What's In Your Shed: The Surprising Truth About Gas Mowers - They're Worse Than Your Car

It's spring! Which means every weekend, and sometimes on weekdays, we hear the sounds of lawn mowers, weed trimmers, leaf blowers and other yard tools. On top of hearing them... we also smell them.

Oh, I'm not talking about the smell of fresh mown grass which is actually quite pleasant, unless you have allergies, in which case, it might make you a bit twitchy.

No, I'm talking about the smell of gasoline exhaust. Even though we live in a semi-urban area with moderate sized properties (8000 sq ft), an appalling number of people still have gasoline powered lawn mowers. Not only are they stinky, they are also really noisy... and as I listen to the neighbour trying to get theirs working after its winter hiatus... I wonder... why? And what cost?

We sit in the middle of three houses that run the gamut of lawn mowing equipment. From battery to electric to gasoline-powered.

Battery Lawnmower

Downslope from us is Lindy who uses a battery operated lawn mower. State of the art and super quiet. She just plugs it in to a wall outlet to charge. There are no cords, no fuss, no muss. There's also not a lot of oomph. Lindy laments that she can only do about 30 minutes at a time before the battery loses power and she needs to plug it in again. That's usually enough time for her to finish the front lawn, but not the back lawn. That's the thing with battery-powered tools, they often lack oomph and their battery drains leaving you with an anemic lawnmower that can barely do anything.

Corded Electric Lawnmower

We, on the other hand, have an electric lawn mower, a Black & Decker, I think. We got it second-hand for $40 and it's been great. It has a height adjustment lever... one lever raises and lowers all 4 wheels. Nice! It has decent power although if the grass is long and shaggy, I have to raise the mower or risk it choking. You have to coddle electric mowers a bit... they don't have as much oomph as a gas-powered mower. And if you're not paying attention and try to plough through a long, dense patch of grass and don't listen to the mower and adjust accordingly... you will trip the breaker. We had that happen with the guy who does our house cleaning. He does yard work as well but had obviously never used an electric mower and... tried to push through and... tripped the breaker. The other thing you have to watch out for is the power cord... don't mow over that or your lawn mowing adventure will come to an abrupt end.

Gas Lawnmower

Then we have our upslope neighbours who have an old gasoline-powered lawnmower. It is old. It is super noisy. It stinks the whole neighbourhood up with the fumes. And every few times, they have to tinker with it to get it going. I had a friend who had a gas mower... her shed stank of gasoline and the wooden floor was stained with gasoline and oils spills. Yuck.

Obviously, the gas powered mower is not great for the environment... but I had no idea how bad...

Impact of Gas-Powered Lawn Equipment

The problem lies in the type of engine within these devices - two stroke and four stroke engines. Two stroke engines do not have a separate lubrication system so gasoline and oil are mixed. This means that 30% of the fuel does not combust completely, releasing toxic fumes into the air. Four-stroke engines are slightly better but not great.

For example, let's consider a two stroke scooter, which you might think is eco-friendly because it hardly uses an gas. A 2014 study of VOC (harmful gases) found that emissions were 124 times HIGHER with an idling scooter than with a car or truck.

Oh, and a four stroke gasoline powered lawnmower emits the same amount of emissions as a vehicle travelling 800 kilometres. 

A consumer grade gasoline powered leaf blower emits more hydrocarbons than a truck or sedan.

An EPA study in the USA found that gasoline powered lawnmowers produce 5% of total air pollution in the USA.

From APCD of Kentucky (Air Pollution Control District)
based on EPA data

And let's not talk about fuel spills when refilling a gas-powered lawn mower. This can release toxic compounds into the air and seep into the soil and ground water.

Oh, and then there is noise pollution. Most gas lawnmowers, particularly older models run at 95-100 decibels (db). Irreparable hearing damage can start at just 85 db with repeated or prolonged exposure. Electric mowers? They run at 75 db. You can listen to that all day and be fine. Gas powered mower or weed trimmer?

Solutions

 If you want to reduce your carbon footprint... and don't have the budget for an electric vehicle... don't worry... you can get huge bang for your buck by switching from a gas-powered lawnmower to an electric one! If you can't go big... don't go home... go small!

You could also, of course, get a reel lawnmower... one of those push mowers. A neighbour 2 houses up from us had one of those and... used it once and then it sat in the front yard and quietly rusted. I'm going to guess it was not a success. If you have a tiny patch of lawn then a push-reel mower might be the thing for you.

Take a look in your shed... can your gas-powered anything be replaced with an electric version? The electric version might cost more initially but over time... with gasoline costs going up and up... you'll make your money back. Or buy a second-hand electric mower and save even more! Or a weed trimmer... or a leaf blower... or a snow blower... or a chainsaw.

On top of that many municipalities are moving to ban gas-powered lawn equipment... so if you still have a fume-belching, gas-guzzling lawn dinosaur... it's days might be numbered...

Oh... and that cute little Italian Vespa scooter that is going to solve your commuting woes? Remember... two-stroke and four-stroke engines... put out more emissions than a car... The Italian city of Genoa, birthplace of the Vespa moved to ban the little things back in 2019... and other European cities have followed suite... mostly banning older models. But the writing is one the wall.

This is one of those times where you don't want "vintage", no matter how cool and retro it looks. Function (poor emissions quality) trumps Form (cute look).

Drive Smarter, Not Farther: The Benefits of Strategic Trip-Chaining

I read this hilarious article the other day. Did you know that [some] men do not get the concept of an errand. Even more foreign to them is idea of "running errands". I'm pretty sure that every female reader in the bunch knows exactly what "running errands" means!

The other interesting tidbit is this... when a man is working on a project and needs something. He will run out to the hardware store to get whatever he needs. The next day, perhaps he is painting the fence and needs a can of paint. So he will run out to the paint store to get the paint. The look on his face, if his wife asks him to tack on a couple of "errands" on either of those trips, is a study in confusion.

Now this may be a bit of an exaggeration but... studies have shown that women are more likely to practice trip-chaining than men, who tend to prefer  a star-burst pattern of "errands".

