In the back-to-school frenzy, summer air quality woes may seem like a thing of the past…at least until the first real chill triggers a spike in thermostat temperatures, and a flurry of preparations for a cooler season!
Let’s not forget that fall brings its own share of air quality woes, and there’s a handful of things we can do to breathe easier this winter!
Here are a few of our top picks:
Got a Wood Stove? Did you know that old/inefficient or improperly operated wood stoves spew harmful fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) emissions into our airshed? So if you’ve been planning to upgrade your old wood stove for a new EPA approved one, or perhaps an even greener alternative – have we got an incentive for you! The FVRD is offering a $250 rebate to FVRD residents who exchange their old wood stove, for a less polluting alternative. For full program details visit our website! (Listed below)
Feel the Chill? If you’re feeling a faint draft, and are constantly turning up the thermostat, your house may need an insulation boost! This is sometimes as simple as caulking, sealing and weather-stripping your doors and windows. By doing this you’ll reduce unnecessary heating-related emissions, keeping your heating bills and pollution down to a minimum!
Hitting the Road? Did you know that a few simple tweaks can ready your car for a cleaner and safer commute? Replacing your car filter, keeping your tires properly inflated, rotating them and accelerating slowly will reduce air pollution and frequency of fuel-ups!
If you have any additional ideas on how to cut down fall pollution – we’d love to hear them!
Here are a few additional resources:
FVRD Wood Stove Exchange Program: http://www.fvrd.bc.ca/InsidetheFVRD/Departments/EngineeringandEnvironmentalServices/Pages/FVRDWoodStoveExchangeProgram.aspx
Burn-It-Smart Tips:
http://www.fvrd.bc.ca/InsidetheFVRD/Departments/EngineeringandEnvironmentalServices/Documents/FVRD%20Wood%20Stove%20Exchange%20-%20Burn%20It%20Smart%20Tips%20-%20NEW.pdf
“Burn or Bury?” seems to be the question of the day. What about tossing another “B-word” into the waste management mix? “Boost” – as in, “Boost” packaging reduction.
Who knows, if the third “B-word” takes off, the other two may lose popularity! And wouldn’t that be sustainable!
Although much of the “Boost” on the packaging arena needs to come from industry and senior governments (i.e. improving packaging design, regulating use of “recyclable” materials in packaging etc.), we too can take baby-steps on the path to waste reduction by including these four simple steps in our daily routine:
Buy in Bulk or Concentrated Form: Flour, sugar, salt, chocolate chips, and other non-perishables can be bought in bulk and stored in tightly sealed containers. You can also buy concentrated versions of laundry, dish detergent and other household cleaning supplies! You’ll save packaging and money!
Be Creative: It’s just as easy (and arguably more fun) to creatively re-use something, as it is to toss it! For example why not convert a sturdy cardboard box into a stylish storage container by splashing it with some leftover paint?
Bring a Bag – before you shop, bring along your reusable grocery bags. The toughest part is remembering it each time. Tip: try storing a few extra bags in a visible spot in your car, or sticking a post-it reminder on your dashboard!
Be Aware of Package-free Alternatives – Opt for things that are less packaged. Advantages? You won’t have to wonder how to dispose of the packaging! A tip for tea-drinkers – opt for loose-leaf tea or tea leaves instead of tea bags. Also, if you have access to safe drinking water, say “no” to the water bottle!
Try it, and once you do, be sure to give yourself a pat on the back – you’re doing your part to Boost Packaging Reduction!
Here are a few packaging reduction and recycling resources:
To find out which retailers offer packaging “take-back” programs visit http://rcbc.bc.ca/education/retailer-take-back , and scroll down to “Packaging”.
Curious where to recycle your egg cartons, milk jugs and other packaging items? Try out RCBC’s “Recyclepedia” http://rcbc.bc.ca/recyclepedia .
Interesting article in the Times Colonist – “Aim to reduce garbage”.
SMOKY is the best description of the Fraser Valley’s airshed and landscape over the past few days. And the reason behind the hazy season? Wildfires blazing in and around the region.
While weekend showers cleared the smoke, they weren’t enough to put a damper on fires burning around BC.
Besides obscuring the view of Mount Cheam, Baker and other usually prominent landmarks, last week’s milky haze makes one wonder about the less visible repercussions.
And what are those?
According to the BC Lung Association and Health Canada, wood smoke has a negative impact on both air quality and human health.
What’s the harm in it?
Wood smoke is a source of fine particulate matter (2.5 microns or less in size), which causes significant concern. When breathed deeply into the lungs it can permanently stay there and contribute to both mild and serious health problems.
