After the recent power outage, some residents in Ontario, Canada were asked to cut their use of electricity in half. Some hoped the experience would convince people to change their behavior permanently. But as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports, environmentalists are arguing for a more permanent approach to energy efficiency:
Transcript
After the recent power outage, some residents in Ontario, Canada were asked to cut
their use of
electricity in half. Some hoped the experience would convince people to change
their behavior
permanently. But as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports,
environmentalists
are arguing for a more permanent approach to energy efficiency:
Suddenly, the media in the Canadian province of Ontario was filled with tips on how
to conserve
energy. Like many places in the U.S., Ontario was hit by the widespread blackout.
People were
told to turn off air conditioners and use cold water in their washing machines.
And a lot of residents, and businesses, listened. Environmental consultant Ralph
Torrie was
encouraged by this behavior. But he says the government needs to ensure energy
efficiency is
built in to appliances and automobiles
“There is no more effective, cheaper or quicker way to improve the efficiency of
energy use than
to work with the industry that makes these things and bring up the minimum energy
efficiency
that is required.”
Torrie hopes the province will consider long term action once the power supply is
back to normal.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Karen Kelly.