Author: Adam Clare

Companies Reward Cyclists For Choosing Bikes Instead of Cars

Despite the fact that Toronto’s politicians want to make the city more dangerous for cyclists (by encouraging more car use and removing bike-focused infrastructure) the people of Toronto are loving bike riding more and more every year. Companies have caught on to this and some are now giving employee some rewards for opting to ride a bicycle instead of using a car.

It helps keep staff healthy and active, and “I actually think it saves money for customers,” he said.
If a consultant has to drive from the suburbs to a client downtown, the client gets charged 50 cents per kilometer, plus $25 for parking. That can add up to a $45 charge for the client.
…
Toronto Environmental Office director Lawson Oates agrees. Cycling rewards increasingly resonate with younger workers and employers, he said.
“It’s the wave of the future. (Companies) want to attract and retain topnotch employees,” and these people don’t necessarily function in “the old 9-5 mould,” he said.

Read more at The Star

Thanks to Kathryn!

Earthships Taking Off in the Netherlands

Earthships are a type of house that are built using reused materials to construct a structure that is sustainable. Often the earthships are off the gird and can function autonomously from external systems. In the Netherlands, these types of buildings are growing in popularity.

Earthships use dirt- and sand-filled tires to create insulated, fire-resistant walls that are then surrounded by earth berms. A glass conservatory filled with plants on the south-facing side maximizes the sunʼs warmth, directing heat into earth mass walls and floors that radiates within the house when the temperature drops. High-performance wood-burning ceramic heaters provide additional warmth as needed. During summer, inhabitants can lower temperatures by blocking windows. Temperatures are maintained at around fifteen degrees Celsius because of the stable temperature of dirt surrounding the building. Cool air enters through the front windows, and warm air is ventilated out through skylights.

Read more.

France Wants Lights to be Turned Off

France has passed a law that will make it illegal to keep lights turned on over night in non-residental buildings. Starting in July the lights need to be out an hour after the last employee leaves. This is a great way to save energy while reducing light pollution.

The move, announced on Wednesday, is expected to save 250,000 tonnes of CO2 – enough energy to power 750,000 French households for a year.

The French ecology minister, Delphine Batho, said she hoped the law would change attitudes in France and help the country become a pioneer in reducing light pollution.

Read a bit more at The Guardian.

A Look at Happiness Through Design

The Design Exchange in Toronto has invited Stefan Sagmeister to explore what happiness is all about. The artist has done some great album artwork and is now exploring how to bring happiness via stats and images. It looks like a good show!

In the spirit of design week, join us at the DX for Stefan Sagmeister: The Happy Show. Running until March 3rd, the site-specific exhibition has “hijacked” the DX and converted it into a happy place complete with bright yellow walls upon which Sagmeister’s very own maxims for happiness have been personally handwritten. From the restrooms to the elevators, no surface has remained untouched. Grab a friend or two, celebrate design and be happy!

If you’re in Toronto and want to know about happiness head on down to the Design Exchange to check it out.

Eat Early for Best Calorie Burning Results

If you tend to eat early in the day you are more likely to burn weight than people who eat later on in the day. A study recently looked into timing of meals between groups of people in Spain and the USA and found that those who ate their largest meal of the day before 3pm lost 25% more weight.

So if you’re looking to diet you should schedule most of your caloric intake to happen before 3pm.

“This was the first long-term large-scale study to really demonstrate that the timing of meals can predict weight-loss effectiveness,” said one of the study’s authors Frank Scheer, director of the Medical Chronobiology Program and associate neuroscientist at the hospital.

Researchers divided participants into two groups, based on when they ate their largest meal of the day, which in Spain happens to be lunch, when about 40 per cent of the day’s calories are consumed. Early eaters were those who lunched before 3 p.m., while late eaters ate after 3 p.m.

Read more at The Star.