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Economy hampers eco-efforts

The economic crunch has caused many Canadians to cut back on conservation and tune out Earth Hour, recent studies suggest. Environics Research released the results of its second annual Green Home Index this week.

The economic crunch has caused many Canadians to cut back on conservation and tune out Earth Hour, recent studies suggest.

Environics Research released the results of its second annual Green Home Index this week. The study, commissioned by Home Depot Canada, examines actions homeowners take to save energy and reduce waste.

The study found that homeowners were taking fewer steps to protect the environment this year than they did in 2009. Just 32 per cent said they had taken a major step such as buying an efficient appliance, holding an energy audit or re-insulating their home, compared to 36 per cent last year. Just 18 per cent said they had bought environmentally friendly products such as efficient light bulbs, down from 38 per cent last year.

When asked why they had done less, most respondents (26 per cent) cited economic reasons. About 29 per cent also thought they were already doing all they could for the environment.

Earth Hour participation was also down, according to Sean Simpson of Ipsos Reid. Roughly 46 per cent of Albertans participated this year, his surveys suggest, compared to 63 per cent last year. Participants also put less effort into saving energy, and were less likely to shut off computers, TVs, or appliances in addition to lights.

Sign of the times

Environmental concern has dropped ever since the recession began, Simpson said, and these surveys reflect that fact. About 27 per cent of Canadians rated the environment as their top concern in 2007, he noted, but that dropped to 14 per cent last year when the recession kicked in.

Jobs and health care concerns have swamped out the environment, Simpson said, prompting people to put eco-actions on hold.

"Replacing windows will save you money in the long run, but when you're strapped for cash or worried about losing your job, reaping the benefits of your investment 10 years down the road doesn't help you much now."

There are many cheap ways to reduce waste, said Rob Powell of the World Wildlife Fund in St. Albert, such as collecting rainwater, but many families have already taken these steps. "Some other things that need to be done [such as re-insulation] are quite expensive," he said, so it's no surprise that people would hold off on them during a recession.

But actual concern for the environment is undiminished, Powell added. A soon-to-be-released poll from Environics commissioned by his group found that about eight out of 10 Canadians were as or more convinced of a need to take more action on climate change this year compared to 2009.

"That's stratospheric," he said, and a strong call for leadership on the subject.

Go green cheap

Cost is an issue when it comes to reducing energy use, said Peter Amerongen, designer of Edmonton's three net-zero homes, but cost is coming down all the time. He's holding a talk next week at Grant MacEwan University to show homeowners how to get the most efficiency out of the least money.

Step one is an energy audit. "You can't economically reduce energy use if you don't know where it's going," Amerongen said. Audits point out potential savings in your home and show how much they cost.

"Showers are the single biggest component of most home hot water use," he said as an example, and can be upgraded any time with low-flow showerheads. Other changes, such as drainwater heat-recovery or air-sealing, may require more effort.

Amerongen's talk is in room 5-142 on April 14 at 7 p.m. For details, call 780-439-5608.


Kevin Ma

About the Author: Kevin Ma

Kevin Ma joined the St. Albert Gazette in 2006. He writes about Sturgeon County, education, the environment, agriculture, science and aboriginal affairs. He also contributes features, photographs and video.
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