Why the 2010 Olympics are truly "sustainable"

We've heard people say that past Olympic games were "green" but for me the details have always been obscured.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the detail and depth of information provided on the Vancouver 2010 website by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC)

flickr photo credit: TylerIngram 

You can read all about how VANOC worked to make sure the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver / Whistler sustainable.  There is a fairly detailed Vancouver 2010 sustainability report offered which details items like carbon offsets, venue specific construction details, engagement of sponsors and suppliers and sustainability education for the 2010 workforce. I was impressed by the breadth of VANOC's definition of Sustainable;   


"We expanded our program beyond the environmental impacts and benefits of the Games to include the social and economic dimensions of sustainability."


This broader view of sustainability echos what British Columbians heard the Green Party offer in their platform for the 2005 provincial election.  Regardless of who said it first.  It is a brilliant idea to have this "triple bottom line".  Can you imagine what the world would be like if every business had a bottom line that was financially, socially, and environmentally sustainable.  Good job VANOC.

flickr photo credit: TylerIngram

Cheers,

Greg.

Corporate Greed and Upselling - Trialware On Your Computer

None of us has made it this far in life without hearing McDonald's famous "would you like fries with that?" upsell.  Whether its the "extended warranties" that put electronics retailers in the dubious position of convincing us that their products are subject to highly likely and frequent failures, or the person in the restaurant asking "did you want cheese with that?" or "anything to drink", we are constantly surrounded by upselling.  It is the corporation's attempt to extract more money from our wallets than we have decided to give them.  They have a captive audience and are greedy for a little more of our after-tax money.  Sometimes its sneaky like a well placed food-bar at the exit of a big box retailer, other times it is more overtly evil like additional charges on your restaurant bill for items you thought were included in the posted price.  Sometimes it is putting the customer in a situation where they have to work hard and spend their time to avoid paying money.  I have been seeing the same thing happening on the last few computers I have purchased.

When purchasing computers in the last couple years, it has become difficult to ignore the seriously large amount of  CRAP software that is loaded onto the desktop.  It is software loaded onto the computers that promises to disappoint in one of the following ways.  The software;

• will stop working after a time period
• will allow you to create documents in a proprietary format before locking up.
• will offer a narrow range of functionality with enough limitation or irritation that upgrading seems like the only way to make the pain stop.
• offers a service you never would have sought out on your own.
• is ad supported and to make the annoying ads stop you must pay.
• (mcafee) is stuck in a half installed state that is only solved by creating an account on their website.

When did it become OK for some corporation to put something on our computers without our permission, particularly something that advertises at us, or promises to frustrate, or slows the computer to a crawl by starting when the computer starts...  For example there was some DVD software that came installed on a net-book that ran 2 executables at boot time, each of which used several Megs of RAM (you caught that it was a netbook and had no DVD drive right?...

My best guess is that companies like HP and Acer are being paid to install this software on your computer. ($15/computer etc) knowing that a certain percentage of suckers will simply obey the computer and type in their credit card number to continue.

So I am technically savvy and have no problem recognizing these "special offers", but I truly pity the older generations and the less astute who may not understand their computer software is going to "stop working" in 60 days.  To prey on the ignorance of the ill-informed is reprehensible behaviour.  These corporations seem to think nothing of taking actions that will lead to confusion and frustration and disappointment on the part of their customers, as long as they get their $15 per computer sold.  Ok, so they make money by making their customers experience frustrating while bloating their computer's RAM and cluttering the start menu and desktop.   I would suggest that the term "free-trial" is the other meaning of "trial"  the one that means the same as "ordeal" and not a "test-drive".  There is an arrogance with these software manufacturers in that they seem to believe the following about their software;

• that it is so important it should take up space on my desktop where I will see it constantly
• that it is ok to use up your RAM on startup to keep "helpers" and "startup assistants" in memory even if you don't use their software that day.
• that it is OK to hijack file associations and make themselves the default software for use with files of those types
• that your data (audio/text etc) should be stored in a proprietary format that only their software reads/writes

When we recently purchased a computer for my parents, we uninstalled (or modified the behaviour of) the following crap trial-ware; Adobe Reader (does not need to load on start), cyberlink DVD software (does not need to load, this is a netbook), Microsoft Works (ad supported? really Microsoft you are sounding more desperate each year), 15 time limited games, Mcafee antivirus software (60 days).

MS Office student edition 60 day trial, carbonite online storage.

There are lots of excellent and free software packages out there that surpass those listed above, so I've loaded these onto the computers to replace the advertising, crippled trial-ware and deceptive marketing.

Many of these were in my list of free software earlier this year.

Hey Manufacturers....  My next computer will be Linux or Google-OS.  Stop treating your customers like a "market to be exploited" and start putting yourself in their shoes and asking "how would I like to be treated?"

Software vendors.... Your software isn't as good as you think it is.  People aren't delighted to "TRY" your software "FOR FREE".  Get out of the 80s.  Deliver real value to people with no strings attached and you will have a loyal following (anyone heard of Google or open source software).  Stop trying to trap the customer into your profit center.

People...  Use free open source software.  It works, its better, its less of a headache, it costs less.  Be free.

Cheers,

Greg

P.S.  Acer you owe me 8 hours of my life back.  I bill at $60/hour, I think you owe me a laptop.  Email me to arrange delivery.

Save Time and Reduce Waste with Better Handling of Flyers & Community Newspapers

I don't like clutter.  I know advertising works (which explains the billions spent on it) the question is...  Why would I subject myself to advertising and allow my house to be cluttered just to give someone else my money?

Four times a week we receive a community newspaper.  Now the paper is mostly ads, advertisements, paid advertising and ads.  There are relevant local articles, but it hardly seems worth the "filtering" to get to the content.  Out of 40 printed pages, I'd guess 4 or less actually contain news.  Now I don't believe in mindlessly reading advertisements (and don't know anyone who will admit to this), but I must admit my relationship to the printed newspapers that appear on my mailbox has been undergoing a transformation.

I was curious what the impact was on my time and on the environment to handle all the paper associated with the unsolicited flyers and community newspapers I receive. To try and estimate the impact on my city, I'm assuming everyone in town does exactly what I do, and I'm believing the newspaper's circulation figures (averaged to 40,000 per paper) which I found on the Internet.  You will see some high dollar figures here, and this is because the cost to consumers is generally left out of the equation and ignored... Retailers don't incur that cost, it is the consumer's problem, so why would anyone bother to track or estimate that cost...  This is only a rough but fair estimate.  Now I'd love to make this more accurate, so if you take issue with the numbers, do us all a favour and contribute some research.  Here is the transformation in chronological order:

Handling Flyers and community newspapers (original version 1.0)

Initially we would bring the paper in, sort through the flyers "in case there was something good there", and put the papers on the coffee table to be read.  Then I would flip from front to back through the paper making sure I didn't "miss anything.  So including all the "handling time" bringing in the paper, reading through it. Picking it up off the floor after the small children decorated the room with it. Recycling it. I probably spent 30 minutes per paper and ended up skipping half of the papers completely.  The time spent "reading the paper" was time I didn't spend with my kids etc, so I'm going to think of that cost to me as $20/hour for my like many people earn.  The 150 grams estimated weight of the paper is based on Canada Post's "weight restriction" for mailing community newspapers (mine is probably larger) and 37 grams of flyers.  So 150 grams 4 times a week is 0.6 Kg per week or 31.2 Kg per year.

• My yearly time spent "handling" newspapers and flyers: 52 hours $1040


• My papers and flyers sent to recycling: 31.2Kgs (68.8 lbs)


• My city's yearly time spent "handling" newspapers and flyers: 2,080,000 hours $41,600,000   (this is the cost of consumer's time!)


• My city's papers and flyers sent to recycling: 1,248,000 Kgs (2,751,369 lbs)

Handling Flyers and community newspapers (updated version 2.0)

Then I recognized the time I was spending "tidying up" these papers all over our living space and I wanted to get the papers re-routed to recycling at the earliest point possible.  What I would do is "intentionaly"  sit down and skim the newspaper articles for 5 minutes, if there was relevant content I save the paper for my wife and tell her what is worth reading, if not, I recycle it and all of the flyers stuffed inside before the paper even makes it up the stairs to our living space.  (Sorry advertisers, your advertising budget was not effectively spent).  But this skimming is still an interesting activity to me, I'm not doing it because I am (at that moment) interested in reading the paper or learning something specific, I'm "reacting" to the newspaper being delivered to my door.  I'm voluntarily spending at least 20 minutes per week filtering out advertisements....   Hmm, how is it that someone else is "making me" spend time reading their paper....  That wasn't my idea.   Hey I could have used that time for something I WANTED to do.