Due to size, smaller particulate matter stays suspended in the air longer, and travels farther than larger particles like dust or sand.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that “these microscopic particles can get into your eyes and respiratory system, where they can cause health problems such as burning eyes, runny nose, and illness such as bronchitis. Fine particles can also aggravate chronic heart and lung disease – and even are linked to premature deaths in people with these conditions.”
A study conducted by the EPA, also found that wood smoke is more damaging than cigarette smoke, and concluded that breathing wood smoke particles during high pollution days is equivalent to smoking 4 to 16 cigarettes! Why? According to the study, “Some of the same strong cancer causing chemicals found in cigarette smoke, have also been found to be abundant in wood smoke.”
What about air pollution?
The link between wildfires and increased air pollution (especially in the summer), is undeniable. Many of the pollutants found in smoke, are the same as those present in smog, so make sure to take the same precautions on a smoky day, as you would on a smoggy one.
Don’t let the hazy season dim your summer plans! Take a minute to check the Air Quality Health Index http://bit.ly/uUnv2 and any fire restrictions in your area http://bit.ly/Fdb0X before enjoying our picturesque outdoors!
And, for more suggestions about how to protect yourself until the wildfire haze disperses, the BC Lung Association offers a handful of helpful tips: http://bit.ly/cdioZC
Still curious? Read our “Top 5 Smoke Facts” http://bit.ly/avqEGp
1. Man-made, nature-made, it’s all the same…
Wildfire smoke is no different than campfire smoke or wood-stove smoke – it’s equally harmful to air quality and health.
2. The main concern is…
Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) is the main concern-causing ingredient in smoke. These particles are 2.5 microns (or less) in size, and can travel deep into the lungs, causing respiratory and heart problems.
3. The smaller it is, the farther it goes…
Fine particulate matter found in wood smoke stays in the air longer and travels farther than coarser particles like road dust or sand.
4. And then there’s the gas…
Smoke also contains harmful gasses including Carbon Monoxide, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Dioxins and Furans – common smog and air pollution ingredients.
5. As toxic as…
The toxic content of wood smoke is similar to that of diesel exhaust or tobacco smoke. (Dr. Brian McCarry, McMaster University)
Recent media buzz and public debate around Metro Vancouver’s proposed incineration plans makes one wonder if incineration is a risky business, and whether it’s a risk worth taking?
Granted, life is full of risks – deciding where to invest your money or what kind of car to buy – some risks are unavoidable. But what about those that might have long-term impacts on the health of entire communities and the quality of our air? Should those kinds of risks be avoided?
There seems to be a flurry of opinions on the matter. Here’s what we think.
New technology = no emissions. Not true. Even some of the most advanced air-filters cannot stop harmful emissions of ultra-fine particulate matter (the most harmful in part due to their size) from infiltrating the airshed.
Scientists, like Dr. Paul Connett, Dr. Douw Steyn and many others also argue that the toxins don’t magically disappear. The ash is left over – anywhere between 10 to 30 per cent of what originally went in. The most harmful compounds are trapped in the remaining ash and gaseous emissions.
New technology = no health impacts. False. Health studies conducted in communities located near incinerators have showed that that human health is in fact adversely impacted. Professor Vyvyan Howard acknowledged in his “Statement of Evidence: Particulate Emissions and Health, 2009” that “Although not such a high contributor to national PM [particulate matter*] inventories, incinerators appear to be very important local sources of particulate contamination.”
Fact: Even the most advanced Waste to Energy systems cannot capture 100 per cent of some of the most harmful emissions, which are known to cause cancer, heart attacks, strokes, asthma and pulmonary disease. Greenpeace Research Laboratories published a report titled “Incineration and Human Health”, which identifies several health effects associated with living near, or working at an incineration facility.
New technology = continuous monitoring. Fiction. The reality is that only a fraction of the hundreds of compounds emitted by incinerators are monitored, or even regulated in Canada or the U.S. The majority of toxins are not required to be continuously monitored, if the technology for monitoring them even exists. According to Dr. Paul Connett, “There are no regulations in the world monitoring nanoparticles from incinerators.” Nanoparticles are the smallest version of particulate matter, less than 1 micron in diameter, and are produced in high temperature combustion, which includes incineration. These particles are so small that according to Connett, “they can cross the lung membrane and enter the blood stream. Once there, they can enter every tissue in the body, including the brain…The nanoparticles from incinerators are the most dangerous of any common source.”
Due to the lack of monitoring capabilities, it seems impossible to get a realistic understanding of how much pollution escapes, and communities are left to rely on info about “top” instead of “all” pollutants.
Day-to-day emissions aside, according to the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives: “U.S. regulatory agencies have found that incinerators are prone to various types of malfunctions, system failures and breakdowns, which routinely lead to serious pollution control problems and increased emissions that are dangerous to public health.”
Given these facts, what’s your call? Should we take a chance on the Fraser Valley’s airshed? Post your comments.
Need more information?