Trip-chaining, as the name suggests, is the concept of planning your errands in such a way that you can get them all done without doubling back on yourself. Basically running them in the most efficient way possible - least time, least amount of fuel, least amount of kilometres. Maybe if we held it out as a game, it would be more appealing to some folks?

A star-burst pattern of errands is... you're at home, and you drive to the swimming pool to get the kids and come home to drop them off. And then you head to the hardware store to get something and then come home. And then you head to... you get the point. Each trip has one purpose and starts and stops at home base. Very inefficient in so many ways... fuel, time, kilometres, energy, etc.

Even fuel companies know this!!

"Combining errands into one trip saves you time and money. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. Trip planning ensures that travelling is done when the engine is warmed-up and efficient."

A University of Michigan study found that cutting shopping frequency in half reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 44%, while trip chaining cut emissions by about 50% (compared with the base case). What's not to love about trip-chaining!! Ultimately takes less time, less energy, less gasoline, less carbon emissions. Although... it does require waaaayyyyy MORE planning!

Planning Required

Trip chaining requires absolutely exquisite planning. You also need to be able to practice your delayed-gratification muscle. Maybe you've run out of milk and it's a Thursday and grocery day is tomorrow. Can you get by just this one day without running to the store for milk on Thursday? Of course you can! Maybe. If you can, that's way better for everyone involved!

I know I'm making this sound like some sort of epic battle campaign but... what if we did treat it as some sort of gamified competition... maybe more people would actually enjoy running errands? Or at least not dread it?

1. Brainstorm or Track your Upcoming Errands

First step is to keep track of what errands you need to run. Whether it's a paper list or an app, write it all down. You don't want to forget these things. Because there's nothing worse than realizing after a successful Trip-Chain Adventure... that you've forgotten something crucial.

Sometimes, I'll have Costco on my list, for one thing, but it's not urgent, so I'll bump it into the following week. Trip-chaining can work in-store as well. If I don't have to go to Costco for that ONE thing... but can wait until I have several things on the Costco list, that's ideal.

2. Plan Your Meals

We also sit down on Thursday evening and plan our meals for the next week. What do we have in the fridge and freezer that needs to go? What do we feel like eating in the coming days, based on our schedules. Some days we have time to cook a large meal, other days are more suited to left-overs or pulling a ready-made meal out of the freezer.

We can then look at the list of meals and figure out if we need to buy anything. There's nothing worse than trying to cook a meal and finding we are out of something critical. When that happens... we sometimes end up going with Skip the Dishes and that is $$$~

The other thing we tend to do is write items on the list during the course of the week, as we realize that we need them. "Oh, only 2 onions left... better put those on the list". "Oh, opened the back-up mustard jar... better get a new one".

This way... I am not standing there early on Friday morning, looking at a blank list. Planning and preparation are key!

3. Roughly Map Your Route

Our city is a long strung-out string-bean of a municipality. Going to the north-end is VERY different from going to the south-end. But if I do go to the north-end, I can usually weave in a few central tasks as I make my way back to base camp.

So in mapping my route, I look at the tasks and group them - north-end, central, south-end. Then see if any need to be shimmied around. I normally do north-end and central. Recently though, with our cat having some kidney issues, I am making more trips to the south-end where the vet is located. There is a grocery store down there, and a big-box reno store, a recycle depot, as well as a LifeLabs. Sooo... can I move some of my errands to the south-end so that I'm not doing a single-task vet run?

Most of this mapping is in my head as I look at all of the stops on my list... but in the next step, we get concrete.

4. Check Opening Times

This is key. Because you don't want to show up at one of your carefully planned stops and find... it's 9:05 and they open at 10 am. Baaahhhhhhh!!!!! That's sure to generate a muttered OFFS (Oh for F*@k's Sake!).

So I double-check opening times of stores. PetSmart is irksome because it opens at 9 am, when I think it should really open at 8 am! Superstore opens at 7 am, as does Home Depot. Costco opens at 9 am, unless they are ready inside, and then sometimes it opens at 8:45 am. One day, I was in and out of Costco before 9 am!!! The library opens at 10 am but their book drop is open all the time. Vet opens at 8:30 am. Pomme opens at 8:30 am. Canadian Tire opens at 8 am.

I usually write those times next to the locations on my list, just to make it concrete for me. And then... I make a final mapped route on a new piece of paper. I write all of the stops down in chronological & numerical order. And I'll write the opening time next to it, just so I know...

1. Leave Home (you'll see why I have this)
2. Starbucks (6 am)
3. Library (book drop open always)
4. Home Depot (7 am)
5. Superstore (7 am)
6. Pomme (8:30 am)
7. Costco (9:00 am)
8. PetSmart (9:00 am)
9. Staples (9:00 am)
10. Recycle Depot (8:30 am)
11. Thrift Store (9:30 am)

Now, the starting point of the entire trip is not necessarily the time listed next to the store. The trick is to hit the place during opening hours. Sometimes Superstore goes faster than expected and I'm standing at Pomme at 8:00 am. Not a good scene.

So rather than hitting Home Depot at 7 am... I will now examine my list and try and time it so that I am standing in front of Costco at 8:45 am. Costco is the pivot point because I really don't want to show up here any later than 9 am (it's a zoo). It is a firm anchor in the schedule, around which everything else revolves. Superstore is a secondary anchor. I don't want to do it any later than 9 am either, otherwise it too is a zoo. 

The recycle depot and thrift store are enroute to base camp from the north-end so they are not as critical. Unless I am bringing in cans and bottles... in which case I am there at the crack of 8:25 am... any later and... it's a zoo! I generally try to avoid zoos if at all possible.

5. Gather & Stage Your Supplies

You've got it on the list, you've mapped it in your head, you've checked opening times. Now it's time to gather everything that you need for each of those errands.

I generally do this in my head and just scan my list and then make sure I have what I need. Although sometimes, I find it more helpful to write it down, or place the items needed down by the front door, ready to head out.