• My yearly time spent "handling" newspapers and flyers: 17 hours $340 <reduced>


• My papers and flyers sent to recycling: 31.2Kgs (68.8 lbs)    <No change>


• My city's yearly time spent "handling" newspapers and flyers: 680,000 hours $13,600,000   <reduced>


• My city's papers and flyers sent to recycling: 1,248,000 Kgs (2,751,369 lbs) <No change>

Handling Flyers and community newspapers (New Era version 3.0)

So I noticed that when those friendly guys from the "Globe and Mail" would call, I would answer.  "Not really interested, I use the Internet." and they would simply drop it and let me go with no more "sales"... hmmm..  Maybe I could just use the Internet and replace my local community paper...  So I testsed this.  What I could find online (in several locations) had all the information with much less advertising.  In many cases it offered more than the news (videos and such).  I bravely asked my wife what she thought and when I learned that she really didn't use those grocery store flyers I'd been saving for years, our course was set.  We put a "No Flyers or Newspapers" sign on our mailbox and suddenly our house is neater, our recycling is lighter, and I'm facing much less temptation to purchase things I would not have otherwise purchased.  I'm estimating that I only spend 15 minutes per month looking for local news and information.  Only God knows the value of the "impulse purchases" I'm not making.

• My yearly time spent not "handling" newspapers and flyers: 3 hours $60 (Internet time) <reduced>


• My papers and flyers sent to recycling: 0 Kgs (0 lbs) <reduced>


• My city's residents potential yearly time spent not "handling" newspapers and flyers: 120,000 hours $2,400,000 <reduced>


• My city's could potentially save  1,248,000 Kgs (2,751,369 lbs) of paper from going to recycling (or worse) <Join Me! It's free!>

Adding back "The Internet"

Sure there is time spent on the Internet to find local information, but I don't think it is the same as putting a paper on your doorstep.  I think that when someone is actually pursuing information, and not just having it "forced" on them, they are able to dig deeper and learn more.  Sure I will likely look up some local events using the Internet, maybe 15 minutes per month when I NEED to know something specific.  But that is one of the major points I'm making.  Newspaper delivery was someone else's idea that consumed my time and wasted paper.

Other Resources for breaking your flyer addiction

• I liked the vision expressed by http://www.reddotcampaign.ca

We are fortunate to live in abundance where one of our major issues is TOO MUCH STUFF! And to keep us buying more, Canadians are inundated with $19 Billion worth of advertising each year. If the old adage is true, "half of all marketing works great, if only we knew which half" why don't advertisers spend more resources understanding which half works and spend the other half supporting community?

• Another small but useful site is:  http://www.iwilltry.org/w/index.php?title=Flyers_against_flyers_campaign which advocates convincing your neighbours to join you in giving up flyers.  They had some great images you could print out and tape to your mailbox (download the originals from their site).

• The Canadian national "Do Not Call List" operated by the government of Canada promises to reduce phone based solicitation.  https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/


• The "Canadian Marketing Association has a "Do not Contact Service" designed to get your name on a list their members might check before sending out mailed advertisements. http://www.the-cma.org/?WCE=C=47|K=224217


• A ?grassroots? attempt to produce a better "do not call list" http://www.ioptout.ca/ trys to overcome limitations with the "Do Not Call List" (charities are not restricted etc).

(Use the comments to evaluate the usefulness of these links).

Please comment to let me know what you think of all this.  Do you have paper taming tricks? ways to find local information that work for you?  Would you consider joining me with a simple "no flyers or newspapers" sign on  your mailbox?  Why or why not?

Cheers,
Greg

Preventing overheight trucks from crashing into freeway overpasses.

This was a blog post that was going to start out as criticism, but as time has progressed, the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation has addressed the problem admirably and taken the wind out of those critical sails, so you will get to hear the story of what they did to improve the quality of one of BC's freeway overpasses to prevent accidents and protect infrastructure.

The story



In the 1960s, the overpasses above Highway 1 were built to similar design and varying clearance.  Perhaps in those days it was inconceivable that trucks would stretch 4.4 Meters (almost 15 feet) into the air, or perhaps years of additional paving shaved inches off of that clearance.  Whatever the case, we find clearance signs with various "heights" recorded on most of the overpasses East of Vancouver 4.6 Meters being the most common I've observed.

 

[caption id="attachment_565" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Overpass Clearance (one of many)"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_566" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Overpass clearance - 2"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_567" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Overpass clearance - 3"][/caption]

Year before last, some surprised trucker plowed into the Glover Road freeway overpass Eastbound on Highway 1 in Langley.  That particular overpass was a little lower than some of the others, so conceivably he might have driven quite some way before having his big rig stopped (the hard way).  The damage to the overpass was significant enough that traffic on Glover Road was reduced to 1 way alternating traffic for the several months it took for repairs.

I'm sure someone in the Ministry of Transportation thought "Wow, that was shocking, that guy's truck just hit the overpass.  Hope that doesn't happen again..."

Last year, another surprised trucker plowed into the same Glover Road overpass.  Same damage, same road closure with alternating traffic.  The repairs made one side of the overpass solid, presumably to lend additional strength to the bridge (under siege).  Since that second repair, there have been additional precautions taken, which together have formed a system to try and prevent this from happening again.







 

[caption id="attachment_569" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="Overpass under siege (repaired again)"][/caption]

Preventing the collisions

 

First there were 2 signs positioned further up the road on either side which re-stated the clearance information printed on the bridge.  With advance warning a trucker could conceivably stop before hitting the bridge.  The signs used bright contrasting colours to draw attention.

 

[caption id="attachment_570" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="Bright clearance signs (with enough room to stop)"][/caption]

 

Next, a bunch of yellow and black reflective signs were added to the bridge to draw attention to the bridge.  

So if a trucker was overheight, knew he was overheight, read the signs, did the math and stopped in time he could avoid hitting the bridge.  But what if he didn't know he was overheight? 

A series of bright yellow warning / informational signs were deployed, starting with a sign warning trucks to use the right lane for the overheight detection system. 

 

[caption id="attachment_571" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="Truckers Keep Right for overheight detection system"][/caption]

Then the overheight detection system which triggers a flashing overhead sign that would warn when a truck was overheight.

 

[caption id="attachment_572" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="Glover Road Overheight detection system uses beams (of light) when interupted, flashing signals are triggered."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_573" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="When flashing give that overheight truck that isn't stopping lots of room"][/caption]

 

Then a small pull-out was built where trucks could pull off the freeway to check their loads.  It had a large bright yellow "pull-out" sign for easy identification, and a series of bright yellow signs warning that the pullout was approaching.  At the pullout there is an informational sign intended for those who have used the pull-out (my eyes are good, but at 100km/h that font is too small even for me :-) ) 

 

[caption id="attachment_574" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="overheight truck pullout ahead"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_575" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="overheight truck pullout ahead (getting closer)"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_576" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="overheight truck pullout NOW! (no seriously, NOW)"][/caption]

 

 

 

So now overheight trucks can be detected and "flashed", and there is an illuminated pullout available for these trucks.  Assuming that works and the driver notices he is overheight, this challenge remains for a driver who is overheight.  He either needs to back up the freeway for 2-3 miles, or he needs a crane to unload him so he can drive underneath the bridge.

Now the Ministry has added a "detour route" informational sign West of the 200th street interchange in the same bright yellow colour, warning drivers of overheight vehicles to detour off of the freeway.

Good job guys, hopefully we don't see another accident at that freeway overpass like the last two.

 













The unmeasured cost

Glover road was reduced to single lane alternating traffic next to a university on the main road leading from Langley to the Albion ferry crossing (on the Fraser river).  Thousands of people had to wait each day while traffic changed direction to cross the freeway.  This took them away from their families, their jobs, their volunteer engagements.  This time was simply lost.  Add to that unmeasured cost, the construction costs and the real cost of not putting signage up after the first incident becomes more apparent.  The albion ferry is reported to have moved about 4,500 people per day, so this number would be reasonable for forming an estimate. Assuming a 1 minute delay for 4500 cars per day for 180 days (2 years 3 months out of service each year), with commuters earning $25/hour, the inconvenience could have cost citizens. $337,500 over 2 years.  That number will never appear in a government balance sheet, but it is a cost that was paid by citizens, and it is a cost we may be able to avoid paying in the future thanks to the improvements brought by the Ministry of Transportation.

