INDIRECT SPEECH

Mayor Miller on Toronto's Efforts
Insert missing links in these complex sentences:

Mayor David Miller said the international community is cool to Canada, _____ he said he was feeling love for Toronto at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, _______ he attended as co-chair of the C40 group of urban mayors.
The C40 group's goals were modest ______ Miller said they're moving to complete them, ________ signing a carbon funding pact _________ will allow municipalities _____ access green funding for projects ________ reduce their carbon footprint.
"Our goal here is two things: ______ to demonstrate _______ the cities are acting _____ national governments can act, and ________ to ask national governments to engage in this and resource cities."
Miller said in general, the conference has confirmed for him _______ Toronto is on the right track environmentally, __________ he noted _______ Copenhagen is much more bicycle friendly than Toronto _______ he was impressed with the larger reliance on wind power.
When asked _______ he would like to see more windmills in Toronto, Miller replied ______ the Island airport would be a good spot.

Answers: but, where/which, and, particularly, that, to, that, first, how, so, secondly, that, although, that, and, where, that.

Toronto's Air Pollution Harms Thousands of Residents

Air pollution causes reduced lung function, asthma attacks, emergency room visits, lung cancer, high blood pressure and reduced life expectancy.
The Toronto data show that compared with 27 cities over a ten-year period, the city's nitrogen dioxide levels were the fourth highest, exceeded only by Los Angeles, Hong Kong and New York. Increases in nitrogen dioxide levels in Toronto coincided with increased vehicle use and a decline in the use of public transit. A study released by Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Toronto's Acting Medical Officer of Health, identifies the city's transportation sector as the most significant source of pollution.
The study estimates that five common air pollutants contribute to about 1,700 premature deaths and 6,000 hospital admissions in Toronto each year.
In Toronto, exposure to fine particles in the air contributes to about 6,000 emergency room visits, 12,000 cases of childhood bronchitis and 72,000 days of asthma symptoms each year.

TASKS:
1. Name some air pollutants. Find a map of the GTA showing air pollution by the ward.
2. Debate pros/cons of the public transit.
3. Compare the public transit in your country with the one in Toronto.
4. Write a letter to the TTC.
5. Come up with some suggestions for air quality standards in Toronto.

Winds of Change Blowing, but Resistance Gusting

This is an abridged article by Christopher Hume, from Toronto Star of 28 November 2008.





Suddenly, it seems the future has come to Toronto.


Whether we're talking about wind turbines in Lake Ontario, fees for plastic bags, garbage levies, bans on bottled water or fully recyclable coffee cups, Torontonians are having hard time adjusting to the realities of the 21st century.


As tough as change may be, there's no longer any choice.


Isn't that the lesson of the environmental crisis, global warming, not to mention the current economic meltdown? Isn't that the inescapable conclusion of everything we have been told for the past few decades?


The collapse has happened; we have no alternative but to reinvent our world. And if not our world, certainly our cities.


Yet, a good many of us prefer things just the way they are. Change is good, they say, as long as it means we don't have to do anything differently. Convenience? Unfortunately, the problem for those of us who live in developed countries such as Canada is that convenience is no longer convenient.

Green Buildings Toronto

Ravina Project

Fill in the gerunds: using, adding, replacing, becoming, living.



The Ravina project is a fascinating experiment in renewable energy and off-grid ______________. It is an 80-year old building in the east, on the verge of _______________ one of the first homes in Toronto using its own resources.
Several upgrades were made, such as _______________ insulation to the attic and basement and ___________________ the old windows with modern double pane glass. It has a computer-controlled boiler using natural gas and operating at an astounding 95% efficiency.
A 1,500-watt solar array on the roof provides power for the house on a daily basis, charges the storage batteries, and exports excess energy into the grid. _________ this house is an experiment that will test new theories that are very promising.

Green Buildings Toronto

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B U I L D I N G S
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Cecelia Murphy Building

Write words for the numbers in parentheses:

________ (60) solar thermal panels were installed on the roof of ________ (11) Coatsworth Crescent, a ______________________________________ (174) unit
residential building run by Neighbourhood Link Homes. The solar set-up is the largest in Toronto and is expected to generate __________________________________________ _________________________________________ (134,000) kWh of power annually. The solar panels capture the radiant energy of the sun, and use this energy to heat water for showers and sinks in the building. Energy savings are expected to be______________
________________________________ ($ 10,200).

Green Buildings Toronto

G R E E N
B U I L D I N G S
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Beach Solar Laundromat

Use the Comparative or the Superlative of the adjectives in parentheses:

The Beach Solar Laundromat is located at 2240 Queen Street East, in a 65-year-old building. It houses 21 washers and 14 dryers. The house is far _________________ (efficient) than it was at the time the owner bought it in 2002. After many heating and lighting retrofits, the Laundromat has become one of Toronto’s __________________ (energy efficient) buildings and one of Toronto’s ____________________ (profitable) laundromats.
Eight solar panels on the roof heat water, and the natural gas consumption was reduced by ___________ (much) than 30%. The revenue has grown 200% over 4 years.
A ____________ (high) efficiency lighting system reduced the lighting bill by 72%.
The company was awarded as the _____________ (good) greenhouse gas emission reduction project in Canada in 2004.