1. Leave Home... Prepared!
• Wallet - obvious. And yet I can't tell you how many times I've shown up at a grocery store with no wallet in my pocket. I now have Google Wallet set up on my phone, just as a back-up.
• Phone - also obvious. If I leave home without wallet or phone, I am in serious trouble. I also have ebooks on my phone, so if I'm waiting in line, I can read!
• Breakfast To-Go (yogurt/berries/nuts) - otherwise I get hangry and cave in to a Starbucks chocolate brownie or a Timmies bagel... (my backpack has a plastic cutlery set so I am' ready to eat my yogurt wherever)
• The List! - Don't leave home without it. Otherwise, the whole thing falls apart. And you're phoning your partner at 6:30 am, waking them up, and asking them to take a pic of your list and send it to you...
2. Starbucks
• my backpack with laptop, so I can blog, and my notebook, so I can journal if I have to wait in the car for a store to open (or I can read my ebook on my phone)
3. Library
• books I need to drop off
4. Home Depot (7 am)
• receipt and item that I need to return
• measurements for picking up something else
• can of paint to get shook up by their shaker thingie
5. Superstore
6. Pomme
7. Costco
8. PetSmart
9. Staples
• dead pens & ink cartridge to recycle
• ink cartridge number so I know which one to buy
10. Recycle Depot
• big pieces of cardboard
• bags of shredding
• various bags of recyclables
• glass jars
• styrofoam trays
• flexible plastics
• metals
• batteries
11. Thrift Store
• box of stuff to donate

When a place is on the list, I generally think... "what else could I do there?". For example, with Staples, I need printer cartridges but I also think... "what else is there"? Ah, I can drop off the stash of dead pens so that they can be recycled. Oh, and I can drop off the dead printer cartridge too. And, while I'm there, I might as well get a ream of printer paper.

By the time this is all done... the car is pretty much crammed with stuff! But... I am ready!!

6. Begin the Adventure

The trick, always, is to be flexy-bendable with the errands. Because sometimes... Superstore has run out of something and I need to pivot and add in a quick trip to Save-on-Foods. There are two that I could hit on my route (Item 8.5 or 9.5), so it's just a matter of adding them to the list (don't forget!).

Or I might remember... "shoot... we need canning labels...", so I'll stitch in Canadian Tire (9.3) or Home Hardware (10.5) into the list. And, darn, we need gas (4.5)! Whew... 

By the end of it... I usually feel like I deserve that brownie that I didn't get because I was responsible and brought yogurt! Sigh. But it's better for me without the brownie.

And now... the errands for the week are done. My goal is to avoid the "oops... forgot to get... [fill-in-the-blank]".

Although, if I am out and about for an appointment on another day of the week, I will add in one or two stops that may have popped up.

Caveats

Some caveats are in order! All of this depends on your own circumstances. Maybe you live in an urban centre and can walk to most places. Maybe you can't carry everything in one trip. Or maybe you don't have the stamina to do a 4-5 hour Errand Extravaganza. Maybe you go to church every morning and you hit a stop after church each day. It all depends.

For us... and our strung-out city, it makes sense for me to combine as many errands in one area as possible. I don't want to have a 20 minute round trip several times a week (plus shopping time).

Or maybe you live in a large urban centre like Vancouver and trip-chaining makes perfect sense. If you're going to drive 30 minutes to the nearest Superstore or Home Depot or Costco or IKEA, you are going to make darn sure that you have everything you need on a list! And you are going to make sure that you combine as many stops as you can.

Conclusion

Usually... by the end of one my Errand Extravaganza's, I am pooped. Satisfied... but pooped. And hoping that I haven't forgotten anything urgent. I much prefer this system though to the star-burst pattern. Trip-chaining saves me time, which is limited. It also saves on gasoline and reduces carbon emissions. For the rest of the week, I can focus on other things, rather than being forced to "run an errand" because we need something urgently.

I love it when a series of errands goes smoothly, without a hitch. When it's been planned well and executed well. It makes my little heart sing and the Inner Organizer in me does a little happy dance! I know... I'm weird... but it's these small steps that make a big difference.

More Reading

Baltimore Sun - Men don't get the concept of an errand

Stats Canada - 2013 Report on Trip Chaining

Twitter 2015 - Trip Chaining diagram

University of Michigan - 2022 - Trip Chaining and Carbon Emissions

Making a Difference: UN's 12 Steps for Everyday Environmentalists

I'm always searching for ways that we, the regular folk, can help mitigate climate change. It always seems like the problems are so big, and we are so small, that nothing we do makes a difference.

Which is kind of depressing.

But the United Nations has some very good ideas - their 12 Actions for a Healthy Planet.

It gives me hope that we can turn this Titanic around before we end up sinking ourselves.

1. Save energy at home

Much of our electricity and heat are powered by coal, oil and gas.

We can use less energy by:

• reducing our heating and cooling use,
• switching to LED light bulbs and energy-efficient electric appliances,
• washing our laundry with cold water,
• hanging things to dry instead of using a dryer.

Improving our home’s energy efficiency, through better insulation for instance, or replacing our oil or gas furnace with an electric heat pump can reduce our carbon footprint by up to 900 kilograms of CO2e per year.

This is imminently doable. We love our solar and wind powered dryer (a.k.a. the clothesline and drying rack). And we did make the switch to a heat pump which seriously reduced our electricity consumption compared to the old electric baseboard heaters.

2. Switch Home Energy Source

We could ask our utility company if our home energy comes from oil, coal or gas. If possible, we could see if a switch to renewable sources such as wind or solar is possible. Or we could install solar panels on the roof to generate energy for our home. Switching our home from oil, gas or coal-powered energy to renewable sources of energy, such as wind or solar, can reduce our carbon footprint by up to 1.5 tons of CO2e per year. Here, in British Columbia, the vast majority of our electricity comes from hydro-electric dams. Given the controversy over the Site C dam expansion though, we can see the need for reducing our electricity use. 

3. Walk, bike or take public transport

The world’s roadways are clogged with vehicles, most of them burning diesel or gasoline. Walking or riding a bike instead of driving will reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- and help our health and fitness. For longer distances, we could consider taking a train or bus. And carpool whenever possible. Living car-free can reduce our carbon footprints by up to 2 tons of CO2e per year compared to a lifestyle using a car. 