 

[caption id="attachment_577" align="aligncenter" width="336" caption="Traffic congestion HWY 1 Eastbound"][/caption]

 

I find it ironic that the train bridge overpass to the East of Glover Road (bearing scars from previous impacts) is even lower...  We'll wait and see if that has been taken into account. 

[caption id="attachment_568" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="The "even lower" railway overpass to the East (notice the repairs from past collisions...)"][/caption]









Cheers,
Greg 

Save Money - Give your things away!

I'm going to let you in on a little secret...  The beauty of this secret is that it scales really really well, so the more people you tell, potentially the more people who can contribute and benefit.

[caption id="attachment_538" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="freecycle logo"][/caption]

I'm talking about free-cycle.  You probably have a free-cycle group operating in your area.  The concept is really simple.  If you want something, you ask for it, and if somebody wants to give you that thing, they will contact you to come and pick it up.  If you have something you want to get rid of, you post it and people will contact you to come and pick it up.

Our family started with a micro-wave stand.  We probably could have got $15 bucks for it, but really... I don't want to operate a garage sale, I don't want to fight with someone over whether I'll take $12.50 rather than $15, and well I really just want to get rid of it so it doesn't waste my space.  My "interest" is unloading something I don't want to keep in my house.  The other person's "interest" is in getting a free microwave stand.  The environment's "interest" is that a piece of furniture did not need to be manufactured, stored, shipped and sold. (We've previously talked about "The Story of Stuff") The object's "interest" is that it becomes useful rather than just wasting space.    Sound "interesting?"  

This truly is "re-cycling" something useful to another person.  Because there is no exchange of money or other consideration, the opportunity for fraud / theft etc is super low (making this safer than other systems where money is exchanged for goods).

It works quite well, and I'm really pleased with the free wooden rocking chair I'm looking at across the room.  Not everything you ask for will be given.  "Lego" is a hard sell.  Nobody wants to give up their "Lego"!  It is an email group.  So don't use your work email. use a "junk email" that can receive a steady stream of offers.  

Getting started with free-cycle.

1. Chose a "junk" email address to use, because you are going to get lots of emails.

2. Find a group in your area by visiting free-cycle.org and typing in your city

3. Read the "rules" (guidelines) so you learn what kind of behaviour fits with free-cycle

4. Start reading and respond to items that interest you.

 

It is better to give than to receive.  Freecycle helps you do both in a way that is responsible; socially, fiscally and environmentally.

Cheers! Enjoy the free stuff.

Greg.

BC-STV British Columbia's Single Transferrable vote - Take 2

I wrote about the BC-STV the other day.  I continue to learn more good things about STV and am determined to do my part in informing other voters in my sphere of influence so they can make an informed choice on May 12th.

I heard some really compelling arguments in favour of the STV written by Arthur here: http://Ansak.blogspot.com  

And today in the paper "Dave" from Castlegar BC offered a letter comparing First Past the Post (FPTP) with Single Transferable Vote (STV):

... First past the Post:

• Fails to accurately reflect voter's choices (percentage of votes case is not accurately represented by seats in government)


• Allows a minortity of votes to elect majority governments


• Restricts new parties and independent candidates from fair competition


• Entrenches power in established political parties


• Narrows voter  choice <not wanting to "waste votes">

Single Transferable Vote:

• Accurately reflects voters choices by seats in government


• ensures that majority governements are not formed without a morjoity of voter support


• Allows new parties and independent candidates to fairly compete


• Increases voter choice.

As a footnote Dave went on to mention that in Ireland where STV is used, the politicians held two referendums in an effort to get rid of STV and both times the public voted to keep it.  As more people become educated about STV, its support increases...

Vote with me on May 12 2009 to implement the "Single Transferable Vote" and redeem the opportunity of a lifetime to improve your democracy in a significant way.

The Value Proposition - Being content with the price you pay

I grew up in a world where the price on the price tag was the price you paid.  Being a shrewd consumer involved shopping around for the same product with a lower sticker price.  Although I did attend an auction or two in my childhood, that was an experience far removed from our weekly shopping trips.  I grew up learning that price was important, but quality was also important so the product would last and not need replacement or repair.  So sometimes paying a little more for better quality meant conserving money in the long run.  I want to pay the least and conserve my money for use elsewhere, but with a growing understanding of where our products come from, I won't knowingly choose a low price at the expense of others or the natural environment.  In this journey from fact to face negotiation, to automated Internet transactions and corporate marketing strategies, It is easy to lose sight of the people on the other sided of the transaction whose welfare must remain a part of the equation.

[caption id="attachment_492" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="(flickr credit: sharpstick's photos)"][/caption]

In married life, the Internet has allowed us to compare prices without actually having to visit stores (much like the telephone allows), in fact we can compare prices without actually interacting with another person.  It feels like a safe anonymous inexpensive activity.  Ebay started introducing us to live on the wild side by bidding for things at "less than" the asking price.  Until recently this was the extent of our financial education until I met my friend Cindy at work and she introduced me to the idea of "asking for a better price".  "The worst they can say is no" she explained.  So in small ways I began to assert my desire for fairer prices.  Saving $200 on fees associated with buying a car, saving $15 off the price of a pair of shoes.  Spotting inconsequential defects and asking the cashier for a deduction.

Experience has eroded my confidence that retail prices accurately reflect value

I remember being shocked to observe retail markup first hand when i worked at the garden centre.  I saw two things that forever changed my view on pricing. 

1. The first was observing products coming in at a wholesale price and immediately being marked up to a retail price that was 2 times the wholesale.  The $4 items became $8 items, and the $40 items became $80 items.  I was alarmed that at the garden centre 1/2 of every price was basically profit.

2. The second was re-potting plants.  When a plant outgrew its 1 gallon pot, we would pull it out and place it in a 2 gallon pot surrounded with fresh dirt.  So on Friday the shrub was a 1 gallon plant for $4 and on Saturday it was a 2 gallon plant for $7.  In some cases the re-potting would only be half complete, and customers would pass over the 1 gallon shrubs to purchase a 2 gallon shrub (the plants were identical).

I think you will share some of the other experiences I've had; 

• Gas wars where 2 gas stations compete on price and the cost of a litre of fuel drops and drops to ridiculous prices (like 1cent for a litre).

[caption id="attachment_493" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="(flickr caption: Micah Maziar)"][/caption]

• Electronics where the retail price drops month after month, while other electronics like the Wii where the retail price remains constant for years.


• Recently crude oil prices plummeted while gasoline prices remained at record high levels for over a year.

Clearly the retail price is not a reflection of value in all cases.  The prices rise and fall despite constant demand and identical products.  The prices you see are not the direct result of a "market effect" but rather the contrived price of marketeers.  In some cases, nobody pays the same price, such as in the case of "yield management" where the airlines use complex formulas in their attempt to extract as much money as possible from each customer for a seat on the same plane.

Very recently on a trip to Mexico, I saw how a silver right for $80 could be purchased for $35.  How? by haggling.  A bead bracelet for $5 becomes 2 for $7 at a cost of $3.50 each.  Now there are the long faces and the sad stories of large families at home in need of money, but don't tear up, it is a game.  In the 5 minutes it took you to pay $7, you supplied 1/3 of the average Mexicans daily wage.  This whole process of haggling over prices felt uncomfortable to me.  As someone accustomed to paying sticker price.  I feel awkward haggling or arguing over price.  Because the "price tag" is what the man asked, I feel compelled to pay it.  After the face I am faced with the tension (maybe unhappiness) that results from having options in the price I pay.  My joy at "finding a good price" is robbed from me when I realize that I could have negotiated a "better price".  When I do haggle for a "better price" I wonder if I got he best price, or did I settle too high?

