Turn off or unplug any non-essential appliances whenever possible. Culprits include: modems, digital cable boxes and lamps or boomboxes with “powerpack” adapters. A rule of thumb is, “if it’s hot, it’s using/wasting electricity. Something that is generating heat for no real purpose is actually creating an even greater cooling requirement in your home. That means more air conditioning or fans just to get rid of heat that you didn’t intend to create in the first place. Do a quick walk around your home and do the “touch test”.

Try a book or magazine, rather than a computer. Have you noticed how hot your computer is? You may be saving it’s life!

Run your dishwasher after 10pm, then open it up and let it air dry rather than using an electrical heater to dry the dishes. Open your doors/windows to let out the steam and heat. We are all up late anyway.

Wash a load of laundry each night after 10pm, then hang that load out first thing in the morning. Get a drying rack for your yard, deck or balcony if you don’t have space for a clothesline. If you have a phobia about hanging out clothes, just ask yourself which is really hurting your neighbours: smog alerts and power outages, or fresh laundry flapping in the breeze?

Now if only we could order up some breeze.

David Chernushenko

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the making of my film Powerful: Energy for Everyone, I had the occasion to visit many communities, see interesting projects and interview passionate people of all stripes. I shot over 100 hours of video. Not all could be squeezed into a 95-minute film. This is one of the stories that I would like to have included if I had the space.

On April 7, 2010 my friend Jules de Heer passed away at the age of 53. Jules was a pioneer in a whole range of areas of eco/sustainable/green theories and practices. A trained engineer, Jules combined his rigorous attention to detail and desire for clarity with a passion for bringing human activity into harmony with natural processes and systems. He also introduced a strong aesthetic sense to whatever he was doing. To me, Jules de Heer was truly a pioneer in living lightly. His legacy will be a generation of students who studied under him, colleagues who worked with him, bid and host cities of Olympic Games that were “greened” by him, and many innovative tools for analysis and measuring performance that he shared generously with people like me.

I had the pleasure to visit with Jules and his family at their new home in Switzerland. Jules applied his passion for sustainability and precise detail in the design of this  pre-fabricated home, which meets and exceeds the Swiss “Minergie” standard.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the making of my film Powerful: Energy for Everyone, I had the occasion to visit many communities, see interesting projects and interview passionate people of all stripes. I shot over 100 hours of video. Not all could be squeezed into a 95-minute film. This is one of the stories that I would like to have included if I had the space.

It is easy for us, the people who have never known a life without easy access to cheap energy, to forget that as many as two billion people do not. Energy choices for many are limited and hard to come by. In many rural villages in Africa, South America and elsewhere, the only source of light is a burnable fuel like kerosene which can be scarce, expensive and polluting or batteries which are hard to come by and must be regularly replaced. Enter D-Rev — the design revolution entrepreneurs. Greg Lee and Amanda Gonzalez are two young entrepreneurs with engineering training and a social mission. They have developed a “solar concentrator” that generates electricity from the sun, using an elegant design and inexpensive materials. It has the potential to change lives, and even save lives.

David Chernushenko

This upbeat film looks at how we can make energy more democratic and democracy more energetic. Come and see how the transition to renewable energy can renew us as individuals and society.

Tuesday June 8, 7-9pm (FULL)

9:10-11pm (NEW)

Museum of Civilization, Gatineau (Hull), Quebec

Entry is by invitation. To receive one, email david[at]davidc.ca

Cost: There is no admission price. However, donations are most welcome. Cash donations will be accepted, and cards will be available for major donations (eligible for tax receipt) to the Films for Change programme administered by the Tucker House Renewal Centre.

Parking for bikes and cars is available on site. Consider carpooling, cycling or coming by bus (OC Transpo #8 and multiple STO routes)

Support for this special screening comes from Sustainable Ottawa Energy Co-operative,

and the Tucker House Renewal Centre.

For those of us who try to keep up a blog, but never seem to have the time to post on a regular basis, it’s great to receive material that you can pass on, almost as if it were your own. Well here I go, passing on a recent message from Cam Mather about the great work that he and wife Michelle are doing. There are more of us out there doing this kind of stuff than the mainstream media and advertisers would have us believe!

Enjoy.

David Chernushenko

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Hi There

I’d like to let you know about my new website http://cammather.com. When I get requests to speak to groups, I am usually asked to provide my bio and other information and so this website will provide this information in one easy location. Michelle and I also feel that this will be a good forum for keeping everyone up to date on the things we’re up to. I’ve included a list and details of the topics that I enjoy speaking about. I’ve outlined my offer to consult on topics such as renewable energy and transitioning to a low carbon future. We’ll post information about workshops that we’re going to offer here at Sunflower Farm, similar to the workshops that I’ve been presenting at colleges across Ontario. We’ve often provided tours of our place for our college workshop participants. Now we’re going to offer the actual workshops right here so that the tour can be part of the learning experience.

We’ll also be offering renewable energy retreats here. Over the past few years, we’ve allowed a few groups to come for a weekend and learn about renewable energy, organic gardening and living sustainably by seeing it all in action. Our guesthouse provides accommodations for people wanting to stay overnight here at Sunflower Farm.