Visit our Resources page:
http://www.airqualitymatters.ca/index.php/resources/
Here are some other opinions:
http://bit.ly/8XRux6
Here is the Greepeace Report
“Incineration and Human Health”
* Particulate matter (PM) is otherwise known as particle pollution, meaning particles ranging from 0.03 to 100 microns in diameter. PM is made up of a number of components including acids, organic chemicals, metals and soil or dust particles.
There’s been a lot of talk about our air quality in recent weeks with Metro Vancouver’s incineration plans burning up debate forums and dominating the media. In the midst of vocal opposition to incineration from residents living in the Fraser Valley and beyond, one might ask: what have the Fraser Valley Regional District and its residents done to protect the air shed they’re now so fiercely fighting for?
The short answer is the estimated 35% reduction in emissions achieved in the Fraser Valley in the past 20 years or so – a success owed in part to our residents’ personal reduction efforts, and the Regional District’s aggressive action in the air quality arena. (Link to Dr. Douw Steyn Video and Blog: 6 Reasons Not to Incinerate)
From turning away polluting industries, to turning off our air conditioners people living in the Fraser Valley have made significant changes in attitude and behaviour to achieve a 35% reduction.
And we’re not done yet. There is more work to do, so we’ve got a long answer to the question, too.
The long answer includes a list of initiatives that we’ve been actively pursuing in partnership with our municipalities, the Province, and other stakeholders committed to protecting air quality.
Greenhouse Gasses:
- The Regional District played an integral role in developing a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Model – a freely available and open source tool for communities to track and measure emissions, and use the results to develop strategies for reducing emissions in the future. This model was developed in collaboration with Sustainability Solutions Group and our member municipalities and is already being successfully used. The model will be included in the Climate Action Toolkit to benefit even more users around the province.
- Along with our member municipalities, we are signatories of the BC Climate Action Charter, committed to developing strategies and taking action in an effort to become carbon-neutral in respect to operations by 2012. By signing this charter we have also committed to take action to measure and report on our GHG profile, and create complete, compact and more energy efficient rural and urban communities.
- We’ve set our own GHG reduction targets and actions to be incorporated into the Regional Growth Strategy by 2011, as required by legislation.
Corporate Commitments:
- We’ve carried out a GHG emissions inventory of our corporate operations, and based on our findings, developed a Corporate Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan.
- Where possible, we’re considering GHG-reduction measures, such as carbon offsets, when evaluating potential contractors
- We’ve retrofitted Regional District buildings to become more energy efficient
Transportation & Automobile Emissions:
- Nearly 60 % of FVRD residents work and live within their own municipalities – this was recently discussed in a Regional Snapshot Series (Commuting and Places of Work in the Fraser Valley Regional District), and dispels the myth of our region being a “bedroom community” for Metro Vancouver. The high proportion of local trips provides strong incentive for the FVRD to support existing policies that encourage cycling, walking and transit use.
- Along with BC Transit and Translink, we’ve worked closely with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on an in-depth review of transit in the Fraser Valley, with the objective of creating a long term vision that will contribute to an improvement in air quality, and reduction in GHG emissions.
- The FVRD corporate fleet boasts two hybrid vehicles.
Waste Management:
- Finding creative ways to reduce pollution associated with waste, the FVRD recently embarked on an Agricultural Plastics Recycling Demonstration Project to help local farmers divert large volumes of plastics from being disposed of at landfills or burned on farms.
- In the area of municipal solid waste management, we have significantly reduced our carbon footprint in one of the electoral areas where we provide garbage collection service, by re-designing the pickup route, and using a split-compartment truck for garbage and recyclables. As a result, that entire community is serviced on the same day!
- Along with our landfill-operating member municipalities, we have helped to reduce travel-related carbon emissions, normally associated with hauling garbage to out-of-region facilities.
Outdoor Burning & Wood Smoke
- As part of the Wood Stove Exchange Program we work closely with Metro Vancouver, and the Province to reduce non-EPA-approved wood-stove emissions from both regions. The Program offers a $250 rebate to residents who exchange their old wood stove for a clean-burning alternative.
- Like the City of Chilliwack, that no longer allows land clearing burning and restricts open burning to two seasons per year, member municipalities are considering, or amending their Burning Bylaws to protect the airshed.
Water & Electricity:
- We’re developing larger water systems and reservoirs; this reduces the amount of energy needed to operate water pumps during peak water demand times.
So next time someone asks, what is the Regional District doing, we can say that these strategies, along with the efforts of our residents in their homes, schools and offices, demonstrate our commitment to an airshed well worth fighting for!
Let us know how you reduce emissions around your home or office – we’d love to hear your ideas!
Did you know that most of the emissions and contaminants in our airshed come from outside the Fraser Valley? Find out where by clicking here.