Clean Nordic living

Swedes show Montreal a thing or two
about making real progress when
it comes to going green

by BRETT SCHAENFIELD

Upon arriving at the 2008 World Bioenergy Conference in Jönköping, Sweden, an international industry trade show promoting information and commercial implementation of bioenergy technologies, my attention was immediately caught by Precer, a small Swedish company that was exhibiting a prototype solid biofuel/electric hybrid car. The key fuel source was biomass pellets. These pellets can be made from almost any cellulose-based waste product—wood chips, sawdust, plant husks etc. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this carbon-neutral resource is one of the cleanest-burning, most renewable energy sources on Earth.

A group of Quebec businessmen came to examine the vehicle up close. After a few quiet insults in French and some embarrassingly loud laughter, the leader of the pack approached CEO and inventor Martin Larsson and asked, “So, she run on the rabbit poop?” Larsson, who was obviously used to this kind of inspired wit, simply smiled and handed each of them a pamphlet and a business card. As they walked away shaking their heads, I approached Larsson and offered a clumsy apology on behalf of my fellow Quebecers. Larsson was nonplussed. “I don’t know why they’re laughing,” he said flatly. “Canada is one of the world’s largest producers of ‘rabbit poop.’ And they barely use the stuff.”

He was right. According to John Swaan, executive director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada, less than 10 per cent of the two million tons of pellets produced by Canada each year (mainly in British Columbia) are used by Canadians. I was dumbfounded. Sure, the Quebecers were jerks—but were they representative of a country of jerks? If this was such a great natural resource, why wasn’t anyone back home using these pellets? Where was the great Canadian poop-powered snowmobile?

As Canadians, and Montrealers in particular, I’m sure we’d like to believe that we’ve made some pretty impressive strides when it comes to making our lives greener. Thanks to a torrent of media attention and a healthy dose of liberal guilt, a good many Montrealers now tend to buy local and buy used, bring their own bags to grocery stores, recycle as much as possible and do cold water laundry loads in energy-efficient washers and dryers. Some go so far as to lowering the thermostat or even insulating their homes properly—anything to avoid being lumped in with those brutish carbon footprinters to the south.

But when compared to cities in Sweden where the climate, economy and standard of living is uncannily close to our own, are Montrealers still at the poseur level? While I normally wouldn’t advocate a “keeping up with the Svenssons” kind of mentality, some of our polar neighbour’s eco-initiatives would seem to suggest that a certain amount of competition might not be such a bad thing. Here’s a comparison of what Montreal is doing to improve the environment in certain sectors, compared to what the ever-goodly Swedes are doing.

Public Transportation

Montreal: Biodiesel buses
In March 2002, the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA), the Fédération des producteurs de cultures commerciales du Québec (FPCCQ) and the STM teamed up to launch the BIOBUS project in Montreal. The initiative: to assess the efficiency of biodiesel fuel under actual, often severe operating conditions in Montreal while studying the overall impact of biodiesel on the urban transportation industry. Made from vegetable oil, certain blends (with petroleum-based diesel) proved advantageous on a technical level, as no engine modifications on existing buses were required. Environmentally speaking, the blends helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,300 tons. Fast forward to 2008 and almost all Montreal buses are now using biodiesel blends. The STM estimates that this will have the same impact on carbon emissions as taking 1,400 cars off the road.

Fun fact: In 2005, the STM issued a public proposal encouraging local suppliers to offer biodiesel in support of the project. No one responded.

Linköping: Biogas buses, taxis and carpools
The city of Linköping began testing biogas-powered buses in 1991. Today, the entire fleet of city buses, along with city carpool programs and most taxis run on biogas. One of the most environmentally friendly automotive fuels, Linköping’s biogas contains up to 97 per cent methane (as opposed to your average biogas which contains only 60—70 per cent methane, according to Natural Resources Canada). What’s more, this fuel source is produced from local organic waste material, including slaughterhouse remains, expired dairy products and good old-fashioned sludge (sewage). Initiatives are even in place for people to convert their private cars to run on biogas and include such benefits as reserved parking spaces, reductions in fuel costs, a decrease in the emission of fossil carbon dioxide and an incredibly smug sense of satisfaction.

Garbage

Montreal: Lachenaie dump methane collection
Owned and operated by BFI Canada Inc., the Lachenaie landfill began receiving solid waste back in 1986. In 1994, a detailed assessment of Landfill Gas (LFG) production potential at the site was initiated. The idea: to capture excess methane gas produced by the natural decomposition of garbage and use it for energy. By 1996, construction of the LFG collection field and power plant was completed. Generation of electricity from LFG began in January 1996 and has been sold to Hydro Québec from BFI on an ongoing basis.

The good news: There has been a noticeable decline in odours emanating from the landfill and a source of environmentally friendly renewable power has been created. The bad news: It’s still a dump.

Jönköping: Energy from municipal waste
2006 saw the opening of a new combined heat and power plant (CHP) just outside of Jönköping, in central Sweden. Once all recyclable and hazardous materials have been removed, common household and industrial municipal waste is incinerated to produce 350 gigawatt hours (GWh) of heat—about 50 per cent of all heat used in the city’s district heating system—and 100GWh of electricity, powering community buildings such as schools, nursing homes, hospitals and municipal government offices. What’s more, any waste that can be fermented to produce biogas is taken to a nearby production plant. Advanced treatment of emissions from the burning of waste are managed through textile filters and scrubbers, resulting in a very low environmental impact.

New old neighbourhoods

Montreal: Griffintown
This past April, after a very public outcry, Devimco, developer of the Griffintown project, announced that it would invest an additional $40-million into the $1.3-billion neighbourhood makeover in order to green-up the plans for the area. For example, 90 per cent of energy needs are now to be met by renewable sources (which in theory could just mean hydroelectricity, although the developer claims to be willing to explore other renewable options). Other generous eco-considerations include a reduction in the original amount of parking spaces (from 8,000 to 6,800), a ban on wood-burning stoves and fireplaces, Energy Star-rated appliances, a network of bicycle paths and green space “wherever possible.”

Stockholm: Hammarby Sjöstad
Like Griffintown, the community just south of Stockholm’s city centre was a former industrial area that had since been largely abandoned. Razed in 1998 to make way for the Hammarby Sjöstad project, the city of Stockholm had lofty environmental goals for this community. In short, the total environmental impact of the area would halve that of any housing areas built in the early 1990s. Not surprisingly, due consideration was given to… well, everything. Today, the “Hammarby model,” a complex and unique eco-cycle, is studied by architects and city planners the world over. The results are impressive to say the least: effective carpooling and public transportation systems, strict construction and building material standards, district heating and cooling systems based on waste and renewable energy sources, significantly reduced water consumption, locally treated storm water and a biogas (fuel) and biosoilds (fertilizer) program at the local waste water treatment plant. All this and no hippies.

Maybe I’m too hard on Montreal. After all, the environment has been a hot topic in Sweden ever since the oil crisis of 1973. As Swedes realized that they were unable to control the volatile cost or supply of fossil fuels, politicians became more willing to embrace experimental projects (and more importantly, eager to see them succeed). Being a wealthy country with the economic means to try these new ideas combined with an overall willingness of citizens to get involved has made a difference as well. It has also given them a 30-year head start when it comes to the relatively new Western paradigm of “thinking green.”

The bottom line: for Swedes, green is not simply a buzzword for all things environmental. Green is a colour that has come to represent progress, a way of life. But I guess for the rest of us wannabes who are a little late to the party it will remain, at least for now, the colour of envy.