 

[caption id="attachment_494" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="(flickr credit: Pandiyan)"][/caption]

 

The only solution I have found to this unhappiness with the prices I've paid is the value proposition.  What is the value of this to me and given this value am I content with the price I paid for this product.  For me the value proposition includes; the price I must pay, the quality of the product, the level of customer service I receive and the social impact of the product through its manufacture and associated labour and waste (explained clearly in "the story of stuff").    If I am content, then it does not matter that someone else got a better price or that the price dropped the next week.  I am content, I make my purchase and (unless there is a deal to refund my money when the price drops) I walk away secure that I made a choice and paid a price I was content with. 

I wish you success in leveraging the "value proposition" for your own peace of mind in purchasing.

Greg.

10 Challenges Facing Homeless Folks

There is a great article over at "HomelessTales.com" addressing the challenges and barriers that sometimes keep homeless folks from receiving the benefits of shelters. Having had the opportunity to twice visit PLOW (Portland Learning Outreach and Worship) with teams of youth where we could learn firsthand about the issues facing homeless folks I can start to appreciate what is being said in this article.

Clearly it is a tough arena to examine and improve.  With many of the organizations providing support on a voluntary basis from their own altruism, from their own budget, it just doesn't make sense to insist on a certain "quality of service".  Certainly the customers they serve don't have circumstances that make serving them easy and the work can be thankless.

Since "something" is better than nothing (an incremental improvement but not a perfect situation).  Organizations meeting the social needs of the homeless receive thanks, and the clients are not generally in a position where they necessarily feel safe suggesting improvements...  With the needs of the homeless being so immediate, the idea of feeding someone is measurable and can be achieved.  With limited resources, the idea of feeding less people to make the meal experience more humanized seems foolish.

Given the creativity and dedication of the staff I've encountered serving the homeless, I can't help but wonder if some kind of "Council of Best Practices" couldn't be established to provide a code of excellence in addressing the needs of the homeless.  Like a Kaizen Practical framework for evaluating the quality of services provided to the homeless folks.  Not some "far removed" academic bureaucratic regulatory agency imposing unrealistic standards on overworked volunteers who are already stretched thin...  My 2 cents.  If that concept interests you, please comment below.

Anyways back to me recommending you read the other article...

So head on over and check out: "Ten Reasons Homeless People Choose Homelessness".

Cheers!

Greg.

Carpooling Etiquette

Carpooling makes sense, you've been enjoying the benefits of carpooling for a while, you've adjusted to sharing commuting space and what seemed like a brand new adventure now seems normal.  Overall it has been good and you want your carpool to carry on, but there are these "minor annoyances" that are making carpooling a little bit tougher.  It started with the really strong perfume that made your car smell like... really strong perfume, then there was the coffee spill on your uphostery.  Life happens you know it could easily have been you, but then there were those surprises where some in your carpool just didn't show up without letting anyone know.  You waited patiently at first, now its almost a running joke that the carpool does not leave at the time you all agreed to.  You have put up with these annoyances, ascribed them to personal style or just plain ignored them thinking that maybe the behaviour would improve.  It hasn't...

Does this sound familiar?  I hope not, but for thousands of carpoolers, that is the reality of their carpool.  The carpool finds itself held hostage to bad behaviour, rudeness, inconsideration and the ambiguity of unclear expectations in order to retain the benefits of carpooling.  With the possible exception of a cement truck with no brakes, nothing will kill your carpool faster than carpoolers who don't respect each other. Let me encouage you to prevent that situation through the following approach to carpool Etiquette;  

[caption id="attachment_428" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bono Holds the Door (flickr credit: dpnash)"][/caption]

Clearly outline your carpool's rules

It is only fair.  Otherwise one person's high standards and another's low standards could be in conflict even though nobody is actually intending disrespect or breaking a rule.  By letting everyone in the carpool know about the expected standard of behaviour, everyone can be absolutely crystal clear when they are not respecting the group.  Writing things down tends to make things much more clear than just chatting about them in the carpool lane at 110km/h.  Since carpooling is optional, a member of the carpool who doesn't want to abide by the rules can either negotiate, or find a carpool with more lax rules.

Abide by and enforce your carpool's rules

The strongest teacher is example.  If you are always "running a couple minutes late", you shouldn't be surprised if the others in your carpool also "run a couple minutes late".  If you can't follow the rules, then don't have them.  Rules are actually there to be followed.  On the other side of the equation, if there is no consequence for not following the rules, or the group is so fearful to point out infractions, then you might as well not have rules at all.  If the carpool feels free to point out violations, it sends a clear message that disrespect is not accepted by the group.

Carpool Etiquette - Rules you might choose for your carpool


So what rules should you have for your carpool?  maybe your carpool is composed of like minded individuals who share the same values, or perhaps there is a real diversity of backgrounds, and what means respect to one person is completely optional to another.  I've been hunting online for a list of carpool rules and drawing from my own experience to give you the following selection of rules to strengthen your carpool and improve everyone's experience.

• Be prompt.  Perhaps you think 5 minutes is nothing, but when it happens twice a day and 3 other people are waiting you just wasted 30 minutes of other people's time.  In our carpool, we wait up to 5 minutes then we leave. Leaving work on time after work is as important as being on time in the morning.  That providential meeting in the hallway at the end of the day needs to end before carpool is scheduled to leave.  If carpool leaves at 7:30, then 7:32 may be fine for everybody getting settled and buckled in, but 7:39 is clearly not "on-time".


• Don't run errands when you are driving the carpool.  This includes not stopping at the gas station.  Always have your car full of gas so you don't make your carpool sit at the gas-station while you fill up.  The point of carpool is getting to and from work effectively.


• Safety first. Everyone should feel safe, so the whole carpool adjusts towards the driving style of the safest driver (not the most hesitant driver).


• Avoid strong fragrances; perfume, hairspray, scented hand lotions all have fragrances which the others who are enclosed in the air-tight vehicle may not choose.


• If your work requires you to sweat or otherwise get dirty, respect your carpool by covering their seats with towels to protect the vehicle.


• The car should be reasonably clean and odour free in preparation for the carpool.  Clean seats give your fellow carpoolers confidence when they sit down in their best business clothes for the commute.


• Be sensitive with the choice of music.  No music is easier to manage.


• Life happens.  Call if there is a problem.  Communicate early! Lots of warning lets people plan. Remember they are counting on you. So have everyone's contact information.  Yes you can phone my house at 6AM if there is a problem.  Getting to work is important enough for my phone to ring.


• Let the driver drive.  His job is to keep everyone safe in traffic by paying attention and using his judgement.  Backseatdrivers need not apply. (imaginary brake pedals for the passenger are fine, call it a reflex).


• Set food rules;  Is coffee or food allowed in the car? (each car may have different rules).


• Don't have long cell phone conversations while you’re in the carpool.  It says something if you are ignoring the person beside you while having an enthusiastic conversation with someone who is not present.  Short calls to check in at home, leave reminders and take care of telephone errands are usually acceptable. (remember your audience includes those present).


• Avoid discussing controversial topics like religion or politics unless you know your fellow carpoolers well. While some people enjoy debating the issues, others may prefer a quieter commute.  Depending on the enthusiasm of co-workers in your carpool, you may want other rules to limit the amount of "work" conversation that occurs en-route.

Carpooling is about relating with others.

Rules are useful and necessary for bringing order and predictability to your carpool, but be sure to employ them with flexibility for maximum impact.  

• Think in terms of equity, fairness and putting yourself in the other person's shoes.  


• Discuss carpool costs together. If members agree to rotate the driving equally, then money doesn't have to change hands. But if only one person drives the carpool, passengers generally chip in to cover the costs of gas and parking.


• Compromise where you can - They want to leave at the crack of dawn, you want to leave 30 minutes later.  Try leaving at 15 minutes after the crack of dawn. 


• Realize that not everyone in a carpool has the same degree of flexibility.  While some members may be leaving a "spare" $23,000 SUV in their driveway, others may be single car families with much less flexibility since the rest of their family may have plans for the car when it is not driving the carpool. 


• Keeping money out of the equation may move you from a transactional carpool which is interested in the exact dollars and cents owed towards a relational carpool where you focus on giving and receiving a benefit.


• Consider seating arrangements.  Those needing more space or prone to car-sickness up front, and the most compatible or compact folks in the back seat where there is less room.

It is my hope that the tips I've shared above make your life and your carpool better.  If you have tips or carpool experiences to share, hit the comments below.  Thanks! Greg.

