Central waterfront assoc. invites public responses to zero-emissions survey

You are invited to visit www.cwnasurvey.com for a survey on air quality and for a chance to win a hydrogen powered fuel-cell model car or a $100 Second Cup gift certificate!

Air Quality – a survey on beautification & revitalization

Smog and air pollution is the single biggest contributor to downtown residents’ health problems. The Ontario Medical Association reports that smog will increase the number of premature deaths by up to 4,000 by 2026 and an OMA study in 2001 found that air pollution costs Ontario citizens more than $1 billion a year in hospital admissions, emergency room visits and workplace absenteeism.

The main contributor to smog is the exhaust emissions from gasoline and diesel vehicles and buses travelling along our congested roads. They create carbon dioxide – a potent Green House Gas (GHG), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) – the main source of urban smog, and unburned hydrocarbons – the main source of urban ground level ozone. Although hybrid and lower emission gasoline vehicles reduce the levels of smog, they don’t solve the problem, which will escalate along with the rising number of gasoline powered vehicles on our roads.

In addition to public transit, biking and walking, the CWNA favours considering hydrogen powered buses and taxi fleets as an alternative to gasoline vehicles and noisy street cars. Hydrogen fuel represents a clean alternative to the negative environmental consequences of the consumption of gasoline and diesel because the only by-products are heat and pure water, which is neither toxic nor harmful to the environment or your health. Hydrogen vehicles are clean burning with low noise pollution.

As residents that are the most affected by urban smog because of our high density neighbourhoods, we at CWNA believe that we can improve our quality of living by demanding zero emission vehicles on our roads. Join us in taking the first step. You can help take action by completing an online survey to gauge your opinion about zero-emission hydrogen powered shuttle services and taxi fleets.

You can find the survey and details regarding the opportunities to win the model car or gift certificate at www.cwnasurvey.com.