I'd like to say that I rode my bike around town this summer but... I did not. I'll try again next spring.

4. Switch to an electric vehicle

If you plan to buy a car, consider going electric, with more and cheaper models coming on the market. In many countries, electric cars help reduce air pollution and cause significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than gas or diesel-powered vehicles. But many electric cars still run on electricity produced from fossil fuels, and the batteries and engines require rare minerals which often come with high environmental and social costs. Switching from a gasoline or diesel-powered car to an electric vehicle can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 2 tons of CO2e per year. A hybrid vehicle can save you up to 700 kilograms of CO2e per year.

Given that our electricity in BC comes from hydro-electric dams, not fossil fuels, switching to an electric car from a gasoline vehicle would make a huge difference. The trick is finding one!

5. Consider your travel

Airplanes burn large amounts of fossil fuels, producing significant greenhouse gas emissions. That makes taking fewer flights one of the fastest ways to reduce your environmental impact. When you can, meet virtually, take a train, or skip that long-distance trip altogether. Taking one less long-haul return flight can reduce your carbon footprint by up to almost 2 tons of CO2e. 

This one makes me want to cry! Our train service in Western Canada is pathetic and ridiculously expensive. Compared to Europe, we live in the Dark Ages. And our huge distances means that driving or flying is the only way to get somewhere in a reasonable amount of time within a reasonable budget. And I don't even want to think about the Mexican vacation...

6. Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle

Electronics, clothes, plastics and other items we buy cause carbon emissions at each point in production, from the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing and transporting goods to market. To protect the climate, buy fewer things, shop second-hand, and repair what you can. Plastics alone generated 1.8 billion metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 – 3.4 per cent of the global total. Less than 10 per cent is recycled, and once plastic is discarded, it can linger for hundreds of years. Buying fewer new clothes – and other consumer goods – can also reduce your carbon footprint. Every kilogram of textiles produced generates about 17 kilograms of CO2e.

We do this!!! I think the only new clothing we buy is underwear, socks and sometimes hiking boots. Everything else we get secondhand. New clothing is soooo expensive and Fast Fashion means the latest trends will be out-of-date within a few months. We don't buy into that cycle. We also try to buy things second-hand. Facebook Marketplace is our friend! And we sell things there too, or give them away. Much better that our things find a second or even third or fourth home.

7. Eat more vegetables

Eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and less meat and dairy, can significantly lower your environmental impact. Producing plant-based foods generally results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions and requires less energy, land, and water. Shifting from a mixed to a vegetarian diet can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 500 kilograms of CO2e per year (or up to 900 kilograms for a vegan diet).

We do this too! We have added a little bit of chicken and fish back into our diet, for health reasons. But we still eat a tonne of legumes and other veg.

8. Throw away less food

When you throw food away, you're also wasting the resources and energy that were used to grow, produce, package, and transport it. And when food rots in a landfill, it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. So purchase only what you need, use what you buy and compost any leftovers. Cutting your food waste can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 300 kilograms of CO2e per year. 

We try to do this too! Although we're always amazed at how food can get lost in a fridge and then make an appearance when it is ugly and moldy.

9. Plant native species

If you have a garden or even just a plant or two outside your home, check for native species. Use a plant identification app to help. And then think about replacing non-natives, especially any considered invasive. Plants, animals and insects depend on each other. Most insects will not eat non-native plants, which means birds and other species lose a food source. Biodiversity suffers. Even a single tree or shrub can offer a refuge – just remember to skip insecticides and other chemicals.

We do this too!! No insecticides for us. Er... well... maybe some wasp spray into a wasp nest that is proving to be problematic after multiple stings. But other than that, we don't spray pesticides on our garden, or Round-up on our weeds. 

10. Clean up your environment

Humans, animals and plants all suffer from land and water contaminated by improperly discarded garbage. Use what you need, and when you have to throw something out, dispose of it properly. Educate others to do the same, and participate in local clean-ups of parks, rivers, beaches and beyond. Every year, people throw out 2 billion tons of trash. About a third causes environment harms, from choking water supplies to poisoning soil.

I try to bring a plastic bag with me on my hikes and walks. And then pick up garbage as I come across it. Lately, I've been noticing a lot of full dog poop bags discarded in the bush along one of our favourite trails. Seriously... dog owners who do this are only slightly lower on the stupidity totem pole than cigarette smokers who discard their butts.

11. Make your money count

Everything we spend money on affects the planet. You have the power to choose which goods and services you support. To reduce your environmental impact, choose products from companies who use resources responsibly and are committed to cutting their gas emissions and waste. If you have money that is being invested for you, through a pension fund for instance, it may be supporting fossil fuels or deforestation. Making sure your savings are invested in environmentally sustainable businesses can greatly reduce your carbon footprint.

This one is a bit of a hard one. I know many of our Canadian banks are heavily invested in fossil fuels and other industries that are not friendly to the environment.  Will have to research this in more detail.

12. Speak up

Speak up and get others to join in taking action. It's one of the quickest and most effective ways to make a difference. Talk to your neighbors, colleagues, friends, and family. Let business owners know you support bold changes – from plastics-free products and packaging to zero-emissions vehicles. Appeal to local and world leaders to act now. Climate action is a task for all of us. And it concerns all of us. No one can do it all alone – but we can do it together.

This is true. If we all complained about plastic labels on craft beer cans... maybe the industry would change.

Conclusion

There are things we can do that do make a difference. And if more of us... or most of us... or all of us... started to make the same changes, or demand the same changes... then we would be a powerful force for change in the world. Look at Greta Thunberg! One person... and the movement that she inspired.

You can read more about the 12 Actions via the link below. There are other resources as well.

12 Actions for a healthy planet | United Nations

The Average Canadian Car Sits Idle for 96% of the Year

Nooo... that's not possible, is it??? That the average Canadian car sits idle for 96% of the time? What the heck??

But when I think about it... for us... it might just be true.

I was doing some rough calculations let's look at yesterday...

