As you walk down the grocery store cleaning aisle, you will notice the many cleaning solutions offered. We spend billions of dollars each year in cleaning supplies and trillions of litres of chemicals are flushed down the drains.

Listed below are a few healthy alternatives that avoid harmful chemicals from being released into the environment:

• Instead of using an air freshner, use a cup of vinegar or charcoal which absorbs odours in the room.
• An all-purpose cleaner can be mixed together with a cup of vinegar and baking soda in 2 litres of water.
• To prevent mold, vinegar or lemon juice can be used or you can make a mixture of one part hydrogen peroxide and two parts water.
• To clean wooden floors, you can mix together two teaspoons of washing soda and two litres of hot water.
• To clean pots and pans in the kitchen, you can use salt as the abrasive agent and lemon to scrub with.
• Painted surfaces can be cleaned with baking soda and a sponge.
• Lime deposits in kettles can be cleaned by boiling a half cup of vinegar with two cups of water for five minutes.
• To clean your drains, pour one cup of baking soda and one cup of vinegar down the drain, wait five minutes then pour down boiling water.
• Use microfiber cloths for dusting as they attract dust without the need for additional chemicals.

Source: Article by Maggie Calloway in the column "Smart Choices for Our Future"

Ford Motor Company's long-term goals are to focus on developing fuel cells and hydrogen technology.

Ford's HySeries Drive is a battery powered hydrogen fuel cell hybrid electric car that has plug-in capabilities. "The HySeries Drive technology is able to operate using a fuel cell, small gasoline or diesel engine connected to an electric generator to make electricity."

Aside from Ford's concept car, the Ford Airstream Concept, Ford has also unveiled the Ford Edge with Hyseries Drive, which is equiped with a hydrogen storage tank, 336 volt lithium-ion battery pack fuel cell and 2 electric motors. The Ford Edge with Hyseries Drive is the "world’s first drivable fuel cell hybrid electric plug-in that combines an onboard hydrogen fuel cell generator with lithium-ion batteries to deliver more than 41 mpg with zero emissions."

As stated, the new Edge delivers a highway/city rating of 5.7L/100 km (or 41 mpg) with no emissions. For distances less than 80 km (or 50 miles) fuel consumption can be reduced to 3.0L/100 km (or 80 mpg). It can travel at speeds upto 136 km/h (or 85 mph).

The first 40 km is run on stored electricity, then the hydrogen fuel cell allows it to run for another 320 km with no emissions. The HySeries vehicles can be plugged into a normal 110-volt outlet to recharge the battery. The technology is in Ford Motor's Company's long term plans of 2020 and beyond.

Source: Article by Jim Robinson titled "Ford looks at new technologies as it drives to greener future"

Ford is working on its Eco-Boost technology which can provide 20-30% better fuel economy compared to current engines. It doesn't cost as much as hybrids and diesel engines but it enhances economy, reduces emissions and doesn't sacrifice performance.

The first car to incorporate this EcoBoost technology will be the 2009 Lincoln MKS which will then be followed by the Ford Flex. By 2013, Ford plans to have over 500,000 vehicles with the EcoBoost engines.

EcoBoost gets better fuel economy by turbo-charging it's engines and by using direct fuel injection. With direct fuel injection, precise amounts of fuels are injected into the combustion chamber rather than going upstream in to the induction port that happens in conventional engines. Since direct injection results in a cooler, denser charge, there is more power yet less fuel is consumed.

Turbocharging uses waste energy from the exhaust to spin the turbine wheel. The combined systems result in smaller engines with more power. For instance, a 3.5 litre V6 will have the same power as a conventional V8 with 340 horsepower.

When EcoBoost is applied to a 4.6 litre V8, it delivers more torque but reduces CO2 emissions by 15% while improving fuel economy by 2 mpg. When EcoBoost is applied to a 2.3 litre four-cylinder engine, it will get 20% better fuel economy and the same levels of power as a V6.

Source: Article by Jim Robinson titled "Ford looks at new technologies as it drives to greener futur"

I decided to retire my Toro Personal Pace self-propelled gas mower after learning about the emissions that gas mowers produce.

Here's an interesting fact:
"Testing found that operating a typical gasoline mower with a four-cycle engine produced as much [Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons] (PAH) as driving a modern car about 150 km or about 95 miles. This means that unless you drive more than 95 mph, your mower actually produces more pollution per hour than your car!" Not to mention, the concentrated dose of several types of pollutants experienced by the mower operator.

