Local Issue | Contact Councillors on the Idling Recommendation

Dear Citizens,
As citizens of London, you have an opportunity to voice your concern for our shared natural environment.  The startling stats can be found below.
The City of London will be making changes to our idling bylaw which was introduced in 1999.  City staff have recommended a one minute anti-idling bylaw [...]

Idling at drive-thrus creates health problems

Idling at drive-thrus creates health problems  | Beverley J. Anderson is the air quality educator for the Williams Lake Environmental Society, in partnership with the Williams Lake Air Quality Roundtable
Published: June 05, 2009 7:00 PM
People like drive-thrus.  So do fast food chains, since drive-thrus supply more than half of [...]

Pollution Can Change Your DNA in 3 Days, Study Suggests

Pollution Can Change Your DNA in 3 Days, Study Suggests
Ker Than
for National Geographic News
May 17, 2009
Breathing in polluted air may wreak havoc on our DNA, reprogramming genes in as few as three days and causing increased rates of cancer and other diseases.
So says a new study that tracked DNA [...]

Asthma Tech by Jonathan Ng | National Film Board

Filmmaker Jonathan Ng turns the notion of otherness on its head in his semi-autobiographical animated short about young, whimsical, asthmatic Winston. As a result of his illness, Winston is unable to participate in the everyday activities of his peers and classmates. But thanks to his artistic ability Winston learns to use his imagination to escape [...]

As we, the entitled, sit on our big fat asses in the drive-thru …

As a Canadian, I am absolutely ecstatic when the warm weather FINALLY arrives.  The past month has been beautiful with sun & perfect temperatures of 15-20 degrees Celsius.  It is not totally bizarre that already at least half of the drivers have their windows closed tight with the air conditioning on?  The drive-thru line ups [...]

Air Pollution Endangers Lives of Six in 10 Americans | Drive-thrus Contribute

Air Pollution Endangers Lives of Six in 10 Americans
WASHINGTON, DC, April 29, 2009 (ENS) – Six out of every 10 Americans – 186.1 million people – live in areas where air pollution endangers lives, according to the 10th annual American Lung Association State of the Air report released today.
Some of the biggest sources of [...]

Hamilton looks into limited drive-thru bans

City looks into limited drive-thru bans

April 08, 2009

The Hamilton Spectator

(Apr 8, 2009)
Hamilton’s planning staff continue to oppose a city-wide ban on drive-thrus, but are investigating restrictions for select neighbourhoods.
A full ban would likely be appealed and lose at the Ontario Municipal Board, staff told councillors on the planning committee yesterday. However, as [...]

Air Pollution Linked to Higher Heart Attack Risk

BETHESDA, Maryland, March 23, 2009 (ENS) – Scientific evidence is mounting that connects an increase in particulate air pollution with an increase in heart attacks and deaths. Research from the relatively new field of environmental cardiology includes a 16-year-long Harvard University study of six U.S. cities that found fine particulate pollution, even at levels below [...]

Every breath you take — air quality in Europe

Every breath you take — air quality in Europe
Courtesy of European Environment Agency (EEA)
Originally published Mar. 2009

The characters in this story are fictional. However the data are real. The story is set on 27 July 2008 when an air quality warning was issued in Brussels. Anna is 37 years old and [...]

Tailpipe Emissions | These are the chemicals produced by a vehicle as it runs

Tailpipe emissions

These are the chemicals produced by a vehicle as it runs (1):

Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
Hydrocarbons (HC)
Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
Particulate matter (PM10)
Ozone (O3)

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Sources:

The combustion of fossil fuels (oil, gasoline, coal, etc.); deforestation.
Every litre of gasoline that is burned produces about 2.3 kg of CO2.(2)

Impacts:
Responsible for over 60% of the enhanced [...]