• I drove to Starbucks, then to the grocery store, then to the gas station, then home. Total trip length, 20 minutes. 
• In the afternoon, we drove to the drugstore and then to some friends, then home. Total trip length, 40 minutes.

That's an hour of driving... on a day when we did a fair bit of zipping around. Most days, we don't drive that much.

Sooo... let's do the math...

• 1 hour avg driving/day x 365 days = 365 hours (give or take) of driving in a year
• And there are 24 hours in a day multiplied by 365 days in a year = 8760 hours in a year
• Soooo... 365/8760 (# of hours we drive / total hours in a year) = 4.16%
• Which means... our car sits idle for 95.84% of the year. Round up to... 96%

Shit.

***fingers tapping on table top***

Wow. And most Canadians (including us) believe that we can't do without a vehicle. Really.

But what about commuters? Well, let's say people drive 20 hours/week... their car "only" sits idle 90% of the time....

Which makes me wonder... given we use the car for 365 hours/year... what are the hourly costs for the vehicle...

• Insurance - $1000/yr
• Maintenance - $2000/yr
• Gasoline - $2000/yr
• Vehicle Cost - $1000/yr ($10,000 purchase price and we keep it for 10 years)

Let's say $6000 per year... and if we use it for 365 hours... we are paying $16/hour which is cheaper than a taxi but... add in more up front cost (avg Canadian pays $5000/yr for their vehicle), more insurance (avg Canadian pays $1500/yr) and more gas (pickup trucks or SUVs) and more maintenance... and that hourly rate could go up dramatically - more like $30/hour if someone uses it for the average of 380 days/year.

Wouldn't it make more sense to use a Car Share system like Evo or Modo? I have a friend in Winnipeg who, for years, didn't own a car and just used Winnipeg's car share system (Peg Car). It worked very well for her... What about us?

Modo Car Share

So, for Modo, there is a monthly fee of $4 or $5 depending on your level of membership. And then... you get charged for time usage and distance usage.

Soooo... say I wanted to do a 3 hour shopping trip - say 30 km. That includes Starbucks, Superstore, Home Depot, recycling, another grocery store, gas station and going home. A typical Friday shopping/errand day.

So, that would cost $30 for the 3 hours... so $10/hour, plus the monthly fee pro-rated for a daily rate ($0.15/day). 

It seems like a no-brainer. With a car share vehicle... we don't have to worry about maintenance... or new tires... or insurance. Less headaches. But what about gasoline? I checked and, with Modo, you need to make sure the tank is relatively full, but you pay with the gas card in the vehicle. And if the gas card doesn't work, for some reason, you pay for the gas yourself and the submit the gas to get reimbursed. Soooo... no gas costs... although you do still need to visit a gas station.

And they have cars, and pickups and vans available... handy.

The only hiccup is... availability. If we lived in Vancouver... it would be a no-brainer...

Vancouver's Modo Car Share locations

Like say... Kitsilano... a Modo is maybe a 5 min walk...

Modo Car Locations in Kitsilano, Vancouver

But... where we live... (not Vancouver)... all of the Modos are in a cluster downtown. Which is an 8 minute drive or a 45 minute walk. Not exactly convenient. I don't want to pay $20 for a taxi to take me to a Modo spot! Or a 30 minute bus ride.

And in British Columbia, if you live anywhere less than 100,000 people, you are completely out of luck. Vancouver and Victoria are well-served but... beyond that... it's not exactly handy.

Soooo... for those of us living outside the centre of the universe (Vancouver or Victoria)... we are out of luck. But... if Modo ever expanded and there was a Modo car within a 5-10 minute walk... we might ditch our vehicle... I say "might" because I can catastrophize quite easily. "What if there a local disaster and we need to evacuate? We NEED a car then!"

We aren't unique... 84% of Canadians feel they couldn't live without their cars and yet... the average Canadian's car sits idle 96% of the time. It's a paradox... and not easily solved. Especially for those of us who live in smaller, more rural, or less urban communities. Car sharing would have to expand dramatically... or the Google self-driving vehicles...

RideShares (Uber, U-Ride, Lyft)

Because I did look into U-Ride (it's like Uber). And it's not cheap. I am sitting at a Starbucks... it's about 5 km or an 8 minute drive. With U-Ride (on a Saturday morning at 8 am)... that is going to cost $25 one-way. What??

A taxi would only cost $16-18 for the exact same trip!!! I thought RideShares were supposed to be cheaper than taxis???? WTH?

Now imagine an errand run... where I drive to the grocery store with my recycling (loaded into the U-Ride?) get the driver to wait (?) while I do my grocery shopping... then load groceries in car and go to recycling and get driver to wait (?) while I do recycling?? No... not feasible.

Or is the solution to do it all via delivery? Get groceries delivered via Instacart? I guess... in a pinch... But I don't think URide is the solution. Not when it's more expensive than a taxi!

The Future

Don't know what the future holds. But our love affair with cars is going to have to shift at some point. Not sure what the solution is... maybe neighbourhood car sharing? Where neighbours share their vehicles? Several communal neighbourhood vehicles? What might that look like? Because someone who drives to work (8 min) and then has the car sit idle all day and then drives home (8 min) is not an efficient use of a vehicle.

Or is it peer-to-peep (P2P) car sharing... kind of like Airbnb, but for cars (e.g. Turo). Where people can post their cars, available for rent/use, on an app and then someone else can rent them... that is an interesting concept... and still in its infancy. I had a look... and in our city, it's $140/day for a Turo car (as a base rate) and there is no hourly option. But maybe... in the future...

I do think we'll also need to get more strategic in planning our vehicle usage. Using more trip-chains (more on that in another blog)... basically... combining errands into a daisy chain of stops rather than a sequence of one-stop errands from home. Think figure-8 trips as opposed to star-burst trips.

Time will tell... and maybe there is some cool, efficient solution that is still waiting to be born. I certainly hope so....

