Summer in the City
Usually the summers tend to be a little less hectic around here at HazMat headquarters. There aren’t as many events to attend in the environmental industry as most wrap up in late spring, allowing vacations to take their course. However, we’ve been busy as bees this summer, planning for our upcoming conference in the fall. And I’m pleased to report that our hard work has paid off.
We have scheduled a stellar line-up of speakers, thanks to the combined efforts of HazMat Publisher Thea Papadakis, EcoLog Group General Manager Carol Bell-LeNoury, the rest of our core team, and of course our A-list sponsors, including Golder Associates, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineburg LLP, Maxxam Analytics, Canadian Ortech Environmental and TEAM-1 Environmental Services. There’s no doubt that this year’s Year in Review is going to be bigger and better than ever.
While some of the speakers have to remain confidential for now, here's a sneak peak at our exciting line-up.
For starters, we are going to provide delegates with the details of the mysterious “made in Canada” plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the much anticipated Green Plan II. That should get everyone going.
Next we break out into five main tracks: Air, Land, Water, Waste, and Emergency Response. Air will expand on GHG initiatives, with Alex Pike of Davies moderating sessions on new air regulations, carbon management (featuring Chris Snyder & Roger Ord of Golder), and carbon tax and emission trading (featuring Sandy Willis of Ortech).
Meanwhile, the Land track, moderated by Sarah Powell of Davies, will focus on a groundbreaking brownfields redevelopment case study, followed by a discussion of TSSA and the new Fuel Handling Code by Glen Palmer of Golder. In addition, an interactive break-out panel of experts, including Ed Rodrigues of Golder, is expected to be informative and lively.
The Water track will include a leading edge discussion on the hot new field of forensics, presented by Phil Heaton of Maxxam Analytics. Revised elements of the Clean Water Act will also be examined for good measure, as will innovative water and wastewater treatment methods.
Michael Cant of Golder will moderate the Waste track, which will feature a review of the controversial Three Rs Legislation, successful waste diversion programs and emerging trends such as energy from biomass.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Gibbs of TEAM-1 will moderate the Emergency Response track, featuring insight into lessons learned on the front line of ER, as well as overviews of effective emergency preparedness and management systems from across the country.
In addition, a luncheon presentation and two breaks will provide ample opportunities for further learning and networking.
Last but not least the highlights of the various tracks will be tied up and previous cyrstal ball predictions will be presented in a “Future Trends” session. Following that, we can chat about those predictions and more over a glass of wine during our reception to wrap up the day nicely. Hope to see you there!!
Until then, enjoy the last of the dog days of summer!
Cheers,
Connie
For further information on Year in Review, please visit www.yearinreview.ca or call 416-510-6864!
P.S. I just came across these great everyday strategies to reduce energy consumption at home or at the cottage, courtesy of NRCan. They are easy enough to implement and painless too (see below). And if you’re interested in some controversial energy strategies, be sure to read my editorial in the August/September edition.
In your garden and around your home...
Low-voltage outdoor lighting and solar-powered garden or walkway lights are smart ways to illuminate your garden path or walkway. They are also energy-efficient, inexpensive to operate, simple to install and safe.
For indoor comfort...
If your basement is dry, use the furnace fan to circulate cool basement air throughout your home. Maintain your furnace air filter at peak efficiency to reduce indoor pollen levels.
When in the kitchen...
Select right-sized pots and pans with tight-fitting lids and cook at lower temperatures to reduce energy use. A six-inch pan on an eight-inch element, for example, wastes 40% of the element's heat output.
On laundry day...
Washing a few small items in a large washing machine wastes energy and water; wait for a full load. Use the cold water cycle whenever possible.
If you must use air conditioning...
Inspect and maintain your cooling system. Simple measures such as cleaning and replacing clogged air filters can reduce cooling costs up to 10 per cent. An annual service call to check the overall condition of your unit and its refrigerant charge will extend the life of your expensive cooling equipment and boost efficiency.
For your car:
Give your car a full tune-up, including changing your oil and filter. Oil breaks down under use and won't lubricate, cool, or protect as well. A poorly tuned engine increases fuel consumption. And a well-tuned engine minimizes engine wear.
Idling consumes fuel. Ten seconds of idling can use up more fuel than restarting the engine. Turn off the ignition if you are waiting for someone.
For further tips and info, visit www.nrcan.gc.ca