8 Suggestions for Starting to Carpool Successfully

So you are interested in the idea of carpooling but you aren't sure it will work for you.  Don't worry, you aren't alone.  Most carpoolers have stood in your shoes and wondered about the benefits and costs of carpooling.  With some encouragement and a little experimentation you can make carpooling work for you.  The following tips are born of my experiences and are provided to help you increase the success of your first foray into carpooling.

[caption id="attachment_411" align="aligncenter" width="240" caption="carpool lane (flickr credit: Richard Drdul)"][/caption]

1. First of all, take "Baby steps" and "try before you buy".  Rather than committing to carpool full-time right away, test-drive the idea of carpooling.  With some of the friends from my office, we started with carpooling a couple days a week.  This meant that 3/5 of the days were business as usual, but 2/5 were trying out carpooling.   Even if you only end up carpooling a couple days a week, you realize many of the carpooling benefits which might include; saving money, less stressful driving, carpool lanes, less wear and tear on your vehicle.  Pick a duration for your carpool trial and re-evaluate at the end of that time.  Say; "Well, I'm just not sure how I will feel about not having my own space on the commute, but I'd like to give this a try to see how well I do with this.  For the next month, lets carpool on Mondays and Tuesdays, and evaluate at the end of the month." Did you notice how the language was around your own experience, and not around the other person's driving or conversational skills?  This way you can easily say "No" without anyone feeling judged.

2. Pick good people, set yourself up for success.  Try carpooling with people you know.  Sharing a common office environment and of course knowing the people increases the safety of the situation.  You might find it harder (and probably should) to drive off with a stranger in their car. Sharing an office also improves the chances that you share common working hours and will have very little conflict regarding when the carpool arrives and leaves.  Choose people you are comfortable with, people you can get along with who you won't mind having in your commuting space.  Good people make all the difference in the world.

3. Schedule driving days in advance.  Unless it is Christmas, nobody likes surprises.  If the people in your carpool are forewarned about which day they are driving, they can; have gas in the car, have the car clean, and not promise the car to their wife that day.  Having members of the carpool drive on certain days, (I always drive on Mondays) gives a rhythm and predictability to the carpool routine that reduces stress. Naturally you will want to keep things fair so on some days there will be variation in who drives. (Wednesdays could be Greg, Jen or Mo) That variation should be predictable too, so break out your favourite spreadsheet tool and build a schedule (to keep at your desk, on the visor of your car, and on the back of your door at home) so everyone can avoid being "surprised" when it is their day to drive.

4. Clearly agree on how the carpool will work.  Will it be like a carpool bus-route, where the driver goes to several houses to collect people in the morning and drop them off at night, which requires only one vehicle to be in motion on a given day.  This is the most car efficient, but depending on driving direction and distances, may not be the most time efficient.  Will your carpool meet centrally so everyone is responsible for getting "down the hill" to the rendezvous point?  This could mean adding a couple minutes of buffer to everyone's schedule prior to rendezvous so they don't keep anyone waiting.  Will your carpool meet at the house closest to destination with cars left on the street or in a driveway?  It means a lot less hassle for the person with the handy house, but uses more cars and may mean those furthest away may be commuting many more minutes a day just to make the carpool work.

5. Be flexible.  Life happens.  Communicate early! Lots of warning lets people plan. Remember they are counting on you, so if something comes up lead time is really valuable.  Chances are you are carpooling because of the benefits you will receive or because you recognize the opportunity to make a positive impact through how you commute.  Keep this in mind when your carpool has complications.  Refuse to be "high-maintenance"  Did someone miss a day because of medical appointments? Relax, adapt, next time you might be the one requiring grace.  The need to keep a running total of how EVEN everyone is may be a sign that your carpool is headed for trouble.  That being said, it must be fair and feel fair. 

6. Drive well.  You just found some people that were willing to trust you with their lives on the morning commute. Honour that trust by keeping everyone safe.  In fact strive to raise the safety of your driving to match the safest person in your carpool.  Nobody should be scared in the carpool, and if someone expresses their fear, say "Thank you" and take it as a compliment that they felt you would be open enough to receive constructive criticism. Drive "Silky smooth". Richard in our carpool coined that term and we look forward to a "Silky Smooth" commute every time Richard drives.  This helps everyone feel comfortable, saves fuel and helps those prone to motion sickness to not feel seasick after the commute.

7. Bulk up your carpool for resilience.  If you have a 2 person carpool and 1 of the 2 people can't make it, the carpool is dead for that day.  If you have a 3 person carpool and one person can't make it, the carpool lives on.  3 and 4 person carpools are very resilient and able to continue on even if one person is sick for a week and another person has random work schedule changes...  You carpool when you can, and your carpool extends benefits to whoever can carpool on a given day.  Some days our carpool saves $10 in gas, other days it saves as much as $30 in gas.

8. Enjoy yourselves.  It's about community and it's much more than a business transaction.  If  you are social with carpool, after a short while you will find yourself  looking forward to the time you can spend with friends on the ride home.  Some of the tools to improve your carpool's enjoyability include; agreed upon audio books, baking or coffee in the morning, carefully selected music, the odd DVD movie (back seat only), and the normal exuberant conversation that comes after a long day at work. You'll have inside jokes and your own secret carpool language in no time... Well OK maybe just some inside jokes.

Carpooling is about achieving something together that you could not on your own.  With the 8 suggestions above you will greatly increase the chances that you can start carpooling successfully.  Then you get to enjoy the benefits that brings.

I hope that helps!  Leave your suggestions in the comments below so others can benefit from your experiences.

Greg.

The Cause of the Credit Crisis Explained in Pictures

There is a really informative video by Jonathan Jarvis at Vimeo which provides an overview of the credit crisis. 
If you have found yourself struggling to understand how everything could get so messed up, you might find this video to be quite enlightening.  

 

[caption id="attachment_368" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Credit Crisis Explained"][/caption]

Check it out The Crisis of Credit Visualized

Thanks Jonathan for the excellent explanation which was quite easy to listen to!

Carpooling puts CA$H back in your pocket

By carpooling I probably save over $1500 a year in after-tax dollars.  I think there are other advantages to carpooling that you should know about which you may not have considered.

Let me start by saying that I never thought I would carpool.  The idea was fine for other people but, I liked the convenience of being able to come and go as I pleased, even though I arrived at work and left work like clockwork.  I thought I was probably a better driver than anyone I would carpool with, so from a safety perspective I didn't want to put my life at risk.  I also didn't really want total strangers in my personal space yet worked in an office that probably had 20 people I knew driving the same commute.  So I had objections which no longer apply at this point.

[caption id="attachment_363" align="aligncenter" width="160" caption="Carpool"][/caption]

In commuting all year with 2 other people on a 1 hour commute, we have gas costs of about $10 per day and the mileage driven is roughly 100km/day.

I have discovered the following benefits when carpooling;

• Less wear and tear on my car because I drive about 15,000 kilometers less per year


• Less parking costs when we are able to use one parking spot for all 3 of us


• We have personally reduced congestion in traffic by taking 2 cars a day off the road


• Saving about $1500 a year in gas


• By removing 2 cars per day from the road we have each reduced our contribution to air pollution by 2/3rds


• By reducing our gas consumption by 2/3rds we are reducing North American dependence on imported oil and conserving existing fuel stocks


• By leaving my car at home 3 days a week, my wife can use it to run errands, and we can operate our household on 1 vehicle rather than 2 (Save $1500/year on insurance, Save $2300+ per year on the capital cost of purchasing a car + financing)


• Since I drive only 1/3rd of the time, I am less exposed to an accident in my vehicle (which would be on my insurance).


• I've become a better driver through closely observing how the other drivers drive.  Jen calculates an optimal route and sticks to the plan.  Claudiu does not sweat the small stuff in traffic and maintains his cool etc...


• I experience "debriefing" time on the way home which allows me to get work out of my system with people who will listen, before I get home which benefits my family.  Along the same lines, conversing with my co-workers outside of work improves my perspective on things that happen in the office and gives an opportunity for me to solicit input outside of formal work channels.


• Those in our carpool have benefited from increased sleep time (mornings only), video time (backseat only), cellphone, reading and crocheting time and "staring out the window" down-time.  All of these are best done while someone else is driving.


• Improved safety in traffic because there are extra sets of eyes in the car which can help spot hazards earlier.