More Reading

Car123 site - Angus Reid 2019 Survey on Car Use in Canada

Driving.ca Site - Candians Love their Cars, But Hardly Ever Use Them

The Tick Bite that Results in an Allergy to Red Meat

We've all (likely) heard of Lyme Disease, caused by a bite from the black-legged tick. We know (or ought to know) that we should wear long pants, tuck in our socks and inspect ourselves (and our pets) for attached ticks when we hike in high-tick risk areas.

Lyme Disease Risk Areas in Canada

Lyme disease (caused by a bacteria) can be nasty, causing all sorts of symptoms like rashes, joint pain, facial palsy, etc... sometimes months after the tick bite. The repercussions of untreated tick bites are long-lasting and scary.

But now... down in the southeastern United States... there's a new tick-borne illness. Some people, who get bitten by the lone star tick (it has a white spot on its back) develop a permanent allergy to all mammalian meat and things like dairy. Yep. You heard that right. The lone star tick can carry can carry a substance called alpha-gal that, after a bite, triggers a delayed allergic reaction to red meat in the poor human who got bitten. It's called Alpha-gal syndrome and there's no cure. But what the heck is Alpha-gal??

Alpha-gal is a sugar molecule that humans don’t have in their system, but a lot of animals do. This includes many mammalian animals such as cows, bison, rabbit, goats, deer, pigs, sheep, and lambs. And their products... like milk, cheese, other dairy products and gelatin. If a person is bitten by a lone star tick and it transmits the alpha-gal molecule, then the person may develop an antibody reaction to the alpha-gal molecule. In other words, they could develop an allergy. This means the next time the person eats red meat such as beef or venison, or something made with beef gelatin, or drinks a glass of milk, or eats ice cream, they could break out in hives or have a more serious allergic reaction.

Black-legged tick (left) vector for Lyme Disease
Lone Star Tick (right) vector for Alpha-Gal Syndrome

Well... that shouldn't really matter to us in Canada, right? I mean... the lone star tick is down in the southeast United States. Well... yes and no. It used to limited to the SE US but now... with climate change, and warming temperatures, the tick can survive farther and farther north. It's recently been spotted in the northeastern United States. And... in 2022 and 2023... some have been found in Ontario and Quebec.

Soooo... if we allow climate change to continue to run rampant... we can expect a future in which the lone star tick will colonize higher latitudes... eventually scrambling over the Rocky Mountains and heading for the Pacific Coast. The cynic in me foresees a future in which the majority of North Americans have been bitten by the lone-star tick and are forced to readjust their eating habits. We might not make the switch to less meat now... voluntarily... but there may come a time when nature makes the choice for us.

More Reading

CTV News - Tick bites: Meat allergy caused by tick spit more common now

CNN - Alpha-gal: Meat allergy passed by ticks may affect hundreds of thousands in US, CDC estimates

CTV News - Another tick that causes meat allergy spotted in Canada

BeefResearch Site - The Red Meat Allergy: A Canadian Perspective

Would You Eat Cultivated Meat?

What the heck is cultivated meat?! The Future Food? Imagine meat that has no pathogens - no salmonella, no e coli. Imagine meat that is grown without animals existing in obscenely cruel conditions. Imagine a meat that has a lower carbon footprint. Imagine a meat with no growth hormones.

Churchill imagined it in 1931...

Fifty years hence, we shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken
in order to eat the breast or wing,
by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium.”

Far-sighted man was Churchill. He just had the timing wrong...

Cultivated meat is also known as cultured meat, cell-based meat, artificial meat, and designer meat. It's here. Whether it catches on is the next question. 

Cultivated meat, is meat that is grown in a laboratory... well... actually... more like a brewery. Animal cells (let's say chicken) are taken and grown with amino acids in massive bioreactors (like a brewery vat). When the meat is ready, it comes out looking like minced meat and is then shaped and formed into chunks of "meat". The cells that are used can be from any part of the animal, even feathers.

But... I can hear you now... does it taste and feel like meat? Or is it going to taste like one of those regurgitated McNuggets? Generally... taste testers admit that it does taste and feel like real meat. The meat balls can be a bit "denser" than regular meat balls. But the flavour is bang on - "full and savoury".

There are huge environmental benefits to this form of ethical meat. But there are some caveats. These processing plants... or meat breweries... use a large amount of energy. As long as they are using renewable energy sources - hydroelectric or solar or wind - then the carbon footprint is much lower than your massive chicken factory/barn. But... if they are using fossil-fuel generated electricity... they have a bigger carbon footprint than traditional meat.

And right now... the serum in which the cells are grown is FBS - Fetal Bovine Serum. And yes, a calf fetus gave up its nascent life to contribute its life blood to "slaughter-free" cultivated meat. Bit of an oxymoron there.

Will this actually become a mainstream "thing". And how much does it cost?

The FDA just approved (23 June 2023) the sale of cultivated meat in the USA (CNN article). So it is here. And if you live in the states, you could potentially find "lab grown" meat on your alternative grocery store shelves.

As for the costs... the first lab grown steak cost $300,000 to make. But costs have come down since then. The first of anything is always going to be expensive. After that, economies of scale "should" bring prices down. Remember... the first computer cost $$$$$ and now... few hundred bucks.

But there are some serious questions about how cultivated meat can be scaled to be affordable. Right now... a kilogram of lab grown meat costs about $20,000. That would make for an expensive burger. And trying to get it down to the range of $17/lb or $40/kg... well... there's the kicker.

There would need to be some huge technological advancements and a shift in resources for this to be viable on the large scale. But maybe... as climate change pushes us forwards... we'll make those choices. Or maybe cultivated meat will just be a exclusive experience for the uber-rich.

Remember Thomas Watson, the president of IBM? In 1943, he famously said "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."

So... who knows what the future brings. I'd like to remain on the optimistic side. Cultivated meat would solve so many issues... as long as it doesn't create more problems.

And then there is the burning question... would YOU eat cultivated meat? Would consumers actually want this stuff? I know I would eat it. In moderation of course. 

More Reading

The Counter - Article about the huge problems facing cultivated meat - 9 Sept 2021
The Scientist - Removing the Animals from lab-grown Meat - 9 May 2023

Our Carbon Footprint Could be Better... Needs to be Better!