Needless to say I was on the lookout for a zero emissions mower that was battery powered; I didn't want to deal with long cords. I narrowed it down to either a Neuton Battery Powered Mower or a Black & Decker Cordless Mulching Mower. The Black & Decker cordless mower had the added benefit of being an energy star product. The other difference was the cutting path; the Neuton product was only 14 inches while the Black & Decker product cut 19 inches.

Home Depot was having a summer sale and they had recently marked down their Black & Decker cordless mower from $449. They also price matched Walmart and I got the mower for only $386 ! Home Depot also carried the HomeLite 22" cordless mower which was listed at a much lower price of $349 (compared to $449).

Over the weekend I assembled the Black & Decker mower and it was as easy as taking the mower out of the box and unfolding the handle. The mower weighs about 80 lbs which is about 20 lbs less than my other gas mower. It is small and compact and comes with a full 2 year warranty. It's also got a sleek, aerodynamic look.

I read through the instruction manual and noted that it takes approximately 9 hours to fully charge the battery. Black & Decker went as far as to include tips on mulching and maintaining the lawn. By keeping the grass 2.5 to 3 inches and mulching it every time, mowing the lawn becomes a breeze.

Yesterday, I took the mower out on the lawn. My biggest concern was the life of the battery. My back yard is about 1/3 of an acre and that's the maximum size that the mower recommends. I adjusted the height to about 3 inches using their one touch height adjustment system and mowed the lawn in less than an hour!

There are other benefits over the gas powered mower as well. For one, my ear drums didn't take a beating; it was so much quieter. It's also easy to start without the need to do multiple pulls. The cordless mowers are less powerful than the gas mowers but if you maintain your yard it shouldn't be a problem.

I'd recommend the Black & Decker Cordless Mulching Mower if you are thinking of reducing your emissions and going green.

I think I'll retire my edge trimmer next !

Environmental Transport Association looked at over 1300 car models to determine winners and losers

The ETA examined the common car models in Britain for their power, emissions, fuel efficiency and even the amount of noise they make to create a guide to buying the greenest vehicle.

The Green Car of the Year for 2008 is the Toyota Yaris and the least Green Car for 2008 is the Dodge SRT-10 Viper.

The Car Buyer’s Guide has ranked the following cars as the top 10 overall:

1. Toyota Yaris
2. Honda Civic Hybrid
3. Toyota Prius
4. Renault Modus
5. Citroën C1
6. Peugeot 107
7. Toyota Aygo
8. Renault Clio
9. Toyota Auris
10. Suzuki Swift

Toyota has 4 models in the Top 10.

The ETA has ranked the following as the worst cars to drive:

1. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
2. Lamborghini Murcielago Model Year 2007
3. Dodge SRT10
4. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
5. Bentley Motors Arnage (from 2007 model year)
6. Bentley Motors Azure (from 2007 model year)
7. Ferrari F430
8. Ferrari F430 Spider
9. Maserati Coupé
10. Maserati Coupé Gransport

For more information and the Category Winners visit the Environmental Transport Association website.

May 12 to 18 2008 marks the National Be Tire Smart Week

During this week, retailers, manufacturers and distributers in the Tire industry will remind motorists of the importance of having their tires inflated to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation.

An under-inflated tire does not roll smoothly and the increased rolling resistance causes the vehicles to burn more fuel than necessary.

Here are some facts:

• in 2008, 643 million litres of fuel will be wasted due to under-inflation of tires
• 1 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide gas would be released into the atmosphere
• it will cost $772 million in fuel bills
• 7 out of 10 cars in Canada will have at least one tire that is under-inflated; 23% of which is by 20%

Below are a few tips to avoid under-inflated tires:

• buy a tire gauge
• know what the correct tire pressure is for your tires
• check tire pressure at least once a month
• measure tire pressure when tires are cold

For more tips and information, visit BeTireSmart.ca

Source: Article titiled "Drivers can go green"

6,800 residents commute via bus, bike or on foot

The City of Kelowna has its Bike to Work week in the beginning of May to further encourage the use of bikes as a mode of transportation to cut back on pollution and traffic congestion.

The commuters that don't use their own vehicles has increased 45% over the last decade. The City is adding Bike lanes, racks, parking to encourage more bike commuters.

For more information on Bike To Work Week, visit I-Go.ca