In the last 12 years of living off-grid we’ve upgraded our solar panels 4 times, built two trackers, put up two wind turbines, replaced batteries, upgraded our inverter, continued to increase the size of our vegetable garden, sold vegetables, heated sustainably with wood cut from the property, installed a solar domestic hot water heater and started and maintained a publishing company dedicated to selling books and DVDs about sustainable living. We’d like to promote ourselves as excellent resources to help other people who are about to take on some of these tasks.

You’ll even find a section on “Self-publishing books” as one of our consulting subjects. After 7 years in the business we’ve learned a great deal and with our recent move into “e-Books” publishing we can guide anyone you know who may be interested in publishing a book through this challenging industry.

My first passion continues to be public speaking so if you are involved with any organizations or your business is looking for someone with a genuine enthusiasm for sustainable living and using renewable energy and other techniques to navigate challenging times ahead, please introduce them to the website. I enjoy the challenge of motivating individuals to take positive action, especially when presenting to a large group.

Please share our website with friends and associates. We’re hoping to broaden the audience for our message.

Thanks.

Cam

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AZTEXT PRESS  Publishers of

Thriving During Challenging Times
The energy, food and financial independence handbook.” ISBN 0-9733233-6-8

“The Renewable Energy Handbook”
A guide to rural energy independence, off-grid and sustainable living ISBN 0-9733233-2-9

“$mart Power: An urban guide to renewable energy and efficiency” ISBN 0-9733233-1-0

“Biodiesel Basics and Beyond”
A comprehensive Guide to production and use for the home and farm ISBN 0-9733233-3-7

The Zero-Carbon Car: Building the Car the Auto Industry Can’t Get Right  ISBN 0-9733233-4-4

Available at bookstores or www.aztext.com
2622 Mountain Road, Tamworth ON K0K 3G0  Phone: (613) 539-2831   cam@aztext.com

Parts of this interview will be featured in the upcoming David Chernushenko film, Powerful: Energy for Everyone.

O

SPRING INTO ACTION – VISIONS OF LIVING LIGHTLY
A VIDEO CONTEST AND EVENT

Sponsored by Ecology Ottawa and David Chernushenko’s Living Lightly Project

“Maybe it’s time to stop scaring each other and start inspiring each other instead!”
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Overview

Making the shift to a more sustainable economy and lifestyle will be challenging. But many people are on board and are already forging a path towards living more lightly and building strong and vibrant communities. We are looking for short videos that illustrate some of the ways we can all live more lightly and some of the people and organizations that are doing it already.

Tell us your inspiring story or show us solutions that you have uncovered.

Selected video entries will be shown as part of the Spring Into Action – Visions
of Living Lightly Video Festival on April 4, 2009, from 1 to 4 pm at the Library and Archives Canada Theatre, 395 Wellington St.,
Ottawa, ON.
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Contest Rules

1. Length: All videos will be between 2 and 5 minutes in length, including credits.
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2. Format: Contest entries will be on DVD and authored to be played on a DVD player or computer (2 labeled copies, with the title, contact name and running time)
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3. Language: Entries will be in either French or English, or both.
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4. Categories: (i) Under 25 years of age; (ii) 25 years and older [note: changed from 21 years]
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5. Content: Entries may be either documentary or dramatic. What matters is that they illustrate ways of living more lightly — that is, living with a lighter impact on the planet but with a positive, solutions-oriented outlook. We want to see inspiring stories, practical solutions, fun and fulfilling approaches to big tasks or small. We do not want to see stories about problems. We know all that. What can we do about the problems/challenges? Any subject matter related to Living Lightly is appropriate:
   1. Saving Resources (water, energy, materials)
   2. Growing or serving food
   3. Transportation
   4. Reduce, re-use, recycle
   5. Building and rebuilding vibrant communities
   6. Being the change you wish to see – walking your talk.
   7. Art, music and theatre with a message of living lightly
   8. You name it – if in doubt, send us a message and test your idea..
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6. Permissions: All entries must be accompanied by a signed entry form confirming that you have the permission of all identifiable subjects and music rights holders. All identifiable individuals in your film should sign a Release Form. You can download a standard model release form HERE.
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7. Local content:
   1. Films must have been shot within the cities of Ottawa and/or Gatineau.
   2. Contestants must live within the City of Ottawa or Gatineau
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Deadline

Entries must arrive at the address below by March 18, 2009. They must be accompanied by a completed entry form. Click HERE to download.
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Judges

Films will be judged by active members of the Ottawa film/video and environmental community.

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Prizes

Prizes will be awarded to the best films in both the Under-25 and 25-plus age categories. Additional prizes may be awarded to honorable mention recipients in each category.

An Audience Choice Award will also be given based on audience voting at the Festival.
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Contacts

For more information about the contest, contact:

Erin Ellis, Ecology Ottawa, 613-316-7824 or erinlouiseellis@gmail.com

David Chernushenko, The Living Lightly Project, 613-730-0870 or david@livinglightly.ca

Send video entries on DVD to:
David Chernushenko
99 Seneca St.
Ottawa, ON  K1S 4X8

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jay Sinha and Chantal Plamondon launched their business LifeWithoutPlastic.com/vivresansplastique.com to provide people with healthier alternatives to common plastic products such as baby bottles and sports bottles. David Chernushenko and the Living Lightly team visit Jay and Chantal at their boutique in Wakefield, Quebec.