After calculating our carbon footprint last week... I was pretty satisfied with it. 12 tonnes of CO2 per year per person isn't bad! It's certainly better than folks in Alberta who rely on coal powered electricity power plants. Right? Right.

Global Neighbours

Well... turns out, we're not the only ones on the planet. And our carbon footprint in Canada is not great. In fact, it's worse than pretty much any European country. I know why too... distance. We fly more. We drive more. We don't have super-fast trains that connect cities. Our wide-open skies and huge distances mean we do a LOT of travelling and... that's where we are racking up a lot of our CO2 emissions. Not to mention all of our food has to travel long distances, etc, etc. And let's not mention holidays... if we want to flit off to a Mexican vacation, we are talking thousands of kilometres of flight distance... whereas in Europe... those distances are often smaller... just flit down to Greece or Spain or Italy for a winter vacay.

Yeah... except... China has an average carbon footprint of 5 tonnes... and they are a big country too... We are in trouble.

Climate change isn't going to cut us any slack. A recent study confirmed that by 2050, Canadians are going to have to cut their emissions an average of 95%. Eerk... that would mean... an average of 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per year... Ummm... where's my chart??

Basically... we could heat our home, handle garbage and recycling and drive a tiny bit in our gasoline powered car, and eat a vegan diet... Remember... in my previous blog, this carbon footprint didn't include diet at all! 

Yep, it's official... we are in trouble.

2035 and 2050 Targets

Here's what it looks like... There we are at the top of the pack... and there's Brazil and India near the bottom. And we can see our targets as well. The 2035 target is 2.5 tonnes/person/year. But by 2050, we need to get that down to 0.7 tonnes/person/year.

Hot & Cool report on climate change - 1.5-Degree Lifestyles Report | Hot or Cool

Seriously... it seems impossible to go from 12 tonnes/year to 2.5 tonnes/year! And then down to 0.7? HOW???

Reducing Carbon Footprints

The Hot or Cool report offers the most bang for your buck suggestions. And for Canada, a high-income country... we are looking at the following...

Biggest Reduction - 0.5 to 1.5 Tonnes/year per option

• shift from gas-guzzlers to fuel-efficient vehicle
• shift from gasoline car to electric car
• car-free private travel (a vacay with no car??)
• reducing  international flights
• shift from meat-based diet to vegan or vegetarian diet
• shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy

Medium Reduction - 0.25 to 0.5 Tonnes/year per option

• living closer to the workplace
• car-free commuting with electric bikes, ride sharing
• smaller living space
• hybrid car
• car-free commuting with public transportation
• closer weekend leisure
• efficiency improvement of home appliances

Small Reduction - less than 0.25 tonnes/year per option

• food production efficiency improvement
• alternative dairy products
• renting a guest room
• telework
• efficiency improvement of buildings, heat pump or air conditioner for temperature control
• reduction of sweets and alcohol
• reduction of domestic flights
• household food loss reduction
• saving hot water
• lowering temperature at home
• supply side food loss reduction,

The Bottom Line

My sense is that a lot of us are focused on the Small Reduction section. We are trying to save hot water by showering less. We are lowering the thermostat and wearing sweaters. We are composting and trying to reduce food waste. We are installing a heat pump. But while all of these things are good... they aren't making a big difference.

For the biggest difference... we are going to have to address things like our car-culture... gasoline cars in particular. And our preference for individual transport over communal transport.

We are going to have to address our fixation with fossil fuels... whether it's natural gas for heating homes or coal-powered electrical generating plants. Those don't work anymore.

We are going to have to look at our addiction to air travel. In France and Austria, they have banned short-haul domestic flights under 2 hours. You'll need to take a train instead. And that works for them because they have the rail system to support that. Here... our rail system is pathetic. And we like our warm-weather winter vacations too... and flitting off to Arizona for the entire winter. Those things might be a relic of the past in a few years.

Carbon Budget

I wonder what would happen if we had a carbon budget for the year. And no... you can't borrow or trade carbon like you would money. This is a budget that can't be altered. You only have so much carbon money to spend. Once it's gone... that's it.

Of course we'd buy our heating and electricity first... and then want?

Things like garbage and recycling... but then travel? Transport? Diet?

We made the switch to a primarily vegan/vegetarian diet three years ago. Beans... tofu... tempeh... and a bit of salmon here and there for the Omega-3s. It works. It's actually quite yummy. Do we miss milk? Nope. Do we miss cheese? Sometimes. We do dabble in yogurt and butter but minimally. But if we had a carbon budget... and had to cut something... yogurt and butter would be the first to go. But what about eating local? What if we ate some local bison? Makes no difference. Meat whether it is next door, or across the country still has a high carbon footprint.

I'd probably be cutting my daily drives to Starbucks. In favour of walking or biking to another coffee shop. I'd make sure that all of my errands are tied together like a daisy chain. They generally are... but sometimes we make that run to the grocery store for a packet of basil because we need it for the recipe we are cooking. Maybe that's a place to start... track our annual kilometres and make an effort to reduce our daily car use.

As for travel... when my mother immigrated to Canada in the mid-1950s... there were no international flights. Heck there weren't even domestic flights. She took a passenger ship from Bremen to Quebec City. She then boarded a train that travelled all the way across Canada. Took days and days. She remembers a time when there were no cheap and easy flights. They are a luxury. And one that we can ill afford the way it stands.

It's enough to make one's head ache. And yet... it's all pretty obvious.

• Buy local - farmer's markets
• Buy seasonal - don't buy raspberries in January
• Eat more vegetables - including dried legumes... best bang for your buck
• Eat less meat - beef is bad... fish is better
• Walk or Bike more - time for an e-bike?
• Drive less - plan your errands... vacation locally

Right now... we still have some free will and choice in all of this. We can choose to do better. There may come a day when we don't get that choice. When it's gotten so desperate that we have carbon rationing... or a ban on international flights or... who knows. I can't see the future but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the writing on the wall. 

Our Carbon Footprint Could be Worse

I got sucked down the carbon footprint site the other day and it was a fascinating journey!

