Study suggests Canadians try to be GREEN
In general, Canada’s largest cities had the lowest rates of car use and more people using public transit. In all, 83 per cent of households own at least one vehicle. The study found Canadian households have gone green in some areas, but still have a few bad habits to break. Curbing energy use is a big trend, with almost six in 10 households (59 per cent) using compact fluorescent light bulbs in 2006, triple the proportion in a similar survey from 1994. Four in 10 households (42 per cent) have a programmable thermostat, up from 16 per cent in the mid-1990s. Canadians are more dedicated to water conservation, too, with 60 per cent reporting they have a water-saving showerhead (up from 42 per cent in 1994) and 41 per cent owning a water-saving toilet, up from 15 per cent a dozen years earlier). On the other hand, the use of chemical pesticides has declined only slightly from mid-1990s levels, to 29 per cent from 31 per cent. The exception to that rule was Quebec, where strict regulations were imposed and pesticide use dropped by over one-half. Use remains highest in the Prairie provinces (44 per cent in Manitoba and 43 per cent in Saskatchewan).
