The Citizen, 2008-09-04, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2008.Letter to the editorWriter urges peopleto lower energy use
THE EDITOR,
On Aug. 17 the Huron
County 4-H Leaders
Association held its third
annual fundraiser dinner. All
money raised at this dinner
helps keep costs down and
also helps keep the 4-H
program in Huron County.
Approximately 200 people
were fed.
Huron County 4-H
acknowledges the following
sponsors and clubs for
helping with this dinner:
Londesborough Lions Club,
Auburn Lions Club, Wayne
and Diane Shapton, Bruce
and Marie Bergsma, Grant
Bergsma, Don Dodds, Gay
Lea, AM920 CKNX, Andrew
Campbell, Brussels Ag
Service, Twp. of North
Huron, Riverline Nature Co.,
Sparling’s Propane, Scotia
Bank, Lucknow Co-op,
Huron County 4-H
Sodbusters Club, Lucknow 4-
H Dairy Club, Lucknow 4-H
Beef Club, Huron County 4-
H Swine Club, North Huron
4-H Sheep Club, South
Huron 4-H Sheep Club,
Exeter 4-H Beef Club,
Brussels/Belgrave 4-H Beef
Club, Wawanosh 4-H Life
Skills Club and Grey Twp. 4-
H Club.
The continued community
support ensures 4-H will
remain prominent for years to
come in rural and urban
Huron County.
Huron County 4-H
welcomes private donations.
If you wish to donate to the
Huron County 4-H program
contact me at 519-523-4364.
Darrell Bergsma, President
Huron County 4-H Leaders
Assoc.
THE EDITOR,
I recently attended a
symposium sponsored by the
Centre for Applied
Renewable Energy in
Brussels. The title was
Merging with the Green
Economy and it was an
encouraging look at
opportunities for rural
renewable energy products
and Green Collar job
possibilities in Rural
Communities.
I particularly liked David
Blaney’s comment “Our sons
and daughters can pursue
their interests and stay local if
we push renewables.”
It was also exciting to hear
John Wilkinson, the keynote
speaker and Ontario Minister
of Research and Innovation,
say that we need to rejoin all
the other species on the planet
in living in a sustainable
fashion.
He then went on to say that
photosynthesis and
metabolism are what makes
the rest of the world work and
that we need to find our way
out of the darkness of the
choice we made 150 years
ago when we began
becoming so dependent on
fossil fuels. This is good stuff
and I’m glad to hear it.
But I did have a concern as
I reflect on the symposium.
Most of the talk was about
technology. Now I agree we
need to be shifting to
biofuels, and solar panels and
wind generators. We need to
be making a transition to a
renewably fueled society.
But I also agree with
Richard Heinberg, who in his
book, The Party’s Over, says
there is no one silver bullet
that can replace our current
level of fossil fuel use, only
silver BBs, each a small
contributor to meeting our
energy requirements.
We need to be thinking
about innovative ways to
organize our society and
economy so we need less
energy now, not just working
on new energy sources and
more stuff.
The more we can lower our
energy usage, the greater our
success in shifting to
renewables.
As an example, consider a
situation where four people
are driving daily from a rural
township to jobs in a local
town. If each gets a hybrid car
that doubles the mileage they
are currently getting with
their existing cars and each
continues to drive to work
they will cut their fuel needs
by 50 per cent.
However, they will have the
cost of buying new cars and
the manufacture of those cars
will take a lot of energy and
resources.
On the other hand, if the
four decide to carpool to town
they can cut their energy use
by 75 per cent right now with
no additional cost for new
cars and no additional energy
and resource use to
manufacture them.
To make a transition to a
sustainable society we need
to be thinking creatively
about how to encourage and
support that type of behavior
and how to design an
economy so that it doesn’t
crash and burn when the
demand for private
automobiles drops or
products are made so durable
that they last decades.
We need to develop ways
that we as individuals can
work together to reduce our
energy needs and where we
as a society can encourage
frugality, durability and
simplicity without putting
half the population on
unemployment.
If we replace the cancerous
growth of our throwaway
consumer society maybe one
of the benefits could be a 20-
hour work week.
Wouldn’t it be great to have
that extra time for our
families and communities as
well as a sustainable
economy too!
Tony McQuail
Getting it together
Members of the Thresher Association spent Labour Day labouring. With the
annual Reunion just days away, the volunteers were busy getting things in
shape. Mel Bogie, left, and Bill Hallahan, behind forklift, level the general
information booth, located in front of Shed 2. Campers began pulling in the
next day, eager to see the sights and hear the music. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Growing Forward
AgriInvest accounts are built on government and farmer contributions. It’s fl exible -
farmers can use the money to manage small income declines, reduce their business
risk or increase their market income.
To be eligible, all producers, including those who received money under AgriInvest
Kickstart, must apply for 2007 AgriInvest. There is no automatic enrollment.
To receive your full government contribution, your tax form must be received by
September 30, 2008. Applications will be accepted until December 31, 2008, but a
penalty will be applied.
Apply by checking the box on your 2007 farm tax form or contact the call centre
at 1-866-367-8506. The call centre will be open for extended hours on Saturday,
September 20th and 27th from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CDT. To learn more, visit
www.agr.gc.ca/agriinvest
AgriStability is a margin-based program to support farmers when they have a
margin decline of 15% or more.
Participants who are in financial distress can receive half of their estimated 2008
AgriStability benefit by submitting an Interim Payment Application.
Remember to pay your 2008 AgriStability fee before December 31, 2008.
To learn more, or for an application form, call 1-877-838-5144 or visit
www.agricorp.com
Growing Forward
A vision for a profitable, innovative, competitive, market-oriented agriculture, agri-foods
and agri-based products industry.
AgriInvest and AgriStability
Letter
4-H Leaders Assoc.
acknowledges help
Sometime between 9 and
11:45 a.m. on Monday, Aug.
25, a Beechwood Line
residence near Seaforth was
broken into. Police said the
unknown suspect(s) drove
part way up the driveway and
kicked in the front door.
Numerous items were
stolen from the residence
including electronics,
jewellery and Canadian
currency.
The total value of the loss is
in excess of $10,000.
Physical evidence was
collected at the scene and the
investigation continues.
Then between 11 a.m. and
12:30 p.m. another break in
occurred at a Huron Road
residence in Central Huron. A
quantity of jewellery,
figurines and cash was taken.
Police are looking at the
possibility that the two break-
ins are related.
Anyone with information
should call the OPP at 1-800-
310-1122 or Crime Stoppers
at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
1-800-565-8111
girlguides.ca
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OPP investigate thefts