I had been taking an Instagram course for our short-term rental, and the instructor had a post about how to calculate your carbon footprint. He was in the UK... so the site he used wasn't ideal for us.

 But no worries... I found a Canadian one - Carbonzero Calculator

Carbon Categories

There are all sorts of categories...

• Utilities
• Vehicles
• Flights
• Transit
• Fuel
• Shipping
• Waste

There is a whole section on calculator methodology and I leave that to you to read... As a caveat, I'm not sure how to calculate Shipping so that category is going to be empty for us. I presume that would be for people who do a LOT of shopping on Amazon and Wayfair... which is not us... so going to leave that for now...

We also don't use Transit so that is going to be blank for us...

Carbon Footprint - Utilities

The first step is to calculate Utilities - which includes Heating and Electricity. Given that we have electric heating with the heat pump - we only had one category here... 

The calculator asked us for total kwh and I got that off of our BC Hydro Account - May 1 to May 1. It also asked what province we are in... which is British Columbia.

So, 0.14 tonnes... that seems ridiculously low? Is it because of our hydro-electric power gird?? Let's check Alberta with it's coal-powered electricity generators...

Oookaaayyyy... well... that answered that question. Don't move back to Alberta. Ever. 

Carbon Footprint - Vehicles & Fuel

Let's go through Vehicles. We have a little 2011 Kia Soul that we drive about 10,000 km a year - mix of highway and city driving. And... we get 0 tonnes? That's weird... but I did a little test and chose a 2022 Ford F-150 pick-up truck... same distance, same type of driving and it's pushing 3 tonnes... so this must have to do with the age and type of vehicle...

I chose a 2022 Toyota 4 Runner and a 2010 Toyota 4 Runner as well - the 2010 had 0 emissions and the 2022 had over 3 tonnes.... so it must be an age thing.

As for fuel... this is where it gets scarier! I calculated that I generally put 40 litres of fuel into our little Soul once a week, so 2000 litres of fuel a year, give or take...

Yikes!!! That's almost 5 tonnes of carbon emissions... this is where the rubber hits the road. Drive less... better fuel efficiency... hybrid... electric vehicles... bike more... all definitely options.

Carbon Footprint - Waste & Recycling

This section wanted to know the weight of our waste and recycling... I went to our city's website and pulled up the average weights for a household in our city. I tend to think we throw out less garbage than the average household but... let's run with that... So 200 kg of garbage per year and 150 kg of recyclables (mixed).

Well, that's not too bad either.

Basic Carbon Footprint - no Flights

Right then... so our total greenhouse gas emissions for the year are pushing 5 tonnes. Which isn't bad. You can see that gasoline is the biggest generator of CO2. If we had an electric car... we'd be smiling... although then our vehicle emissions (probably from making it) would be higher than 0.

Carbon Offsets

After calculating your carbon footprint... you can then choose to purchase carbon offsets. On this site, they run about $30 per tonne... so we would be spending $150/year on offsets. There are other sites which have cheaper offsets. And since all of the projects on CarbonZero seem to be "completed"... I'm not sure of the benefits of purchasing an offset here. The Gold Standards website on the other hand is highly recommended by the Suzuki Foundation... and there are tonne of offset projects here - some at $15/tonne, and some higher. The Gold Standards site recommends that, if you don't know your carbon footprint, you choose an average for your country. For Canada, this would be 2 tonnes/month. Ergh...

But then... I haven't added flights into the mix... so let's do that!

Carbon Footprint - Flights

This is the scary part I think... so let's just bite the bullet and do it. The site makes it easy... all you need to enter is your starting airport, destination airport, class and whether it's round trip or economy... Here we go...

Now... here's the weird thing... distance wise, Cancun is 4500 km while Mom is 700 km (one way). So it's a bit odd that Mom's flights are more tonnes than Cancun... but maybe it has to do with the size of the planes... bigger planes mean the carbon footprint is spread out over more people. Maybe...

But... these flights have turned into scarey-ville!

Carbon Footprint - with Flights

It's the gasoline. It's the flights. If we didn't drive or fly, our carbon footprint would be miniscule. But we do... so it's not.

Now... divide this by two as well... some for me... some for my partner. And still... 12 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year... that's a bit dismaying. And yes... we could just buy some carbon offsets but... ideally... we would move in the direction of less gasoline and less flights. It's those vacation and family flights that are the kicker.

Oh, and this calculator doesn't even include diet in there! A meat-eater diet has twice as much carbon footprint as a vegan... 

Another Carbon Footprint Site

That's where the Carbon Footprint Calculator comes in handy - it has a bunch of different secondary categories that can make a difference. Although it doesn't include the Waste/Recycling category. But then... when I do that one... I get this. 

I'm not sure about all of this... The car bit includes gas and yet... it is way less than the CarbonZero calculation. And the flights are much less as well. The Mom flight is 0.21 tonnes!  Although, it does add the secondary bits - things like food (makes a difference if you are vegetarian or a heavy/medium meat eater), also pharmacy and clothes and furniture. 

Ugh... I can see why some people just go with the average for their country! But let's just say our household is running at 24 tonnes/year (added in those secondary bits to our CarbonZero total). So that means each of us is about 12 tonnes/year or 1 tonne/month. That is in line with most European countries. The average for Canada is 2 tonnes/month/individual. But as we saw above... Alberta is VERY different from BC in terms of electricity footprints. Soooo... I'm going to run with 1 tonne/month and leave Albertans to fend for themselves.

Carbon Offsets

There are a LOT of places out there that sell carbon offsets. Some are legit... some less so. The David Suzuki Foundation has a pdf that can help you navigate where to purchase your offsets (https://davidsuzuki.org/science-learning-centre-article/purchasing-carbon-offsets-a-guide-for-canadian-consumers-businesses-and-organizations/). The other site is the Gold Standards site mentioned already above... (https://marketplace.goldstandard.org/collections/projects).

I'm going to have to look through everything and choose one to use as my offset. And look at ways that we can reduce our carbon footprint. It's the hydrocarbons (gas, jet fuel, etc) that are the high ticket items.