{2 - Friday, March 30, 1990 - North Shore News

Everyone can help
slow global warming

“GLOBAL WARMING is inevitable,’’ said a NASA scien-
tist to the 1986 Senate Environment Committee. ‘‘It is only
a question of magnitude and time.”’

Global warming is not only in-
evitable, given our current abuse
of planetary resources, it has, in
fact, already started. Scientists say
the earth's average temperature
has risen one degree Farenheit
since the 1850s, and threatens io
climb an additional three to nine
degrees by the early to mid-21st
century.

If you find it hard to put figures
like these into perspective, consider
this: the last time the earth was
nine degrees warmer, dinosaurs
walked the planet. We are beginn-
ing to realize that a shift of just
one to two degrees can make a
startling difference to the world
around us. °

The sea level may rise up to five
feet over the next 100 years.
Forests could be replaced by
grasslands, and if the change in
climate is too rapid, the forests
would not be able to migrate suc-
cessfully. Farmlands worldwide
could be devastated, and entire
species wiped out.

In a nutshell, here’s how the
process works: the sun’s rays pass
through our atmosphere towards
the earth and are absorbe:! by land
and water. The earth in turn
radiates back infra-red energy, but
while most of this energy passes
easily through our nitrogen and
oxygen-laden atmosphere, some of
it is trapped and absorbed by the
so-called ‘‘greenhouse gases,”’
which include carbon dioxide,
CFCs, ground-level ozone, and
others.

Without these gases, our planet
would be about 50 degrees colder;
instead, their presence means
enough heat is retained to support

Family mediation
workshop held

FAMILIES CAN learn about a
unique way to resolve conflicts at
an informational family mediation
workshop on April 5.

Hosted by the North Vancouver
YMCA and Westcoast Mediation
Services, the two-hour workshop
will be led by mediator Paula
Temrick who will explain the role
of a mediator when he or she
comes into a family to help resolve
a dispute.

The workshop will also include a
demonstration of a _ parent-teen
mediation.

As a neutral third party, media-
tors are often helpful in situations,
for example, where separated or
divorced parents need to find ways
to co-parent their children.

Topics for discussion include
marital, sibling, parent-teen,
separation, custody, access and
co-parent disputes. Tiere will also
be a questivn art answer period
for participanis.

The workshop will be held in the
Kiwanis Room at the North Van-
couver YMCA, 440 Hendry Ave.,
from 7 to 9 p.m. Registration is
required. Call the YMCA at 986-
1388 for information.

a rich diversity of lifeforms. But as
we humans pump more and more
of these gases into the atmosphere,
more and more heat is being trap-
ped, the probable consequences of
which are hinted at above.

The most significant greenhouse
gas is carbon dioxide, and about
75 per cent of the CO2 we humans
send up to the skies — which as

EicoInfo

Peggy Trendell-Whittaker

21.6 billion tons in 1988 — comes
from the burning of fossil fuels.

It’s a grim picture, but one that
you and I can help re-draw. As
with all environmental concerns,
change results from the combined
actions of individuals, so read the
action tips listed below and
seriously consider making some
lifestyle changes to help fight
against this climatic threat.

ACTION TIPS
@ Leave your car at home. | know
that probably sends a shudder up
the collective spine of our conve-
nience-oriented society, but the
fuel used in transportation is one
of the major culprits in global
warming.

Walking or biking is the best
alternative (lobby your municipali-
ty for bike lanes!) but may be im-
practical for many people. Public
transit is the next best thing — if
we all took a bus even half the
time, we'd be decreasing our CO2
emissions dramatically.

The first step in changing your
transportation habits is to map out
your route to work, shopping, and
other destinations.

Call BC Transit bus information
(261-5100) from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30
p.m. or West Vancouver Bus In-
formation at 985-7777.

You may wish to use the Park

SPECIMEN

——— Djeminie Howes

Artist in Attendance
Saturday, March 31, 1 to 3 pm

450 Signed and Numbered Prints
Image Size 1544x21

COQCH BHBeUSE
ART & GIFTS
Park Royal South

and Ride services as an intermedi-
ate step from car to bus — you can
park for free at transit lots at
Lions Bay, Gleneagles, West Bay,
Park Royal Theatre and Phibbs
Exchange.

Another alternative is to car
pool. Find a friend to commute
with, or place a Classified ad in
the North Shore News’ carpool
classification — the paper is offer-
ing ads for free to encourage peo-
ple to carpool. (986-6222 gets you
Classifieds.)

« Improve your fuel efficiency
when you do drive. Don’t warm up
your car; just start out slowly.
Don’t go above the speed limit;
fuel efficiency plummets when you
speed, Get tune-ups regularly, and
limit the use of your air condi-
tioner. Plan your weekly errands in
advance so you make one trip in-
stead of three or four.

¢ Fight the destruction of the Am-
azonian rainforests and other great
forested areas. Trees are our allies
in the fight against global warming
— they absorb CO2 and release
oxygen. Sadly, 50 acres of these
tropical forests disappear at the
rate of 50 acres per minute.

Call 1-800-387-8660 to protect
one acre of rainforest ($25) under
the auspices of the World Wildlife
Fund, or contact the Vancouver
Tropical Rainforest Action Society
(734-RAIN) for more information
on saving the forests.
© When trees are burned, they
release their stored carbon into the

atmosphere. Whether you are
allowed to or not, don’t backyard
burn!
® Improve your home’s fuel effi-
ciency. Have your furnace tuned
up every year and keep it turned as
low as you can. Turn lights out.
Insulate your home properly. Use
your microwave instead of your
oven. Call B.C. Hydro’s Power
Smart energy information centre
(293-7777) for pammphiets and other
advice on home energy efficiency.

Remember: you can make a dif-
ference. And being environmen-
tally-conscious brings its own
rewards besides the global ones;
just imagine the time you'll have to
read on the bus and how fit you're
going to get from walking to the
store instead of driving. Go for it!

Send your environmental tips,
questions, upcoming events and
success stories to EcoInfo, North
Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave.,
North Vancouver, V7M 2H4.

huerrupted Play

922-9544

Dr. Paul Pocock inc.
B.D.S., M.CL.D., M.R.C.D. (C)
certified specialist in
Orthodontics
is pleased to announce the opening
of his practice of
Orthodontics
at
*207 - 145 West 15th Street

North Vancouver

Appointments Available
Weekdays and Saturdays

983-2132

THE CORPORATION OF THE

DISTRICT OF NORTH VANCOUVER g

FOR SALE BY TENDER
19 RESIDENTIAL LOTS
BLUERIDGE
AND
LYNN VALLEY
NEIGHBOURHOODS

Minimum Acceptable Prices

$219,500.00 - $257,000.00

Selection of cul-de-sac lots of various sizes. The closing
time for sealed bids will be 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday April
17, 1990.

For further information contact Neil Carlisle, the Land
Department at the Municipal Hall, 355 West Queens
Road, North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7N 2K6.

Telephone 987-7131

- Capilano Auto Lease.
“Steve can get you the

you can’t turn down. |

985-LEASE 5:27

90 HONDA
CIVIC H/B

SI model. 5 speed
48 months

5338/0"

Option to Purchase

INTEGRA LS

Air cond.
sunroof, 48 months

Incl. tax
5445/0. |.
$2500 CCA :
Option to Purchase
$7,950

48 months

5268 Imo.

Inct tax

Option to Purchase
$3,750

1151 MARINE DRIVE, N.VAN.
985-LEASE (5327) -

(LOCATED AT CAPILANG VOLKSWAGEN)

Wy

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