On Mike's Facebook page today, he shared a post from David Suzuki's page.
I have a radical idea. Let’s make Canada a leader in energy efficiency, responsible use of resources, green jobs for young people, and innovation! - Mike Holmes, Radical Canadian
"Are You Radically Canadian?" is apparently the battle cry for David Suzuki, famed Canadian environmentalist, and his foundation, the David Suzuki Foundation. Underneath the photo and quote from Mike, he posts a link, where you can make a monthly pledge to be "Radically Canadian," the qualifications of which include:
If it's radical to:
Protect nature
Defend informed debate and policies based on science
Work tirelessly to leave Canada a better place
then we are radically Canadian!
I am neither radical, nor Canadian, but I do find it admirable to care about your country and making it a better place.
This is the banner, currently posted on David Suzuki's Facebook, by the way. It sports the "Are You Radically Canadian?" slogan, and as you can see, Mike's mug is in the bottom right hand corner, right above the David Suzuki Foundation logo.
Forgive me for being terribly American (or Amercian -- LOL, inside American joke. Google it if you don't understand), but until Mike Holmes became a blip on my radar, I'd never heard of David Suzuki. Apparently, he and Mike Holmes are #1 and #2 respectively on a 2010 Reader's Digest poll of the top ten most trusted Canadians. So, what do you get when you take a couple of Canada's crown jewels and stick them on top of a roof with TV personality Rick Mercer? Why, you get a bowl full of awesome! In this article from David Suzuki's website, you get his and Mike's perspective on the controversial Green Energy Act, which has been heavily debated over in Ontario.
Watch Canada's "most trusted" people get up on a roof to install a solar panel.
By Mike Holmes and Dr. David Suzuki
Over the past few weeks, Ontario politicians have engaged in heated debate about the province's much lauded and much criticized Green Energy Act. Some say it is the backbone of the province's promising green technology sector; others want to put a stake through its heart. Regardless of your political stripes, everyone agrees; the stakes are high.
So what is really happening in Ontario? Simply put, a lot. If you want to learn more, please read below. If you would rather spend the next few minutes watching a couple of Canada's "most trusted" people get up on a roof to install a solar panel, check this serious bit of journalism from the Rick Mercer Report.
The Province of Ontario is two years along a brave new path that is expected to bring future prosperity and cleaner energy to Ontario communities. It has done this by encouraging the private sector to invest in local power projects and companies that make the thousands of components that are required to make windmills whir and solar panels purr. At the same time, the province has begun promoting energy conservation and making huge investments in our energy infrastructure — measures that will reduce energy consumption and save taxpayers money in the long run.
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While parties scramble to convince voters that their plans to power the province into the future is the best, we feel we should take a moment to first look at the past to gain some perspective and insight into how to move forward.
More than one hundred years ago, Ontario Premier James Whitney was in hot water over his proposal to tap the power of Niagara Falls by building a hydroelectric generating station. His opponents said it would likely bankrupt the province. Instead, this source of green renewable power has helped fuel Ontario's economic engine ever since. Ontario now gets over 20 per cent of its electricity from renewable hydroelectric generation, thanks in large part to the foresight of Whitney and our great grandparents.
Germany embarked on its green energy strategy more than ten years ago. Since then the country has become a clean technology powerhouse, creating more than 370,000 fulltime jobs and tripling their production of clean energy — now 17% of their total power supply. This is something we can do in Ontario. We can all benefit the same way—or even more so—if we continue down the path we've begun.
Ontario passed its own Green Energy Act in 2009. Modelled on the German laws, this legislation has kick-started Ontario's green energy sector by encouraging investment by hundreds of companies, farmers, community groups and residents throughout the province. In only two years it is has spurred the private sector to invest billions of dollars in dozens of new factories and power projects and has created thousands of direct and indirect jobs, with tens of thousands more expected in the coming years.
These newly created jobs include skilled trades workers manufacturing components for solar panels and turbines, contractors installing them, and the engineers and entrepreneurs that dream them up. Good-paying, full-time positions. We aren't talking temporary or part-time jobs in the service sector.
And for many youth, these are the jobs of the future. This is why more than three-dozen green technology programs have been created at Ontario colleges and universities. They will be retooling students and professionals to meet the demands of this emerging new sector of Ontario's economy—part of the global trillion-dollar clean technology sector that has blossomed worldwide.
While job creation numbers can often seem a bit suspect, especially around election time, the progress on the ground has been remarkable. Ontario is now home to some of the most exciting green energy projects on the planet, including the world's largest solar photovoltaic power plant in the world, in Sarnia. Countless farmers, community groups and entrepreneurial residents have also been getting some of the action with small installations that will provide them a second source of income for the next couple of decades. This will help support a sustainable economic and environmental future.