• A team dedicated to getting me home quickly and safely who work together to scan radio and websites for traffic and routing information when traffic get congested.  (Reading websites on your phone is not recommended while driving)

Others may realize additional benefits like:

• Access to carpool lanes which may reduce commuting time, stress and gas consumption/cost.


• Reduced car insurance costs if the number of kilometers they drive and the number of days they drive qualifies them for a reduced premium.

I think this list is pretty impressive, and I never would have seen all of these benefits if I hadn't started carpooling.  In a future post I plan to address carpool etiquette, and getting a successful carpool started.  I hope you find some of these reasons compelling to start thinking about whether a carpool could benefit you in your situation.

Leave your comments below if you have any questions or if you have realized other carpooling benefits.

Cheers!
Greg.

Are Banks and Credit Card companies acting in "Bad Faith"?

In business, the people you work with are expected to act in "good faith". To watch your back so to speak. If you sign a deal with another company, they are expected to treat you fairly and vice versa. Contracts are there to keep things clear and defined. However... As human nature seems prone to do, these good intentions get twisted, and in the end we have contracts designed to baffle, deceive and ensnare. And we have conscienceless corporations who care nothing for you or your family, but simply want your money. (for the shareholders of course).

In my experience, most banking and credit card contracts are difficult to read, understand and evaluate. Terms are decidedly one-sided favouring the banks, and in many cases the banks represent their products (debt) as bringing freedom when really the debt in so many cases serves to ensnare and really enslave their customers to pouring their money back into these corporations.

I received a notice from a local bank that they had selected me (I had a mailing address and was not deceased) to be approved for a $5000 line of credit. The bank was nearby and I believe in giving my business to local companies (all things being equal) so I phone the number to learn more. It sounded good, until Iasked what the annual rate of interest was. 18.5% (prime was about 5%). So everything was fineas long as you didn't notice that the $5000debt would cost you $925 per year to service. I chastised the lady (who seemed to think this was a great deal) for trying to promote a really really bad deal that would hurt people financially. This same institution would give a loan to you at a much lower rate if you simply walked in the door, but here they were "fishing" (not phishing) for suckers who would take advantage of their "special offer" and expose themselves to debt.

Another example of this, is the almost monthly letters I receive from credit card companies offering me a low rate of interest for 3-6 months (4% etc) in BIG BOLD LETTERS after which the rate jumps up to 18.5% in tiny little *starred comments or something similar. So they try to reel someone in with the bait and then they switch what the person is eager to buy with something that will not work int he customers best interests. Take my advice, shred these when they arrive. (they contain your name, address, and may disclose that you have a relationship with the credit card company, worse, they may contain an account number or other such information the credit card company isn't concerned about protecting for you.)

Another example is on of my existing credit card companies from the Americas... Every couple months they send me some "credit card cheques" that I can "use like CASH". What they don't say very loudly is that the interest on these cheques starts accumulating the day they are used, not 30 days later when your statement is due, so if you were to purchase a $1000 piece of furniture on July 1, and you get your statement on July 30 and you see your statement isn't due until Aug 15, and you pay it on time, approximately 1.5 months have passed since you used your "credit card cheque" so $1000 * the annual interest rate, divided by the fraction of the year that has gone by... If you had an 18.5% card (since that number has already been made popular in this article). You would be paying (18.5%/8)*1000 = $23.1. I want to point out that this is $23.1 dollars for paying your credit card bill ON TIME. All because you used the stupid cheques that they sent you. Take my advice, shred them when they arrive. (they contain your name, address, they disclose that you have a relationship with the credit card company, and much worse, they contain an account number which means youwill be charged is someone picks them out of the garbage and uses them

(Did I mention that the credit card company isn't concerned about protecting for you or your privacy despite the glossy brochures?)

The credit card companies and banks are NOT your friends, they AREN'T doing you any favours, if they can't make money from you they aren't interested in you, and will dump you (Bizsmart offered free business chequing, and was recently discontinued.  Many suspect it was a customer fishing expedition that did not end up with a significant portion of its customer base using their "lines of credit", so the profits were lower than expected.)

Know your vocabulary. DEBT is money you owe. INTEREST is debt you incur on money you owe. Credit is when you are offered debt. ALINE OF CREDIT is an ongoing offer of debt.

How to survive.

• Pay your credit cards off (the full amount owing not the minimum) before the due date.


• Don't use credit card cheques.


• Be suspicious of any offer, confirm the terms, rates of interest, length of offer, penalties etc etc.


• Ask yourself... "How are they making money from this?"


• Ask yourself... "Where else could I find a similar offer?"


• Think of debt as days working for the bank or credit card company... If you owe them $150, then you are spending 2 days working for them. (yes 2 not 1. You pay your debts out of after tax dollars...)

What are your experiences with how banks and credit card companies treate you?  

< re-posted from my older blog at www.greentreesoftware.ca/environmental >

Clearcut Housing Development

Here in British Columbia’s lower mainland, many people take the greenery for granted.  The trees seem to grow faster here than they do in other parts of the country (like Manitoba where the growing season is much shorter).

Here there are a number of constraints on the development of new houses, so new houses often displace mature stands of trees.  …we can infer that the lots for which there was a higher demand fetched a higher price for both developer and builder.  …There are plenty of reasons why a property with trees is prefereable over a lot with no trees. …

Here in British Columbia’s lower mainland, many people take the greenery for granted.  The trees seem to grow faster here than they do in other parts of the country (like Manitoba where the growing season is much shorter).

Here there are a number of constraints on the development of new houses.  We have an international border with the United States (which we can’t move to make more room for houses), We have the ocean (which isn’t moving any time soon), we have the Coastal mountains, which are quite steep and difficult places to build houses, and we have something called the Agricultural Land Reserve ALR which is a set of laws designed to protect farmland and stop ‘urban sprawl’ (Otherwise we would have a city 120 KM long and 25 km wide).

Forest land is almost guaranteed to not be a part of the ALR, so new houses often displace mature stands of trees.  For the developer it is a way to quickly regain some of the money he has spent on the land by selling the logs.  It also clears the land so there are few restrictions on where the house can stand.  Since today’s developers seem intent on subdividing land as greedily as possible (to fit as many dwellings as possible on the smallest possible piece of land, they don’t want to leave 20ft here for a row of trees, since they could squeeze another property in that space.  It would seem that the developers can’t be self-policing since they are guided by greed in squeezing the most profit out of a piece of land.  So it would fall to the cities and municipalities to ensure that the land being developed is “livable” and protected.  Despite the fact that taxes revenues rarely exceed development and maintenance costs within a city, many beureaucrats are still drawn by the allure of tax dollars.  Trees don’t pay tax dollars, but the small dwelling squeezed onto a property does pay taxes, so the trees are at a significant disadvantage.  For example Surrey British Columbia calls itself the “City of parks”, I think it should be called the “City of clearcuts”

On my way to work over the last few months, there was some land developed offering 8 lots, 3 of which were treed.  I noticed that  the treed lots sold first, I also noticed that the builders who then built houses on the treed lots, sold their houses first, it would appear that there was a higher demand for those lots which were treed, and according to common economic theory we can infer that the lots for which there was a higher demand fetched a higher price for both developer and builder.  If the value of the land was higher we would also expect that the City could realize higher taxes for the treed properties.  So we would expect that with a financial incentive to have a treed lot, that developers and cities would be pushing for more treed lots, but they aren’t.  If financial incentive isn’t enough to convince builders and developers to be self-regulating, then the incentive to preserve trees must lie in legislation and regulation that will force developers and builders to do what they would otherwise neglect.  The case for such regulation is compelling albeit mostly non-financial.

