Here’s something that will interest you.

Canadian sales numbers for the 2005 model year, for the 10 month period ending in October 2005:

smart fortwo: 3,379
Toyota Prius (hybrid): 1,685
Honda Accord (hybrid): 438
Honda Civic (hybrid): 182
Honda Insight (hybrid): 5 (five)

Here’s 3 other models you should also note:

BMW Mini Cooper: 2,974
Volkswagen new beetle: 1,279
Honda Civic (gasoline): 58,007

(In case you are wondering, there are over 5000 smarts in Canada now. )

I’ve still never driven an Insight, and it’s no wonder why. There are none around. You have to special order one. There is a 2006 edition, and I suppose Honda keeps it in production simply because it gets better mileage than the Prius, and they can’t afford to lose the top spot, regardless of whether anyone drives them or not. I’d certainly be open to seeing what kind of mileage I could get out of an Insight, but the car is illusive to say the least.

If you are reading this, own an Insight, live in the Greater Vancouver area, and would like to swap cars for a week, please e-mail me.

In the spring, I am hoping to face-off against against some other high mpg champions. An event is in the works. Please contact me if you are interested.

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. You know the mantra.

We took the easiest one - ‘Recycle’, and made an industry out of it.

Now, with Climate Change staring us in the face, we are awakening to the reality that ‘Reduce’ should have been our first choice.

Let’s get some sobering facts straight.

Did you know that Canadians are using a greater amount of energy per capita than those in the United States? David Suzuki’s website has additional information and some sobering anecdotes to consider.

With less than 0.5 % of the world’s population, Canada still manages to be the 8th largest producer of GHG.

(Source: US Energy Information Administration.)

So what do we need to reduce?

Let’s start with our personal GHG emissions. Personal vehicles account for 50% of the total GHG that individual Canadians create. Heating and cooling our homes is nearly 30%. The other 21% is comprised of water heating, appliances and lighting.

There are many things you can do to easily reduce your GHG emissions by 20%. Your vehicle is a primary contributor to global climate change. Changing that alone could make a huge difference. Take my own car for example. I reduced my GHG by 5 tonnes per year by making a change to the smart car from a reasonably fuel efficient Suzuki Sidekick.

Project Green is Canada’s plan for honouring the Kyoto commitment.

Many people still stop me to ask what the One-Tonne Challenge is. Invariably, I will give them some One-Tonne Challenge literature, and explain that it is a federal program designed to challenge Canadians to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, or ‘one-tonne’.

A tonne is 1000 kilograms, and specifically, it’s carbon-dioxide (CO2) that we’re talking about.

Every time you drive a car, use natural gas to heat your home, or do anything else that uses energy from fossil fuels you are adding to the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) which are causing climate change.

You can learn more about hte One-Tonne Challenge by visiting the Goverment of Canada website. There is an FAQ section as well.

You may also want to get a quick overview of the Climate Change Impacts that are already of great concern in Canada.

Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) was to become available in Canada next June…

There is some indication of some minor changes to this date.

Get the information here.

Essentially, it has been requested that Oct 15th 2006 be the drop dead date for 15 ppm supply. There will be a ‘grace period’ of sorts where 22 ppm will be allowed prior to that date.

The proposed changes in Canada are meant to align with US changes, which you can read about here.

Not sure what ULSD is all about? Read on:

Ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) is diesel fuel that contains no more than 15 parts per million of sulfur. Because sulfur clogs pollution control devices known as particulate matter filters or particulate traps, EPA is requiring that ULSD be available nationwide beginning in 2006. This cleaner diesel fuel will be available before the new trucks and buses that meet EPA’s 2007 emission standards debut on our nation’s roadways.

source

Diesel fuel in Canada is currently allowed to have up to 500 ppm sulphur, although this number has already been substantially reduced in many areas.

Consumers should look forward to additional emissions technology being introduced on passenger and heavy-duty vehicles for the model year 2007 and beyond. This will further enhance the ability of diesel vehicles to be a smart choice for reducing consumption, while not creating additional pollution.