., ECO INFO

AS "TEMPERATURES drop

-and Christmastime ap-

‘proaches, thoughts turn to a

‘hot drink and a roaring
earth.

Unfortunately,’ we've now real-
zed that. roaring hearths can ‘be
hazardous to our health.: .

‘Air pollution from: fireplaces «
sand woodstoves is. especially. a

‘problem in northern and interior

towns,:where wood is commonly.
“used for heating; and cold, clear:
ights- keep ‘smoke near the”
gzound where it is dif! fi cult’ to
‘dissipate. oh

All of us must be conscious of
how we use our fireplaces, as
sinoke contains fine particulates
that can seep back into our home
and pose health concerns,

, Some elements of smoke are
even known carcinogens,

Try to cut back on your
wood-burning, and when you do
have a fire, use untreated, un-
painted wood that's been seasoned
for six months or more, of com-
mercially produced fireplace logs.

Avoid burning on cold, clear
nights,

H you can, consider installing a
natural gas fireplace instead.

BC Gas has a $5,000 loan avail-
able for converting various house-
hold appliances, including
fireplaces, to natural gas.

Call BC Hydro’s PowerSmart
line at 540-8883 for more details.

And speaking of aatural! gas,
some readers have been inquiring
about natural gas vehicle conver-

- sions as there are some details that

- are perhaps not commonly known,

|: There’s much to be said for the
. conversions, First off, you can get

a maximum $1,250 grant from BC .

- Gas and the federal government to
_Subsidize the cost of the conver-
‘sion, which usually totals around
82, 700.
* There are 27 fuelling stations in

Howe beings to West Vancouver.
the No-Howe to make your Evenings a Pleasure.

Mr. Pardie promises to brin, %
ou Bet we Dol

Dewie need it?

you just.chat- A Party!

the Lower Maintand (25 in the rest
of the province), and you can
purchase a home refuelling device
that works aff your household gas
supply and takes between six and
eight hours to refill two tanks.
Cost of the fuel is about half of
gasoline,

The power loss to the engine is
minimal (about 10%), and usually
not noticeable if you have a pow-
erful engine to start with,

West Vancouver District boasts
a fleet of natural gas-powered
vehicles, as does the West Van
Police Department, whose cars
automatically switch back to bur-
ning gasoline in the event of a
police chase.

Emissions, of course, are much,
much lower than with conven-
tional gasoline...

But there are some things you
should icok into before you do
your conversion,

Be sure to call your car’s man-
ufacturer to see if or how your
warranty will be affected.

General Motors, for example,
says that if a warranteed part is
found to have been damaged as a
resuit of the natural gas conver-
sion, its warranty is void.

Other makes of cars may have
similar or stricter policies.

And if you park in an under-

Engagement Ring $888

Friday, December 17, 1993 — North Shore News - 21

atte season to be environmentally friendly

ground fot frequently, you may
wish to check their regulations,

The Downtown Parking Corp,
(DPC), for example, bans natural
gas or propane vehicles from
parking in their enclosed lots.

While a DPC representative said
the ruling is almost impossible to
enforce, he said it was in place
because “if there's a leak it's
perceived as being more dangerous
than a gasoline leak.’

I checked with the Vancouver
Fire Department to see if that
perception is a reality, and it’s
not.

A public education officer told
me that natural gas is, in fact, less
dangerous than gasoline, because
natural gas will rise and dissipate

in the event of a leak, rather than

pooling like gasoline.

- Still, if you need to park regu-'
larly in an underground, better
question their policy.

For more information about
vehicle conversions, call BC Gas
at 293-1999,

Looking for a last-minute gift :

_ idea? How about a whale?

OK, OK, you're right, you’re

‘ not allowed to actually keep it; it’s

another “‘adopt-a-something’’

Bracelet $388

campaign, this one aimed at
bolstering the Right whale popu-
lation in the North Atlantic.

Right whales were hunted from
the 12th century right through to
their commercial extinction in the
19th century.

While they have been protected
by international agreement since
1935, the population of 350
whales has not shown any
significant signs of recovery.

Since 1986, East Coast
Ecosystems has becn tracking and
researching the whales, hoping to
compile enough scientific data and
public support to encourage the
federal government to foster
sound practices of ocean manage-
ment that will ensure the whales’
survival,

To help them in their work, you
aS. adopt one of their whales for

3
in addition to a warm glow,

“you will receive an 8x .10’’ adop-

tion certificate, a 4’'x 6” photo of
the whale, a Right whale fact
sheet and drawing, and newslet-
ters.

Money will go. directly to costs
involved in Right whale research,
conservation and education pro-
grams.

_ For more information, call (902) -
839-2962.

Anniversary ning $608

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