There are plenty of reasons why a property with trees is prefereable over a lot with no trees. Here are some:
1. Beauty.  The first reason is beauty.  Instead of seeing the neighbour’s oversized shed, or that freeway onramp, you see a beautiful tree that glows with the light of the sun, changes colours in the fall, fills with blossoms in the spring and displays icicles and horfrost in the winter.  Green leaves waving in the breeze help make your property a peaceful sanctuary from the rush of everyday life, while effectively hiding eyesores on ajoining properties.
2.Soil retention.  The roots of trees grip the soil and in hilly terrain can make the difference between a useable backyard, and having your house slide down the hill into your neighbour’s backyard.  Considering the cost of retaining walls, labour and proper drainage, retaining trees is a bargain.
3. Summer cooling.  A canopy of leaves can provide the indoor and outdoor space on your property with protection from the sun.  This translates to a roof that lasts longer (less thermal abuse), a yard and deck that are more enjoyable in summer, and reduced cooling costs in your house.  Conveniently enough,for deciduous trees, in the winter, those leaves disappear allowing in more sun during the darker dreary days of winter, which helps with heating your home.
4. Air quality.  Trees do a fantastic job of absorbing CO2 from the air and replacing it with Oxygen, which makes for cleaner more healthy air.  They even act as natural deodorizers making the air smell fresher, all of which is important in urban areas where there is a disproportionately high amount of CO2 and pollution.
5. Wildlife Habitat.  With very little use of space on the ground, trees provide a significant amount of habitat for birds and other small wildlife.   At our house (where we are privileged to back on a small forested park) we are constantly serenaded by pretty songbirds, something which happened much less in houses that were developed in areas without such concentrations of trees.

So this is my pitch to encourage you to buy a property with trees, to plant trees if you don’t already have them on your property.  To prefer buying a treed property if you are a builder, to not clearcut a development if you are a developer, and to not allow clearcut development in your city or municipality if you are in such a  position of civic oversight.  Thanks for reading, I welcome your comments.

Beetle Plague in British Columbia

3 000 square kilometers of forest in British Columbia have been infested with the pine beetle since 1997.

there is little discussion about why this is happening, only an accelerated logging program for the dead trees.  No emphasis on prevention, and the strange media announcement that the beetle infested wood is desirable.  Weird.  Sounds like ostriches with their heads in the sand if you ask me.  300,000 hectares of trees killed, and we aren’t asking why?

corporate denial? Government obliviousness (new word?)  sounds like a plague, and if I know my history, plagues were always sent as warnings, and people experiencing plagues stopped what they were doing and tried to figure out how they could mend their ways.

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/

Fair Trade: The Bane of Slavery

Guest writers: Robert and Kim Daisley

Chocolate: the new nectar of the gods; the perfect pleasure; the sweet seductress. Oh, and it supports a multinational trade in slaves. Of course, I didn’t know this when I was gulping down Mars bars to stay awake on night shifts. Well, I mean, I knew that chocolate tasted good even though I may not yet at that point have made up the lame metaphors regarding that great taste and the hold that chocolate has on our society, but I didn’t know about the slaves. I was listening to CBC’s As It Happens and heard Carol Off promoting her new book Bitter Chocolate. She described the atrocious working conditions of many of the people who were involved in the production of the cocoa beans that are used in (and crucial to) the production of chocolate. She told how the beans can only be grown in certain parts of the world near the equator and how Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is one of the main cocoa-producing countries. Off also described how the conditions in the cocoa industry (spearheaded by multi-national conglomerates such as Nestle) result in slavery.

When I called my wife and asked her to tune in to the program, she did, and found it very interesting. It also prompted a frenzy of research on the internet, covering websites from environmental, social justice, and capitalist (read “Nestle”) organisations. Of course, the information available conflicts in many ways, but after some analysis and discussion, we decided that the evidence weighed firmly in favour of supporting fair trade chocolate. Without rehashing all of the arguments for and against (google if you want to read them), the main reason that we decided to support fair trade was that we don’t agree with the concept of a multinational corporation dictating the “market forces” because of their near-monopoly power, the result being that the people who actually produce the goods live in poverty.

[caption id="attachment_359" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="When you eat Fair Trade Chocolate you are saving the world"][/caption]

So we decided that we’d try to purchase only fair trade chocolate. It’s not always easy, it’s not always fun, and it’s not always possible. But we try and I guess in some small ways, we’re making a difference. For the most part, we get our fair trade products in Brandon. But since we learned about fair trade chocolate, we also learned about other fair trade products including coffee which can be purchased at our local grocery stores. Kicking Horse coffee (including the “Kick Ass” blend) tastes good and feels great.

It’s not all roses. Sure, we feel better about our purchasing decisions, but it can be hard on the pocket book. The coffee costs $12 on sale and last two weeks. But you can buy coffee for half the price in a quantity that will last four times as long. So when you look just at the economic cost at the checkout counter, it’s a big difference. And when we bought the fair trade chocolate bars, Kim noticed that they don’t taste the same and wasn’t actually too impressed with the difference in flavour.

Our bottom line, however, is that we remain firmly committed to fair trade products, as long as it doesn’t cost us too much (for the moment, we’ve drawn the line at those fancy fair trade, organic cotton shirts that sell for $30 instead of $5).

Why the government shouldn’t gamble.

I don't believe that gambling is harmless entertainment. I continue to hear stories of how it hurts people with addictive personalities. How it hurts the companies they embezel from.  How it hurts the families that are neglected while they gamble, both emotionally and financially.

Gambling  hurts the businesses that otherwise would have created value by creating something. If a tourist spends money on gambling, that money is not available for souveniers / hotel / dinner etc. We are a debt ridden society and need to encourage financial responsibility and self control not irresponsibility. Gambling is a tax on those who can’t do math well. The poor and the uneducated are its most common prey. The government has a fiduciary duty to protect those most at risk. Gambling is an unproductive activity, which entices many to throw away the money they have to chase an unlikely dream rather than working or investing what they have.

Despite the promises of economic growth, it is my understanding that increased gambling in an area typically results only in low end jobs increased crime and reduced property value.  All of  this is at a huge economic cost of government subsidies. People work hard for their taxes, their taxes should not support such an industry. Many of the arguments used to justify the gambling industry are also used to justify the pornography industry. Those are my immediate thoughts and I hope to study the issue in more detail so I can speak less from my feelings and more from my head (I do trust my gut on this one...). 

 

Here is a letter that appeared in the Abbotsford News.

“this is in regards to the article “Langley’s new caasino coming up aces” (The News, Aug. 1) Economics 101: taking $90 million out of a community and handing back $4 million is not sustainable in the long run. This means people in the langley area contributed $90 million to a single business with a percentage going to municpal, provincial and federal coffers. The amount given back to individuals as “winnings” are other people’s “losings” and are nominal, usually spent back to the house. Research confirms that the first three or four years of a casino will be a honeymoon period. National and international studies show decreases in crime, improvement in local economies, and upgrading of unattractive areas to be short-term as addictions take time to take hold and personal / family resources take time to deplete. It is the long-term effects which are so sobering. A study by Laval University on Quebec’s Hull Casino showed that after on year of the casino opening, the proportion of local residents who gambled increased from 13.8 per cent to 60.4 per cent. The at-risk gamblers more than doubled, from 3.3 per cent to 7.8 percent, like many other studies showing availability and marketing increases addiction levels. The very purpose of marketing is to attract clientele and reveals the slogan of “people would gamble anyway” as the ruse of a profit hungry gambling industry. Like smoking, decreasing availability and advertising while increasing education on the dangers decreases addiction. The gambling industry is only profitable because it does not cover its true costs of operation. It produces addicts and smillingly hands back a minute amount of the local money, leaving communities to pay for the estimated $10,500 to $19,000 costs per year, per addict. While the province earned a net $818.0 million in 2004-2005 from gambling revenues, social costs are estimated (at their lowest) at almost $1.3 billion. So family and children ministries suffer, while the government robs Peter to pay Paul and spins the numbers to look good. As for organized-crime involvement in legalized gambling, I suggest the reporter do some research on RCMP studies on the subject. It only takes a moment to search and I grieve over the lack of investigative reporting that results in gambling industry advertising being presented as facts. I challenge “Black Press” to say “This approach is far better” a few years from now to the families of those who watched their loved ones slip away.

Since the letter was written, we've had a similar push for a casino here in Abbotsford; or uh, sorry its not called that by enlightened people, its called a "community gaming centre".  There is more thoughtful commentary to share on this topic, but that will have to wait.  let me be absolutely clear.  I'm saying government shouldn't be actively profiting from it gambling. 

How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change the World? One. And You’re Looking At It.

Over at FastCompany.com Charles Fishman wrote an insightful article about Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs and their growing acceptance. 

