Canadian companies answer the enviro-call

More than a little corporate pride can be heard in Daniel Gagne's voice as it comes down the line from his Montreal office at Bell Canada.

He earnestly rattles off the telecommunications provider's notable achievements: Nearly 500,000 cellphones diverted from landfills since 2003, nearly 300,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases eliminated and, if that wasn't enough, a cool $1-million trimmed through paper recycling.

"We see that we have responsibilities. We need to control our own environment and reduce our energy consumption," says Mr. Gagne, Bell's director of corporate responsibility and the environment. "But we're convinced we can help others do so, too."

Posted in Environment on 02/26/2009 - 0 Comments

Waste turned into energy

Andre Lafleche will tell you he's not in the garbage business. Rather, he manages one of society's most abundant untapped resources. The 61-year-old semi-retired landfill owner is in the business of turning one man's trash into a treasure trove of high-value energy and electricity. He's doing it one ton of waste at a time at Lafleche Environmental, a cutting-edge engineered landfill in eastern Ontario that, when operating at maximum capacity in five years, has the potential to generate enough clean electricity to power a town of 6,000 souls.

Posted in Environment on 11/30/2008 - 0 Comments

Bullfrog marches to a different drummer

From the road, Altoba Haven looks like what it is: a quaint slice of Canada's agricultural past, nestled on the banks of the placid Rideau River. But looks can be deceiving. Established around 100 years ago, the tidy eight-acre horse farm a few minutes from downtown Ottawa is going green-with a bit of help from a small but mighty bullfrog.

Posted in Environment on 11/30/2008 - 0 Comments

Birthing a 'living building'

Robert Bateman, Canada's foremost nature artist and a leading environmental advocate, likes to compare the planned $20-million gallery and learning centre bearing his name to a firefly. It makes sense: When completed in 2010, the Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Centre at Victoria's Royal Roads University will be one of Canada's first "living buildings." It is designated as such because it will be

Posted in Environment on 11/30/2008 - 0 Comments

A mud hut for the 21st century

You drive a hybrid car, use a composter in the backyard, push a rotary lawn mower and ride a bicycle to work. When it comes to going green, you're practically chartreuse. The Joneses next door have nothing on you. Just don't try keeping up with the Bairds.

Posted in Environment on 11/30/2008 - 0 Comments