While this progress is impressive, candidates and parties intent on killing the program are now threatening the entire enterprise. They raise the spectre of rising energy prices without acknowledging that investments in green energy represent less than one per cent of the total price householders pay for energy.
This province has a history of leadership in manufacturing and growth. This is the sort of foresight that has made Ontario great. Treading into new territory undoubtedly will lead to a few potholes on the path. However, we believe Ontario is on the right track towards a green energy future that will wean us from dirty, old fuel sources and bring us closer to a brighter, cleaner, healthier future — and fuel Ontario's economic engine into the 21st century.
David Suzuki and Mike Holmes are two of Canada's most trusted and recognized personalities and were recently seen on a roof installing solar panels. For more information, please visit davidsuzuki.org and makeitright.ca.
This article, from the National Post (Canada), Mike Holmes discusses his ever-growing love for "green energy." He explains why he feels that green energy, solar in this instance, is the technology of the future given the rising cost of energy. Holmes is never without his critics, however. I found the user-submitted comments about the article almost as interesting as the article itself. Not being Canadian, I found it a bit hard to follow without Googling some names and terms, but I got the gist of the complaints. Still, good article. Anytime Mike has something to say, his passion for building the best always comes through.
Mike Holmes: Sunny days with solar leasing
Mike HolmesMay 14, 2012 – 8:00 AM ET | Last Updated: May 14, 2012 9:04 AM ET
The Rick Mercer Report
Mike Holmes helps to install solar panels on a residential roof.
The move for renewable energy and greener technologies has been really important to me for years now. Why? Because I’m building homes that are going to be around for years. So if I’m going to do it right, I have to think about the environment these buildings are going to be in today and tomorrow.
Let’s look at the facts: The cost of energy keeps rising. A lot of the resources we use for energy are on the verge of depletion. And the environmental fallout of modern living has reached a critical point. As a homeowner, what do you do? As a builder or contractor, how do you respond?
Many people might look at the current situation and say it’s hopeless, but I don’t. I deal with hopeless situations every day, and time and time again we push forward and make things right.
If we look at what’s going on in the economy and the environment, we’ll see there’s actually a huge opportunity here. For new infrastructures, new technologies, new skills and an economy that gets stronger the more we help our environment. There’s no conflict of interest here.
Another bonus is that green economy creates long-term jobs for different skill levels. This includes skilled tradespeople to manufacture all the parts for solar panels and turbines, contractors to install them and engineers to dream them up.
The good news is more and more governments and organizations are realizing this and they’re working together to build stronger communities for the future. For example, in Ontario we have the Feed-in Tariff program. This program lets homeowners and businesses feed the electric grid with renewable energy, such as solar, wind, hydro and/or biogas. This is great. The problem is the upfront investment exceeds most homeowners’ budgets. Solar panels and windmills aren’t cheap, folks — at least not yet. In the meantime, organizations are stepping up and doing what it takes to help make both ends meet. For example, PURE Energies and the David Suzuki Foundation are working together and it looks like they’re on the right path.
PURE Energies is a microfit company that facilitates solar leasing. They install, operate and maintain solar power systems on suitable residential homes, at no cost to the homeowner. They’ll also monitor a home’s HVAC system to make sure it runs as efficiently as possible, given the weather
and temperature. And even though PURE Energies owns the solar power system, they share the revenues from the energy produced with the homeowner. Everybody wins. Right now, PURE Energies will make a donation to the David Suzuki Foundation for every inquiry they receive from homeowners interested in a solar power system. And if an inquiry leads to the installation of a system, PURE Energies will make another donation. Why the David Suzuki Foundation? Because they’re helping lay down the groundwork, through science and education, for a shift to sustainable living.
The collaboration is a smart setup. It reinvests in energy conservation and renewable energy solutions. The benefits here are exponential: We’re using solar energy, we’re taking pressure off the grid, we’re putting money toward better green solutions, we’re putting money back into homeowners’ pockets and we’re moving away from combustible energy sources, like coal. Most people don’t know but a side affect of coal-fired power plants is mercury emissions.
There are real facts driving the green movement. It’s important people know what they are and the options they have. Education has always been key to what I do. I’d say it’s the most important part of everything I do. Why? Because building affects the people involved, but education affects everybody.
As a contractor and builder, I take my job seriously. And I don’t take this responsibility lightly.
No matter the project, I always try to go for green options and renewable energy solutions. I could be working on a house for the new series, a custom home, a hurricane resistant house in New Orleans, a children’s village in Haiti or a First Nations reserve. I always try to incorporate green solutions that make sense. Not just for short-term maintenance but also for long-term sustainability. And solar leasing is a good way to start weaning our homes off non-renewable energy.
Solar leasing is on the rise, especially in the U.S. due to their high-energy costs. Currently, Enmax Energy is making solar leasing possible in Alberta. But I want to see more provinces push for legislation that lets solar leasing be an option for all homeowners across Canada.
