an ordinary in- candescent 60-watt bulb over the same period adds up to $90, so you save $50. A shower nozzle is now available which cuts down the amount of water you use — and hence, heat ~— by an astounding 70 per cent. Since the water heater bill for a typical family of four amounts to $29.95, the savings add up quickly. Between them, the oven, range, electric frying pan, barbecue and toaster can cost $9.40 a month to run. By comparison, a microwave only costs $1.70. Accordingly, I decided to overcome a long-time prejudice against microwaves and buy one. I only wish the family would quit referring to cooking in the microwave as ‘‘nuking"’ the food. Then there was the question of applying caulking, sealant, foam strips, gaskets around outlets and fixtures, weatherstripping, door sweeps, duct tape, etc. It’s a bit do-it-yourselfish, but tackled at a civilized pace, I found it was quite amazing how many lit- tle cracks and leaks could be elim- inated so that when the setback thermostat was installed, the energy saving didn’t vanish into the outer air. The big ticket item was getting the car converted to natural gas. This had the effect of reducing the amount of greenhouse gases I generate by a substantial factor. Perhaps as much as 35 per cent of the carbon dioxide is eliminated. Since the average Canadian spews something in the order of 16 ton- nes of carbon dioxide into the at- mosphere every year, this amounts to a respectable reduction. In fact, even if the federal and provincial energy ministers do get their act together and order a reduction of CO2 emissions by 20 per cent early in the next century, as they are being urged to, the simple act of the individual driver converting to natural gas will more than achieve that. But, again, after the conversion, I discovered there was an “ecological dividend.’’ That is to say, wonder of wonders, my car fuel costs have dropped by 40 per cent! Green. The color of money as well as virtue@ ARDAGH HUNTER TURNER Barristers & Solicitors Personal Injury AFTER HOURS [FREE INITIAL CONSULIATION 645-8989 986-4366 FAX 986-9286 #300-1401 LONSDALE NORTH VANCOUVER, BC. WV MAYOR'S OPEN GOVERNPAENT POLICY Debate lengthens meetings THE POLICY of open govern- ment introduced by West Van- couver Mayor Don Lanskail when he was elected in 1986 appears to be losing some of its appeal for its originator. By MAUREEN CURTIS Contributing Writer ‘*Perliaps I have been overly generous in permitting public debate,’’ Lanskail said in recent response to a protest from Ald. Rod Day that the council meetings were getting out of hand. Following a pattern of increas- ing public debate, the Monday night council meeting was lengthened by a question period that lasted approximately one hour. It was also extended by numerous submissions throughout the regular proceedings from peo- ple offering their opinions on various issues. “I don’t think we should be in a position where we're losing control of the meeting,"’ said Day. He pointed out that members of council had been elected by the people of the muncipality to gov- ern. ‘*Perhaps speakers should show a little bit more restraint,"’ said Lanskail. “Or they should run for office,’’ said Day. West Vancouver council meetings increasingly drag cn and require time extensions to com- plete items on the agenda. Although the public question period at the beginning of the WEST VANCOUVER ‘DISTRICT COUNCIL | meeting was introduced by Lan- skail, he has objected to its use by self-styled council watchdog and Ambleside and Dundarave Ratepayer member Lionel Lewis. “You are simply engaged in mischievous harassment,’’ Lan- skail charged Monday when Lewis repeated his previous week's re- quest for the appointment of a factfinder into the expropriation of property on Argyie Avenue. “There is no need of a fact- finder; all of the facts have been explained to you,”’ Lanskail said. But Capt. George Murrell of the Ambleside and Dundarave Ratepayers defended the people who speak up at council meetings. “The only reason we're here is because we pay attention,’’ he said. Office Technology Program Train for Success © Secretarial — 8 months © Financial — 10 months © Word Processing — 10 months To ensure career advancement, acquire microcomputer and word processing skills. Our graduates are in demand! 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