Via Green Business

Earlier this week, 21 member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), and nine leading environmental organizations, unveiled an unprecedented agreement – the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement – that applies to 72 million hectares of public forests licensed to FPAC members. The Agreement, when fully implemented, will conserve significant areas of Canada’s Boreal Forest, protect threatened woodland caribou and provide, according to participants, a competitive market edge for participating companies.

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(NC)—As Canadian homeowners enter a new decade, the topic of home energy efficiency is hard to overlook. Over the past year, many homeowners made energy efficiency upgrades to their homes and took advantage of federal and provincial rebates. On December 31, 2009 a new energy efficiency initiative took effect in the form of the National Minimum Energy Performance Standard for residential gas furnaces. The new Canadian standard requires that all gas furnaces operate at a minimum of 90% efficiency. This applies to new purchases only; homeowners are not required to switch out existing gas furnaces until they are ready to do so.

An additional energy efficiency tool is also available to help homeowners save energy. Direct Energy suggests Canadians take advantage of an energy audit, which can identify areas in the home which can be upgraded to a more energy efficient standard. A Direct Energy home energy assessment will result in a tailored list of suggested energy efficiency upgrades for each home audited. Many of the energy efficiency upgrades, if implemented, can qualify the homeowner for various federal and/or provincial rebates.

Completing an energy audit should be the first step a homeowner takes towards increasing the energy efficiency of their home, and reducing their energy bills.

More information is available online at www.directenergy.com or toll-free 1-888-334-8221.

www.newscanada.com

(NC)—Will you renovate your home this year? Up to 74 % of Canadian home owners claimed they would renovate if it meant that it would increase energy efficiency and save them money in the long run (RBC survey). However, rising energy costs during the cold winter months can leave many homeowners worrying about paying the heating bills instead of renovating. Well, the government grants available mean you can renovate and it won’t cost you a fortune!

The ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program is offering a grant of up to $5000 from the Government of Canada for energy efficiency renovations which have not yet started. Some energy utilities and provincial governments offer additional funding. For more information on ecoEnergy grants and incentives, visit www.ecoaction.gc.ca/homes. Read the rest of this entry »

(NC)-Home buyers may assume their new home is energy-efficient, but may not know for sure unless they ask. Ask these questions to be sure:

. Any builder can claim to build energy-efficient homes. How do I know your homes are truly energy efficient?

. Since all builders must meet the requirements of the building code, what makes your homes different from other builders’ homes?

. How do your building techniques reflect the latest developments in housing technology?

. What steps do you take to improve the energy efficiency of the homes you build?

. Can you predict what my energy costs will be?

. What makes your homes more environmentally friendly than others? Read the rest of this entry »

Win A Handcrank LED Flashlight

Contest Details

Greening your home is way easier and a lot more fun when folks pitch in for each other. Sage advice, a borrowed tool, or a helping hand can all go a long way toward raising greener and healthier spaces.

So we invite you to engage in our forums by sharing tips, asking questions or offering answers. Think of it as karma, ‘paying it forward’, back scratching, or even lending a cup of sugar to your neighbour.

Here’s how it works

1. Register as a member of the Raising Spaces community.
   
2. Complete the contest entry form below.
3. Submit a post in any of our forums between February 13, 2008 and April 3, 2009.
4. Relish the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes with being a member of the Raising Spaces community.
5. Your name goes in the hat for a chance to win this uber useful hand-crank LED flashlight. Read the rest of this entry »

MCNZH, Second Floor. As built on the left, and “flexing” on the right.

Durability is absolutely key to sustainability. Everything we buy, every precious drop of fossil fuel that we burn, should be put to best use by creating as much value from it for as long as possible.

I see no reason why the Mill Creek NetZero Home (MCNZH) can’t stand for hundreds of years. To be as useful as possible during its long lifetime, we designed it to flex with the changing needs of its occupants. Read the rest of this entry »

You replaced all your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs long ago. You’ve switched over to natural nontoxic cleaning and personal care products, and you bring reusable grocery bags to the store 9 times out of ten. Yeah, you’re feeling pretty green, but you’re ready for the next step.

So, how ’bout this? Insulating your water tank has to be one of the easiest ways to save energy, after installing a shower shutoff valve and putting pipe wrap insulation on your hot water pipes, that is. Read the rest of this entry »

This we know. Each time a who’s-it buys a what’s-it, any or all of the following events have already happened or will soon take place:

• Energy is consumed to extract the raw materials to make the what’s-it. Energy production more often than not results in environmental pollution. Raw material extraction destroys and disturbs wildlife habitat.
• The raw materials are then transported to the location of manufacture. That takes more energy and produces more pollution.

• To assemble the raw materials into what’s-its, more energy and equipment are required, aside from the energy needed to provide heat and light for the what’s-it factory. Jobs are created or maintained to carry out production, but under what conditions, the who’s-its rarely know. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you ever feel like keeping up with all your favourite web sites is a bit of a pain? Sometimes, I find it’s like calling a friend whose conversational talents you enjoy, but who never initiates a phone call to you.

Raising Spaces would like to step up and get in touch with you more often. We present:The Raising Spaces Connection. It’s our shiny new ‘every once in a while’ newsletter that will spontaneously arrive in your inbox packed with the latest:

• articles
• company and product profiles
• eco tips
• subscriber-only Marketplace deals
• rebates
• events and other goodies

The Connection is also meant to keep you in touch with you by broadcasting your tips, events, articles, and blog entries, so keep ‘em coming! Raising Spaces is our community resource, and only together can we grow the green home improvement movement.

So if you’d like an unprovoked update once in a while, subscribe to The Connection. You can opt out anytime using the easy form in the sidebar. Oh, and we have a purely text version for the large-image-phobe. We’re happy to drop you a line!

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