A growing number of Canadian householders are using energy-efficient lights and water-saving shower heads, but they’re still far from being full-fledged environmentalists, suggests a Statistics Canada study released Wednesday.
A Statistics Canada survey of more than 28,000 households conducted in early 2006 found that close to six in 10 now use compact fluorescent bulbs — triple the proportion since the mid-1990s — and more than four in 10 have a programmable thermostat, compared to 16 per cent in 1994.
Six in 10 households had a water-saving shower head in 2006, compared to more than four in 10 in 1994. The proportion using water-saving toilets nearly tripled, and composting also was on the rise.
But the survey found other aspects of household behaviour have not changed much since the mid-1990s.
Chemical pesticide use was down only slightly to 29 per cent in 2006 from 31 per cent in 1994, with the sole exception of Quebec, where the share of households applying lawn-and-garden pesticides plunged by half to 15 per cent.
Most Canadians also commuted to work alone in a private car or truck, with 57 per cent of all people working outside the home travelling solo to their jobs during the warmer months, growing to 64 per cent in colder months.
“We have some characteristics, such as energy and water conservation devices are much more in vogue. On the other hand, pesticide use on a national basis is only down slightly, and a lot of people are travelling to work alone in their cars,” study author John Marshall said from Ottawa.
“There are some fronts where Canadian households are obviously taking some action on some of their environmental decisions, and other fronts where, perhaps, not so much so.”
The survey found that of the country’s urban centres in summer, Saskatoon, Abbotsford, B.C., and Windsor, Ont., had the highest proportion of people commuting on their own in a vehicle to work, while Victoria and Ottawa-Gatineau had the lowest proportion.
“If you, for example, have kids to drop off at day care and you have to run some errands after work, it may be more convenient for someone to travel to work alone by motor vehicle,” Marshall said. ``On the other hand, it may be just as convenient to travel by public transportation, so these data don’t really give us the exact reasons why people are behaving in a certain way, just how they are behaving.”
While it’s heartening to see more Canadian householders boosting their use of compact fluorescents and programmable thermostats, the predominance of single-occupant vehicles driven to work is a problem, said Lisa Matthaus, campaigns director of the Sierra Club of Canada’s British Columbia chapter.
“To me, that points out voluntary measures can take us part of the way, and in some cases, a good chunk of the way to where we need to get to,” she said from Victoria.
“But in the end, we really do need to look at government to find ways of making sure everybody is recognizing the real costs of our actions.”
Having a good transit system is a luxury for a lot of big cities with commuters wanting to park the car at home, but that doesn’t mean those living in less populated areas don’t have options, Matthaus said.
“Even smaller communities might have to start looking at prioritizing more investments in those kinds of areas, or for individuals, making investments in better technology that allows you to either work at home more often or carpooling with neighbours.”
Examining a carbon tax or disincentives for purchasing gas-guzzling SUVs are possible options to encourage Canadians to become more environmentally active, Matthaus said.
Since the survey was conducted, the city of Saskatoon revamped its transit system last July, and saw a 12 per cent increase in ridership Jan. 1 compared to last year, said Mayor Don Atchison.
The city was the first in the Prairies to have hybrid buses, and they are trying to set up routes moving people from hubs and outer areas of the city to the downtown core faster than in the past, or to the north end if needed, he said.
“If it’s going to take you an hour to get from one end of the city to the other (by bus) and you can (do it by car) in about 22, 23 minutes, I think a lot of people would still choose their vehicle, so we’re trying to make it more beneficial time-wise to take the bus for people.”
Yet for many living in bedroom communities near the city of 225,000, driving still remains their main way to get into Saskatoon, Atchison said.
“We have a lot of smaller communities that are surrounding our city, and we don’t have, for example, the GO (Government of Ontario) trains, we don’t have the subways, so for people that live out in the rural areas, their only true mode of transportation is a vehicle.”
Pesticide use was highest in the Prairie provinces, led by Manitoba at 44 per cent and Saskatchewan closely behind at 43 per cent.
The proportion ranged in the eastern part of the country from 14 per cent in Prince Edward Island to 21 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“Those in the West were more apt to use pesticides just for some spot treatment or only when needed, whereas in a province like Ontario, households were more likely to use a general maintenance contract with a lawn company,” Marshall said.
Statistics Canada plans to conduct a similar survey every two years due to the thirst for environmental information from Canadian households, Marshall added.
“It is the topic of conversation and I don’t think it’s one that’s going to go away, and it’s also something that is really the backbone of a lot of the policy coming out of all levels of government.”