"For years, compact fluorescent bulbs have promised dramatic energy savings–yet they remain a mere curiosity. That’s about to change... For two decades, CFLs lacked precisely what we expect from lightbulbs: strong, unwavering light; quiet; not to mention shapes that actually fit in the places we use bulbs. Now every one of those problems has been conquered. The bulbs come on quickly; their light is bright, white, steady, and silent; and the old U-shaped tubes–they looked like bulbs from a World War II submarine–have mostly been replaced by the swirl. Since 1985, CFLs have changed as much as cell phones and portable music players."

Personally we have put CFLs in our house in all the places where they make sense, and it feels good to be getting decent light for less money.  It even makes us feel better about leaving the lights on for safety or comfort without feeling like we're being (as) wasteful.  So head on over and read about Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs .

Change the world 1 letter at a time

how to write letters that will influence people for improving the world.

On my computer’s file system and in my email program I’ve got a folder labeled “change the world” it reflects my attempts over the years to write letters to literally change the world for the better. My letters are not canned, they aren’t cut and pasted from some form on the Internet, they are “hand crafted” At times I’ve written them quite regularly at the pace of 1 per week, at other times I’ve forgotten this for months and years at a time. But I keep coming back to this because I’m convinced of a few things: I have a moral or ethical obligation to speak out when I see something that is wrong. That those who will recieve my letters actually care and will do their best to address my concerns. If everybody did this, the companies and governments receiving our mail would be overwhelmed, but folks tend not to exert effort they don’t have to, so my letters will by the nature of that fact, stand out and be noticed. I have no illusions about people “having to listen” to me, but I believe that people want to do the right thing and that when they are presented with an attainable way to improve things they will. I also know that many organizations operate reactively, and that by simply requesting something, the chances of receiving it increase dramatically.

I’ve written to city and provincial governments like Surrey and British Columbia to request improvements to the dangerous 160th and 104th street freeway interchange. Quite happily I see that every recommendation I made has been implemented and improved the traffic flow for the thousands of people who use that interchange each day.

I’ve written to the SOLO cup company to encourage them to “print” the appropriate recycling symbols on the bottom of their cups so that customers can recycle these plastic cups rather than throwing them in the garbage.

My tips:

Greet Well

Don’t use “to whom it may concern” how impersonal. Be cautions with “Dear ….” If it is a stranger, would you call them “Dear” if you met them on the street. If you have the suspicion that your correspondence will simply get a “standard” reply “Dear you, thanks for your letter, we have noted your concern. Keep using our products..The company” from a person who is powerless to provide a real response., then ask for more. Ask them to forward your letter to someone who has the authority to make changes, appologize for wasting their time if you have sent it to the wrong department etc. Let them be the expert in routing your letter.

Be Nice

The person reading your letter wasn’t the one who spilled oil in the ocean, or who designed a poor road. Recognize that and express yourself without beating up the reader. Avoid “YOU” and other more colourful words that would cause the reader to be defensive or resistant to your message.

ASK

Ask and you will recieve works when you are talking to God. The government and companies fall short, so Ask and you “might” receive fits here. Bear in mind the action you want them to take. Ask for a reassurance that they will discontinue using child labour in India. Ask for the name of the most appropriate person to talk to regarding unsafe driving in their corporate fleet. Ask what their plans are to improve fuel efficiency in support of the Kyoto accord. If you ask for nothing, you are likely to get that.

Provide and sell Solutions

Complaining is easy and almost everyone is willing to go that far. What stands out is the simple suggestion, and even more a suggestion that is simple, cost effective, which brings a benefit to the organization you are addressing. For a government to hear that your idea will reduce their exposure to legal liability this provides motivation. Put yourself in their shoes and sweeten the deal. Perhaps the improvment will allow them to make a marketting claim, or will improve their corporate image.

Apply Gentle Pressure

For a company to hear that you are uncomfortable continuing to buy their products if an idea isn’t implemented but that if it is, you will continue to recommend their products provides them with free marketting and the prospect of alienating not only you, but all the other people who didn’t write in who feel the same way. Don’t set ultimatums, but provide a clear concept of what the impact of their decision will be. “If you are unable to support the reduction of Canada’s emission of greenhouse gasses, I and my family will need to find a political candidate who has an environmentally responsible platform”

Have Hope

If you take an action, you set things in motion, in your life and in the lives of those who intercept your communication. Your letter will be read by someone, you caused the mail system or email system to carry your message hundreds of miles, you forced someone’s mind to come to a decision about the issue at hand. Your goal is to motivate, and sometimes it will take the collective weight of many individuals writing letters to communicate what is important to you and to assist those you address in coming to a better position. Your time spent in this way has the potential to benefit countless thousands of others. (consider my freeway example earlier).

Enjoy! And please write back to share what you are writing about, and any successes you can report.

Greg.

My response to the One Tonne Challenge

The government of Canada initiated the One Tonne challenge as an exercise to get Canadian’s thinking about how they would reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide by one tonne (1000 KG) per year.

My response: No more gas, Less wasted water, Less drafts

The government of Canada initiated the One Tonne challenge as an exercise to get Canadian’s thinking about how they would reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide by one tonne (1000 KG) per year.

No more gas

I moved into a house that is lit and heated with electricity rather than natural gas. We have our gas meter locked off. We plan to light and heat the house entirely with electricity. We have 85% of our electricity produced through green means here in British Columbia. Huge hydro electric dams capture our abundant rainfall yielding a huge benefit from that investment in this infrastructure that was made years ago. We need to keep thinking like this. Principles before profits. My friends warn me that electricity is more expensive, so I’m trying to soften the blow by making my house more energy efficient.

Less wasted water

When water is wasted there is less clean water for other uses. When hot water is wasted it contributes directly to global warming through the C02 released to heat the water. We have replaced faucets, and replaced faucet cartridges for 6 taps. We believe that this represents 22,000 litres of water saved per year. As you know it is usually the hot water taps that leak the worst. We’ve installed aerators (little metal screens) over the faucets to limit the peak water flow. 1.5 gpm (gallons per minute) for the bathroom sink 2.2 gpm for the kitchen 2.2 gpm for our low-flow shower head, 2.2 gpm for the ensuite bathroom. We have committed to only watering the lawn 1 time per week if it needs it since frequent watering encourages shallow root systems and the quick death of your lawn anyways. We have turned down our hot water tank to 50 degrees Celsius from 60 degrees Celsius. We have read that this is hot enough to discourage bacterial growth, and the reduction in temperature means that there is a lessened chance of our children being scalded with host water. I am also continuing my practice of always washing my hands with cold water, requiring no hot water heating and no water wasted by waiting for the tap to “warm up”.

Less drafts

We have installed a door sweep under our front door with brushes to keep bugs and drafts out. We have tightened the weather stripping on our 3 exterior doors so that no light is visible around the door frame when it is shut and locked. (yes we keep them locked). We have injected expanding latex foam under our door sills (lots of space for bugs there) into spaces around anything that penetrates our house’s ‘envelope’ (entry points for vents and wires). We have put drapes up over our largest windows which we close at night to reduce the transfer of heat through those windows.

Irony or tragedy?

In an ironic twist I read this on the “one tonne challenge” website:

The Government of Canada Climate Change site is currently unavailable.

We appreciate your interest in the important issue of climate change and suggest that you visit the following sites for more information:

• Visit Environment Canada’s Green LaneTM for weather and environmental information. The Green Lane helps connect Canadians, exchange information and share knowledge for environmental decision-making.


• Visit the Natural Resources Canada site to learn about the role this department is playing in helping shape the contributions of the natural resources sector to the Canadian economy, society and environment.

Now I know Canada has been getting a black eye for its “very slow movement” on the Kyoto accord and the obligations it made, but perhaps this black eye is deserved? <<Addendum>> Perhaps these comments are in appropriate. Canada has done much in the area of natural resources given its vast land area, while having to overcome the challenges of distances unknown to all other countries except perhaps Russia. We have to communicate and transport further to move resources from source to “market” we have to move resources further to move them from market to market. We have some challenges that no European country has. However, it would appear that Canadians are waiting for something. Waiting for the government to make the first move, waiting for the pollution free car to suddenly be produced by the car manufacturing corporations, waiting for the garbage they put in landfills to magically dissolve. Some Canadians deserve credit for taking initiative and reducing their negative impact on the natural environment, but others are waiting for it to magically become more convenient and less expensive to do the right thing. In this respect it would appear that our brothers and sisters in Europe have us beat as they consciously try to do the right thing at higher cost and higher inconvenience.