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Adventure Traveler Garry Sowerby in his own words:
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Burnaby
and Whistler, British Columbia
Environmental Initiative #77
Greenlight Power
Technologies, Burnaby, British Columbia
Today was a very special day for me. I have
finally seen a fuel cell. Now it may be seem naïve to those
of you, and there are probably many, who have seen a fuel cell,
to be excited by this sight. But for me it was like the first
time I saw a picture of the Jarvik-7 artificial heart, the first
artificial heart to be implanted where the patient survived for
112 days in 1982.
I remember hearing about artificial hearts
everywhere in the media at the time and could only imagine what
one looked like. But the moment you see one, there is a sharp
intake of breath. you've definitely
seen something significant.
This is how I felt when I saw that fuel cell, exposed on the table.
Before our eyes could very well be the end of the globe's dependence
on fossil fuels. Before our eyes could be the answer to international
crises related to that dependence. Before our eyes was something
that inspired awe.
We were at the headquarters of Greenlight Power Technologies,
the leading supplier of test equipment and services to the fuel
cell industry, in Burnaby, BC. Greenlight Power Technologies has
been designing and manufacturing fuel cell test equipment since
1992 and have supplied more test stations, approximately 400 test
stations installed at over 60 customer sites, to the world's premier
fuel cell technology developers than any other company.
Their focus on fuel cell test equipment and
services allows their customers to concentrate on their core
business - participating
in the exciting race to commercialize their products and deliver
the benefits of fuel cell technology and clean energy to the world.
Fuel cell technology has the potential to dramatically change
the world. Fundamental to the advancement of fuel cells is the
ability to test, characterize and evaluate the evolving technology.
In very simple terms, a fuel cell is a device that converts chemical
energy from hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy and produces
an electrical current. It is similar to a battery in that it has
an anode and a cathode. However, a battery is only capable of storing
power, whereas the fuel cell can generate it, so long as hydrogen,
the fuel, is being supplied. As such, the fuel cell system also
has similarities to an internal combustion engine, except that
it operates very efficiently at low temperatures and with minimal
moving parts. In the process of electrochemical conversion to create
electricity, the only by-products of the fuel cell are water and
heat.
What's not to love?
We were shown through the facility by Jeff Plato, Director, Sales
and Marketing and Ross Bailey, Business Development Manager. Later
we were met by a troupe of keen engineers.
I was impressed by the fact that this group of people was just
as interested in the technology of our vehicles and our mission
as they were in their own technology and their mission.
As we parted ways and we got back to our respective jobs, I was
thinking about the wonder I felt in seeing my first fuel cell and
how, in all probability, in the not-too-distant future, the sight
would be commonplace and as simple as lifting the hood of a vehicle.
http://www.greenlightpower.com
You are now leaving the mission green website to an external
website.
Environmental Initiative #78
Whistler Blackcomb
Resort, Whistler, British Columbia
It's difficult to say what the folks at world-renowned Resort
Whistler Blackcomb are most proud of: their beautiful mountains
and surrounding pristine wilderness, their local environmental
stewardship, or the string of awards the Resort has won for the
ecological actions they've undertaken to lessen their footprint
on the earth.
We were here at the soon-to-be historic site of the 2010 Olympic
Winter Games in Whistler Blackcomb and Arthur DeJong, Mountain
Planning and Environmental Resource Manager, Kim Muller, Senior
Public Relations Officer, Dave Hennessey, Fleet Maintenance Manager,
were filling in Mission Green on some of the Resort's accomplishments
where the environment is concerned.
The awards for excellence in environmental stewardship over the
years have been numerous and prestigious, including recognition
for excellence in Environmental Group Relations and Habitat Protection
among others. Many of these awards have been granted by the Golden
Eagle Awards organization which was established to recognize the
environmental contributions of the North American Ski Industry,
Another source of pride is the Resort's work within the community
to perpetuate and educate about the benefits of a sustained and
protected mountain environment for which the Whistler Blackcomb
Environmental Team garnered a Silver Eagle Award for Excellence
in Environmental Education for North American Mountain Resorts.
Whistler Blackcomb Resort believes that conservation begins with
awareness. The Resort recognizes that the success of their environmental
programs is determined by their ability to educate guests and staff.
This desire to educate and bring awareness has been preached for
a long time in the community but there was a day when the Resort
realized that they weren't always practicing what they preached.
A diesel tank belonging to the Resort sprung a leak and Whistler
Blackcomb had an environmental fiasco on their hands. Since the
cleanup though, the effort to constantly improve their green standing
has been exemplary.
The Resort has implemented a number of local initiatives like
Forest, Soil and Watershed Management plan which aims to establish
the best recreational designs with the least amount of environmental
impact. Avoidance of wetlands and riparian zones, use of natural
contours vs. cut and fills, and developing glades and narrower
trails are part of the plan.
Operation GreenUp, now in its fourth year, is a Whistler Blackcomb
Environmental Team project whose primary objectives are to protect
drinking water and fish habitat values, apply planting strategies
and seed mixes which will enhance wildlife, utilise native species
whenever possible, enhance visual appeal and protect recreational
assets.
The bottom line, though, is that it is a Resort that has to keep
up with the latest in demands for challenging terrain for both
skiiers and snowboarders, which means remodelling what already
exists or even expanding it. A recent lift expansion was designed
in such a way to lessen the impact on the land. The lift line was
made narrower, the more ecologically-sound gladed run was used
instead of the conventional ski trail construction. The original
10,000 cubic metres of timber that was projected to be removed
to accommodate these new lifts was considerably reduced to 3,200
cubic metres.
By consistently thinking environmentally and enlisting the entire
Resort community to also think in this manner of planning, designing
and indeed living on a day-to-day basis, the premiere world-class
ski resort of Whistler Blackcomb continues to demonstrate its environmental
conscience in a hands-on and admirable way.
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/enviro/
You are now leaving the mission green website to an external
website.
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