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From the archives: Boomers and bikes were made for each other
January 1, 2024
There are alternatives to driving that can work just about anywhere.
From the archives: Falls may soon be the leading cause of death
December 29, 2023
But this isn't just a problem of aging; It's a problem of design.
From the archives: Older pedestrians are dying on our roads
December 28, 2023
'Shared responsibility' is code for "it's always the pedestrian's fault" — but that doesn't work when you're talking about aging boomers.
From the archives: Baby boomers will be among the hardest hit by climate change
December 27, 2023
In 2050, roughly one in three baby boomers will still be alive — 21 million old people who will need help with flooding, fires, and possibly poverty.
Boxing Day Bonus: The Zero Ambitions Podcast
December 26, 2023
I cohost a two-part episode where we start talking about wood and end up all over the place.
Counter Intelligence: Australia bans engineered stone
December 22, 2023
What are the alternatives to Ceasarstone and others like it?
To end fossil fuels, "remember, it is the demand that will decide."
December 20, 2023
Sultan Al Jaber will not shut off the supply, but we don't have to buy what he is selling.
More lessons from Canadian small house designs
December 18, 2023
You don't need a thousand square feet per person to live comfortably.
Canadian government to develop house plans for the 21st century
December 15, 2023
Their house designs from after the Second World War introduced a new generation of architects.
Saudi Arabia tries to kill COP28 while it pours concrete for ski resort
December 13, 2023
Let's get our priorities straight here; they need those petrodollars to protect the environment.
Why living on top of the shop is making a comeback
December 11, 2023
Flexible designs make housing more affordable and our streets more exciting.
There's only one way to make the circular economy work: use less stuff.
December 8, 2023
The Danish Design Center adds a fourth leg to the concept.
One Hundred and six years after the Halifax Explosion, what have we learned?
December 6, 2023
Not much. We are still playing chicken with peoples' lives.
Did Virgin's transatlantic flight really use 100% sustainable aviation fuel?
December 6, 2023
It's not sustainable; there just aren't enough dead cows, and there is not enough land to keep us all up in the air.
Stanley Jevons goes to Las Vegas
December 4, 2023
The Sphere eats up the energy and carbon savings from converting 47,889 houses to LED lighting; a bright example of Jevons' Paradox.
Seen at Construct Canada: marvellous modular and wonderful walls
December 1, 2023
I am not usually a fan of concrete, foam or steel, but sometimes you just have to admire ingenuity.
What are the upfront carbon emissions of a cookie?
November 29, 2023
I learned a lot from my students this year, both about upfront carbon and about teaching.
Has anything really changed because of the climate crisis?
November 27, 2023
I try to find signs of positive change for a Canadian radio show.
Get out today and support Small Business Saturday
November 25, 2023
We need vibrant main streets in 15-minute cities and towns, and small businesses are key.
Tax the rich before they kill us all
November 24, 2023
A new OXFAM report finds that the richest 1% of the world’s population is responsible for as much carbon pollution as the poorest two-thirds of humanity.
Does carbon capture and storage with limestone make sense?
November 22, 2023
No, it would make more sense just to give everyone an electric car.
In the future, everything will be a drive-through
November 20, 2023
The world will end up with two classes: those with cars and those without.
New studies find SUVs and pickups with high flat fronts are 45% more likely to kill.
November 17, 2023
The IIHS calls for automakers to "take a hard look at the height and shape of their SUVs and pickups.” We call for regulation.
It's America Recycles Day!
November 15, 2023
My favourite holiday is a shadow of its former self.
Hearables just keep getting better and better
November 13, 2023
Hearing aids connect me to my family and to the world.
Sidewalks should be designed for people, not cars
November 10, 2023
The reconstruction of a Toronto street highlights the problem with "standards."
Death to skeuomorphism!
November 8, 2023
Making things look like something they are not costs us money, carbon, and, when it comes to vehicles, even lives.
BONUS: What happened to WeWork?
November 7, 2023
A lot of people are blaming the pandemic, but others worried about it earlier. Here's an article I wrote in early 2019.
The end of work
November 6, 2023
Elon Musk says artificial intelligence will replace all our jobs. He is not the first to make this kind of prediction.
Lessons from Livermore's 2022 Energy Consumption Chart
November 3, 2023
It's not actually about energy but measures heat, and it's not pretty this year.
An alternative vision of transportation, from my Dad
November 1, 2023
He believed that freight and people shouldn't mix on the roads. He was right.
Preservation is climate action
October 30, 2023
We are no longer just trying to save the past; we’re trying to save the future. We are part of a larger movement
Everyone is talking about E-bikes these days
October 25, 2023
And why not? They can help reduce emissions, congestion, and budgets.
Pedestrian safety is not a two-way street
October 23, 2023
Complaining about people walking while wearing a hoodie or AirPods is like complaining about people walking while old.
On Simplicity (and Thomas Heatherwick)
October 20, 2023
The designer thinks our buildings are too flat, plain, and straight. He's wrong, we need more of what he calls boring.
Why our cities are becoming a corporate monoculture
October 18, 2023
Thoughts on a Tim Hortons moving into our neighbourhood
Imagine these houses with acrylic stucco and vinyl windows
October 16, 2023
An economist says there is an "emissions gap" caused by regulations for historic districts. He's not looking at the bigger picture.
Why heritage preservation is climate action
October 13, 2023
Why we fight to save existing buildings and stop the construction of new useless and frivolous ones.
Small CLT is Beautiful: A different model for mass timber
October 11, 2023
Timber Age goes to the forest and harvests trees that might otherwise burn.
What happens when we get a clean slate? We write the same thing again
October 9, 2023
A depressing visit to the Marshall Fire reconstruction shows we have learned nothing.
Why we need “windows with purpose”
October 4, 2023
As the world heats up, we have to rethink how we design them, especially in multi family dwellings.
Another cyclist murdered by the construction industry and the government
October 2, 2023
It's not just the driver who right-hooked a cyclist in Hamilton; it's the entire system that puts money ahead of lives.
Lego changes course, will recircle instead of recycle
September 29, 2023
They tried to make Lego bricks out of recycled PET and couldn't make it work, but we can all learn a lesson from this.
When you look at the world through the lens of upfront carbon, it changes everything
September 25, 2023
Times have changed, and so has the way we look at saving existing buildings.
The Therme Spa at Ontario Place in Toronto is a carbon bomb that must be defused
September 22, 2023
Every tonne of CO2 emissions adds to global warming, and these buildings have many tonnes of glass, concrete and aluminum.
Nobody is telling you that you have to give up your hamburger or stop buying pants
September 20, 2023
But unfortunately, we should; our cities are responsible for vast carbon emissions, much of them from our consumption.
The three different kinds of obsolescence
September 18, 2023
An excerpt from my book, Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle
Are the new Apple Watches truly "carbon neutral"?
September 15, 2023
The only truly carbon-neutral watch is the one you don't buy.
Why everyone should have a bidet toilet seat
September 11, 2023
The Western toilet is a hygienic disaster. The bidet toilet seat helps a bit.
Car bloat is getting ridiculous and must be stopped
September 8, 2023
I complain about pickup trucks all summer, and now it is time to complain about SUVs.
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