MAY 11, 2007
12 • INDEPENDENTNEWS
VOICE FROM AWAY
YOUR VOICE
Telegram editor taken to task Dear editor, Re: editor Russell Wangersky’s column, Before you hit send, in the May 1 edition of The Telegram. Russell seems to have issues with a number of people and his anger comes out. Russell goes on about other people’s perception of him, which obviously isn’t good. So he actually
believes his gibberish is going to make us believe that the average Newfoundlander has lost it on mentality. Obviously Russell is trying to minimize his unpopularity with his column, but don’t be fooled. How many times does he address issues at hand when other media have covered it? I ask you, why do we put up with it?
What is he there for? All he writes about, for the most part, is Mother Nature. When he’s pushed to the wall he writes as though we are getting a good deal, but notice not once does he talk about the legal contract that is blatantly being broken. Where is our Canada Act or opting-out clause? Marian Walsh, Conception Bay South
Amrit Richardson prepares to race the hybrid car he built with a team of McGill students.
Start your (green) engines Living in Montreal, Newfoundlander Amrit Richardson envisions an electric future By John Rieti The Independent
T
iny and red, with metal parts jutting out and a blocky motor at its back, the racecar Amrit Richardson helped build looks like a dinky. But when the engine screams and it takes off, the miniature racecar looks more like a rocket strapped to four tiny wheels. Underneath its hood is something greener: a hybrid engine system that allows the car to run on both gas and electricity. Richardson, a Newfoundlander studying mechanical engineering at McGill University in Montreal, Que., is a member of the team of students that built the car for a competition in New Hampshire. Teams were challenged to conceive, design, build and race hybrid racecars, and McGill’s was fastest. “Young students are getting to know electric systems and hybrid systems way before they get into working for companies like Ford and General Motors,” Richardson tells The Independent. While many people have praised hybrid cars for their efficiency, Richardson doesn’t think they should be viewed as a long-term solution. “From the engineering point of view they’re still not a sustainable option … the attitude around (the garage) is that it’s got to be all electric.” This summer Richardson is working with the McGill VERT Project to develop concept vehicles, from hybrid speedsters to electric snowmobiles. Although the vehicles are far from commonplace, he says there’s a sense of optimism amongst the project’s engineers.
“It’s an exciting field, (how to be environmentally friendly is) the biggest question on everybody’s mind,” he says. Richardson says there is more discussion about sustainability in Montreal due to the obvious environmental issues of the city. “In Newfoundland there’s not so much pollution and things are generally a lot cleaner … it’s something people take for granted … but when you live in a big city and you see the smog and the number of cars you become more environmentally conscientious.” He’s also quick to point out that Montreal has just as many potholes as St. John’s. Although the projects Richardson is working on are far too expensive and technical to put on the market, he can easily envision their use in the province. His engineering team’s electric snowmobile has already been used for research in the Arctic and they have also come up with an electric off-road vehicle. In the future, Richardson says, people could charge their vehicles from solar, wind or hydro generators at their home or cabin, then cruise the country in silent transportatin that would leave little footprint on the environment. For now, Richardson will be happy to rev up the engine, chirp the tires and take his cars racing. He has another competition in Detroit coming up and he hopes the Motor city will follow the leadership of young, green engineers. john.rieti@theindependent.ca Do you know a Newfoundlander or Labradorian living away? Please email editorial@theindependent.ca
YOUR VOICE
Message to Randy Simms: don’t give up on the light Dear editor, I would like to thank Randy Simms for writing a column about the changes we are being asked to make to become more environmentally and sustainably conscious and responsible (Seeing the environmentally friendly light, May 4 edition). I commend Mr. Simms for taking the time to buy two long lasting fluorescent light bulbs. I am sorry that you were not able to figure out that like all traditional bulbs these are also specific to certain types of fixtures — you just have to take time to find the right one. I am also sorry that you were so inconvenienced by these new bulbs that you went back to the old ones for the sake of $10. It seems you were unable to see the environmentally friendly light. I hope you can find it in yourself to give it another try. This light bulb is the smallest change we should be asked to make. Without the willingness to make these small changes we will all be left in the dark. Please, do not wait for government to move, make government move. Stephanie Stoker, St. John’s
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